5 Ingredient-White Chicken Chili

Last updated on December 20th, 2023 at 02:58 pm

White Chicken Chili is the perfect go-to recipe on a busy Fall day. It's officially Fall in Idaho, and around here that means cold and windy days in the 50's then a beautiful sunny day in the mid-'70s. Even after living here for 14 years I still never know what "season" to expect each day. Having super easy one-pot dinners is so essential for busy weeknight evenings. Make 5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot, on the stovetop, or in the crock pot, I'll show you how.

If you love this easy recipe you may also like; Instant Pot Tex-Mex Chicken Chili, Instant Pot 6-Ingredient Instant Pot Chili, & Instant Pot Ravioli.

Jump to:

• 5 Main Ingredients
• Instant Pot Instructions
• Crockpot Instructions
• Stovetop Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top Tip
• How To Use The Instant Pot
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

5 Main Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( about 1 lb.)
• 4 oz Can mild diced green chilies
• 2 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth
• 2-15.5 oz. of cans low sodium white beans or great northern beans
• 1 ½ cups Frozen corn

Seasonings: (I do not count spices in the number of ingredients needed)

• 2 tsp. Garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Onion powder
• 2 tsp. Cumin
• 2 tsp. Chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp. Sea salt
• 1 tsp. Black pepper

Optional Toppings:

• fresh cilantro
• mild cheddar or pepper jack cheese
• avocado slices
• sour cream
• tortilla chips
• green onions

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instant Pot Instructions

Add to the Instant pot, thawed chicken breast, white beans that have been rinsed and drained, diced green chilies, chicken broth, corn, and spices. Stir to combine the spices with the chicken stock. Pressure cook for 10 minutes on high. If you are using frozen chicken breasts increase your cook time to 12-14 minutes depending on how thick the chicken breast is. The Instant Pot will take about 15-20 minutes to reach pressure and seal before the cook cycle begins. When the Instant Pot beeps to signal that the cooking cycle is complete allow the pressure to naturally release for about 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure. When it's safe to remove the lid use two forks to shred the chicken. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately with your choice of toppings.

Crockpot Instructions

To make crockpot white chicken chili add shredded cooked chicken breast, white beans that have been rinsed and drained, diced green chilies, chicken broth, corn, and spices. Stir to combine the ingredients. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream or your favorite toppings.

Stovetop Instructions

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven add cooked shredded chicken breast, white beans that have been rinsed and drained, diced green chilies, chicken broth, corn, and spices. Stir to combine the ingredients. Heat the chili over medium-high heat until it comes to a fast simmer. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover with a lid. Prop the lid slightly so that some of the steam can escape but the chili can't make a mess all over the stovetop. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately with tortilla strips or your choice of toppings.

Substitutions

• Chicken Breast - Instead of boneless skinless chicken breasts use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the deli. Shred and use in place of chicken breast.
• Sour Cream - Plain Greek yogurt can be used as a sour cream substitute.
• Vegetarian - Omit the chicken and add a variety of canned beans like navy beans or cannellini beans.

Variations

• Spicy - use hot green chilies or
• Creamy - add 4 oz. of cream cheese for a creamy white chicken chili recipe.
• Kid-friendly -

Equipment

This recipe can be made in multiple ways. My favorite way to make an easy weeknight meal is to use the Instant Pot. I love letting the Instant Pot do all of the work in a fraction of the time the stovetop method or slow cooker takes, however, if you love using the slow cooker on low heat on a cold night to make a flavorful meal then you should definitely use that cooking method.

Storage

Store chili in an airtight container for up to 4 days and enjoy it for lunch the next day, or freeze it to enjoy another time. Freeze in a freezer-safe container like Souper Cubes, these make the perfect individual 1-2 cup portions to pop in the microwave anytime. Once frozen store in a labeled and dated gallon freezer bag for up to three months in the freezer. To reheat frozen white chili cubes place the cubes in a microwave-safe dish, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Alternately, place them in a saucepan and reheat over medium heat until warmed through and hot.

For more about how to use Souper Cubes go HERE.

Top Tip

When using fresh or frozen chicken breasts the cooking time should be adjusted to ensure the chicken is fall-apart tender when the cook cycle is complete. Thin frozen chicken breast requires 8-10 minutes in the pressure cooker. Thicker frozen chicken should be cooked between 10-12 minutes in the pressure cooker.

How To Use The Instant Pot

If you are new to Instant Pot cooking check out my Instant Pot Beginners Guide to help you get started. If you like easy "dump" recipes you definitely like Quinoa Chicken Taco Bowls and Tex Mex Chicken Stew.

Instant Pot chicken recipes can be adapted to use pre-cooked, thawed, or frozen chicken. For this particular recipe, I used a whole bone-in chicken. You can follow the instructions on how to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot here.