Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
This hearty White Chicken Chili is made in the slow cooker for an easy weeknight meal. It’s a true “throw it in and turn it on” slow cooker recipe, with full flavor and warm spices.
I’ve seen so many articles lately about how Scandinavian countries celebrate winter as one of the happiest times of year, despite very short sunlight hours and totally frigid temperatures. They celebrate the things they can only do in winter, and take the time to create a sense of coziness. They go sledding, they roast marshmallows by the fireplace, they drink hot chocolate, tea, coffee…
As someone who happens to love the winter season, I agree with this mindset. My appreciation for the cold months is fostered by lots of homemade soup and chili, fuzzy socks, and cuddling up in big fluffy blankets. These things just aren’t as good in the summer, and I’ve talked plenty before about how much I treasure soup season.
Whether it’s three bean, tomato beef, or the white bean chicken chili I’m sharing in today’s post, chili is a wintertime staple for me. I love a big bowl of chili for dinner, loaded up with fun toppings.
Chili often has a lot of ingredients, but it’s easy to make. I used to make chili on the stovetop but I’ve now come to make it exclusively in the slow cooker. The slow cooker has the stove beat for “low and slow” and I find it makes for the most tender and cohesively spiced chili.
Plus, when you make chili in the slow cooker instead of on the stove, you don’t have to watch it. This is the biggest reason we all love our slow cookers, right?
To make the chili, I’m using chicken thighs, white beans, green chiles, onion, garlic, chicken stock, salt, and spices.
Here’s a closeup of the spices, which are ground cumin, chili powder, ground coriander, and oregano.
Even though chili has a lot of spices to flavor the liquid, I always use stock instead of water. When I see chili recipes suggest adding water, I always think there’s an opportunity to add more flavor by using stock or broth.
To get started, season boneless, skinless chicken thighs on both sides with salt, then place into the crock of your slow cooker.
Add rinsed and drained cannelini beans, or another white bean of your choice.
Then add diced green chiles.
Next up, add diced red onion and minced garlic.
Add a few grinds of black pepper and all of the spices.
To finish it off, add one 32-ounce carton of chicken stock, which is about 4 cups of liquid.
This stock is made with organic vegetables and free-range chicken raised without added hormones or antibiotics. All things I love for the food I eat!
Turn the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3 hours.
Remove the chicken from the liquid, and shred with two forks.
Then remove two cups of the chili, making sure to get some of the beans and chiles in there, and puree in a food processor. This will give you a slightly thickened consistency.
Add the pureed chili and the shredded chicken back to the rest of the chili in the crock.
Serve the chili in bowls, and get ready to load it up with lots of toppings.
My “always toppings” are Monterey Jack Cheese, fresh cilantro, and sour cream, but I often like to throw diced avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime in there too.
Enjoy!
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 15-ounce can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 32-ounce carton chicken stock (about 4 cups)
For the toppings:
- Diced avocado
- Cilantro
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Lay the chicken thighs out in a single layer and season both sides evenly with the salt.
- In a slow cooker, place the seasoned chicken thighs in the bottom of the crock. Add the cannelini beans, diced green chiles, diced red onion, minced garlic, ground cumin, chile powder, ground coriander, dried oregano, ground black pepper, and chicken stock.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 3 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks. Set aside.
- For a thicker consistency, remove two cups of the chile to a food processor (making sure you get some of the beans and chilies in there), and puree until smooth. Return this mixture to the crock, and add the shredded chicken as well. Add more salt or pepper, to taste.
- Serve the chile with desired toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
19 Comments on “Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili”
Oh this looks and sounds so yummy! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try at home!
I made this today for our Super Bowl Party and everyone loved it! I doubled the recipe since I have a larger crock pot and added some corn for a bit of color!
It’s been the perfect weather lately in LA for a big bowl of chili. I like this version!
Great for rainy season. I like soup so I this will definitely be on my list.
Wow, what a refreshing recipe. This one looks delicious and so fresh. I am so excited to eat this sometime soon.
I like your chili recipe very much.
I love your picture flow-chart method of describing how to prepare this dish as well.
I am all about warm comfort food during the winter, especially if it involves using my slow cooker. Love those awesome topping options too!
Its going to be another slow cooker day for me! I love this recipe, not only for its unique taste, but for the easy preparation too. A good, hearty meal with less fuss! Awesome.
It looks sooo comforting! I need a huge bowl of this for dinner!
This is such a tasty change up from regular chilli. My husband will really enjoy this with the avocado.
I am not a fan of winter, but I am a fan of chili. I love the way you used it with white beans. This sounds like a must try for sure!
White chicken chili is some of my favorite chili. This slow cooker recipe sounds like it would be perfect for this cold dreary weather we have been having.
What a delicious recipe! Slow cooked while I can work elsewhere, I love the simplicity of it all! Thanks for this!
I’ve never tried a white chili recipe before. I love the way they taste, but I’ve just never found one that I wanted to make. This one sounds pretty amazing, though.
That sounds so good! I make chili all the time, but I still haven’t found a white chili recipe that I really like. I can’t wait to try this one.
That would definitely be a big hit in my house. We LOVE white chili in our family!