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This white chicken chili is so easy! I love a good one-pot meal. You basically toss everything into a slow cooker and let it be for half the day. It takes minimal effort and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser!
My co-worker, Amaia, shared this recipe with me after bringing it to a potluck. Thanks Amaia; it was well-loved by my husband ;). I hope your takeaway from the video tutorial is how easy this recipe really is!
Ingredients for white chicken chili:
2 chicken breasts (frozen or fresh)
1 (15 oz)can black beans; drained and rinsed (or cook your own beans!)
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (15 oz) can corn, un-drained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, un-drained
1 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin
1 (o.4 oz) package ranch dressing mix
1/2 bunch of cilantro; chopped
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth (I used Better than bouillon reduced sodium)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese (regular or reduced fat)
Optional (but highly recommended) garnish:
Mixed Mexican cheese, sour cream and chives
The How To (please watch the video for the visual tutorial):
Place everything into the slow cooker in the order that it’s listed above:
1. Place 2 chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Drain and rinse (rinse until water runs clear) black and white beans; then add them to the pot. P.S. We’re now cooking our own beans to reduce the amount of BPA in our diet. Click here to learn how to easily make your own beans.
3. Add finely chopped medium onion, un-drained can of corn, un-drained can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
4. Top with 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 package ranch dressing mix, 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro, 1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth (I used 1 cup and it does thicken up as it stands; especially after being refrigerated) and finally place your 8 oz package of cream cheese in the center.
5. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. After it’s been cooking 5 hours, break up the cream cheese into the rest of the mix. Cover and continue cooking the last hour (if you forget this step, it won’t hurt anything to mix it at the end).
6. After the 6 hours, remove the chicken breasts into a medium bowl and shred using two forks. The chicken is so tender it just falls apart. Place the chicken back into the slow cooker and stir to combine everything.
Amaia served this over baked potatoes topped with cheese and sour cream. It’s also great with tortilla chips or white rice.
Chicken Cream Cheese Chili (Slow Cooker Recipe)

Ingredients
For the chili, you will need:
- 2 chicken breasts, frozen or fresh
- 15 oz can black beans; drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 15 oz can of corn, undrained
- 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies, un-drained
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 0.4 oz ranch dressing mix packet
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro; chopped
- 1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, I used Better than bouillon reduced sodium
- 8 oz cream cheese (regular or reduced fat)
Optional (but highly recommended) garnish:
- Mixed Mexican cheese, sour cream and chives
Instructions
Put everything into the slow cooker in the order that it's listed above:
- Place 2 chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot.
- Drain and rinse (rinse until water runs clear) black and white beans; then add them to the pot.
- Add finely chopped medium onion, undrained can of corn, undrained can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
- Top with 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 package ranch dressing mix, 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro, 1/2-1 cup chicken broth (depending on how thick you want it; I used 1 cup) and finally place your 8 oz package of cream cheese on top.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. After it's been cooking 5 hours, break up the cream cheese into the rest of the mix. Cover and continue cooking the last hour (if you forget this step, it won't hurt anything to mix it at the end).
- After the 6 hours, remove the chicken breasts into a medium bowl and shred with two forks. Chicken should be fall-apart tender. Place the chicken back into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Serve over baked potatoes topped with cheese and sour cream. It's also great with tortilla chips or white rice.
I have leftover turkey that is already cooked. I want to use it instead of chicken. At what stage should I add this to my recipe, since it’s already cooked? Thanks
Hi Pam! I haven’t tested this with cooked chicken but I assume the cook time can be reduced since it’s precooked Turkey. Or just add it later, towards the end.
Hi there,
I was wondering what the thing size is for this recipe. Thanks!
Do you mean the serving size? The serving size for this recipe is 12
Yes I was curious what it was in ounces or grams etc. like what is the portion size for 1 serving, is it a cup is 1/2 cup?
It’s computer generated and unfortunately, it’s not that specific. But based on the amount of ingredients, it should yield about 9-10 cups of chili. Approximately 3/4 cup per serving.
Okay great, thank you so much! Also, do you know approximately how many days it is good for?
3-4 days in the refrigerator or 2-3 months frozen.
would a 4.5 quart crock pot work for this and most of the other recipes?
Hi theer! If you will be using a 4.5-quart crock pot, the total volume might be a little tight, but it should still work as long as you don’t fill it over the halfway mark to avoid overflow. You can also adjust the cooking time slightly as it may cook a bit faster.
Hi Natasha,
Could I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for this recipe? If so, how many should I use?
It should be fine, one of our readers shared that they used thighs and enjoyed it!
So good shared with neighbors and took to church fellowship.
So good! I’m throwing out all of my other white chicken chili receipes and saving just this one. I boiled chicken thighs instead of chicken breast in the slow cooker. Hopefully { won’t be in a rush and I’ll try that way next time.
That’s so great to hear, Amy! Thank you for trying my recipe. I’m so glad it became a new favorite.
Made this tonight for dinner. Everybody loved it. The flavor was fantastic. I don’t like spicy so I used less Chili powder. The cream cheese tempered the spiciness so next time I will add whole amount. Thank You for another delicious recipe.
I just had this chili and can’t stop eating it! Highly recommend!
I just love so many of your recipes – and the joy you bring to your videos is catching – pastry has always been my downfall as I am a “little bit of this little bit of that” kind of cook but yours works so well although I do have store bought puff in the freezer!!! please keep cooking and sharing!