Chicken Chili is the ultimate cozy comfort food and a recipe you’ll have on repeat in Fall. Tender shredded chicken simmered in a creamy and hearty base is so inviting, especially topped with cheese that melts into the hot chili. It also reheats well so it’s a great make-ahead recipe for meal prep.
We love Chicken chili and we’ve made every variation from Crockpot Chicken Chili to Instant Pot Chicken Chili which produces the most tender chicken. Whichever is your favorite cooking method, this recipe is a crowd-pleaser.
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Chicken Chili Video Tutorial
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Ingredients for Chicken Chili
- Chicken – we use 2 large chicken breasts, but you can sub with leftover roast chicken or storebought rotisserie
- Onion – yellow or sweet onion work great
- Chicken broth – use any kind of chicken stock or bone broth or make your own with water and bouillon
- White beans – try any kind of white beans such as cannelloni, Great Northern, or Navy beans (avoid garbanzo beans). Canned is so easy, but you can also use home-cooked beans
- Corn – drained can of whole kernel corn
- Rotel tomatoes – use a 10 oz can with the juice
- Spices – chili powder and cumin make this mildly smoky and spicy.
- Ranch mix – this is the secret ingredient to add a ton of flavor. Ranch dip or dressing mix packets range from 0.4 oz to 1.5 oz, depending on the brand, but it should be enough powder to make 2 cups of ranch.
- Cream cheese – regular full-fat will give the chili a creamy consistency
- Lime juice – squeezing fresh lime adds a zesty twist
Pro Tip: To save time, use leftover cooked chicken breast or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Chili is the best way to repurpose leftover chicken and it never tastes like leftovers.
How to Make Chicken Chili
- Saute onion – heat oil in a dutch oven pot and sautee onion 5 minutes.
- Make chili base – add broth, rinsed beans, drained corn, Rotel tomatoes with their juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and the ranch packet.
- Add chicken – submerge chicken breasts in liquid, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes until chicken is tender.
- Shred chicken – transfer chicken to a plate and shred with forks into bite-sized pieces.
- Finish chili – add cream cheese pieces, and lime juice and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken back to the pot, bring to a simmer and season to taste.
Common Questions
You can easily substitute with a cooked rotisserie chicken, just shred the chicken and add it to the pot when you would normally add the shredded chicken back into the chili. Chicken tenders would also work well.
If you prefer a thicker chili, you can leave the lid uncovered during the 20 minute cook time to allow more of the steam to escape.
This chili is very mild. To make it spicier, you can add more chili powder.
You can slow cook chili, letting it putter away in a crockpot for several hours. We have print-friendly instructions for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili.
Lucky for you, we’ve already tested this and posted a tutorial for Instant Pot Chicken Chili. It’s super fast and the chicken becomes super tender.
Serve with
We love to serve this as a main course paired with:
- Instant Pot Baked Potato or Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Tortilla chips
- Diced avocados
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Lime wedges to squeeze over chili
There are so many ways to dress up a bowl of White Chicken Chili. Let me know about your favorite toppings in the comments below.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
If you’re looking for simple, family-approved recipes to add to your regular rotation, here are some of our top-rated dinner ideas.
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Easy Stovetop Turkey Chili
- Sloppy Joe Recipe
- Lemon Chicken
- Meatloaf with the Best Glaze
Easy White Chicken Chili (Stovetop Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 cups chicken broth , or stock
- 30 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can corn, drained
- 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis, with juice
- 1 tsp chili powder, (use 1/2 for mild chili)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1.5 oz packet ranch dip mix, *
- 2 chicken breasts
- 8 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Heat a 6 quart enamel coated dutch oven pot over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes until softened.
- Add chicken broth, drained white beans, drained corn, Rotel tomatoes with juice. Season with chili powder, cumin, 1 tsp salt and ranch packet. Stir to combine.
- Add 2 chicken breasts and submerge in liquid. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is tender and easy to shred.
- Remove chicken to a bowl and shred with forks into bite-sized pieces.
- Add diced cream cheese, lime juice and stir to combine. Continue simmering for 5 minutes or until cream cheese is incorporated. Add more lime juice to taste, and season with another 1/2 tsp salt or add salt to taste. Simmer another 3 minutes or until chili reaches your desired thickness. It will thicken more as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
easy and delicious 😋 the block of cream cheese and lime juice is what makes it good! Of course, don’t forget the sour cream, cheese, green onion, tortilla chips, avocado 🥑, and a roll!
Hello Lindsey, so great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your review!
Hi Natasha! My sister and I made this recipe for dinner today. Our family and us loved it so much! We served with it with sour cream, Doritos, cilantro, and cheese on top. Thanks for the recipe Natasha!
Delicious, sounds like you had a good night! Thanks for your review, Zoie.
I made the White Chicken Chili last evening it was so good. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe was so easy and delicious.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Ruth!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was WONDERFUL!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nancy!
Natasha…this is outstanding. I used rotisserie breasts and it made an even easier recipe. I do think the chili would be nearly as good with half the cream cheese for those watching their weight. Adding a half can of chipotle peppers in sauce is a great option for those wanting more heat. Thanks so much for a great recipe.
You are very welcome, Laura. That is a good idea, thank you for sharing that with us!
I have never made white chicken chili before, I will be making more thanks to this easy to follow recipe from Natasha. I did see that in the printed version of the recipe it called to use the juice of the corn, but in the video and the ingredients list is says to drain. I did drain the corn. I would also add just a little more cumin and chili powder to give it a little more of a kick.
Hi Kim, our printable recipe card reads: “15 oz can corn drained“. I hope that helps with any confusion!
Step 2 says “corn with juice” : )
Thank you Vera! I have fixed that. Good catch!
OH EM GEE!!! I made a big pot of this amazing chili this morning for football gameday and this will DEFINITELY be on a regular rotation with the impending cooler weather!! Thank you SO much Natasha for continuing to wow us all with insanely good recipes!
You are so welcome, Steve. Glad to hear that this recipe was a hit!
I just made your white chicken chili recipe; it was excellent! I was looking for an easy, flavorful chicken dish and saw the recipe on Facebook. Chicken was cooked perfectly and there were so many layers of flavor. The lime and cream cheese put it over the top! Will definitely make again! Another great recipe from Natasha. Thanks for posting it!
I’m so glad you gave this a try! It’s my favorite chili recipe, and I’m happy you loved it also!
This looks absolutely yummy. What can opener do you use? I’m looking for a new one. Thank you!
Hi Susan, you can find my favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
I love this and all your recipes ☺️
Aww! Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Annie!
Can this recipe be made without
the tomatoes, allergic to tomatoes. What should I use instead of the canned tomatoes. I make a lot of your recipes, love
them!
Hi Judith, I haven’t tried it that way, but I think it would still work without the tomatoes. You might add some diced bell pepper instead.
Judith, I had to skip the Rotel because I was cooking for someone who also can’t have tomatoes. You can add a small can of green chiles to get a similar flavor profile — I think the cans are about 5 ounces. If you want the color, add red bell pepper.
Loved this! I substituted your roasted salsa for the Rotel, tasted great!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Diana!
Made it and it was very good…pretty much tastes like tortilla soup… the beans give it a harty filling…I was skeptical at first but very impressed.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Do you have a link for your wooden ladle?
Hi Sharon, you can find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE and in our blog shop HERE.
How much chicken do you put in if you use leftover or rotisserie chicken?
Hi Kate, two chicken breasts are roughly 1 – 1.5 lbs of chicken!
This looks good! But I have a question about cream cheese. I really don’t like cream cheese. Could you recommend a good substitute? Would it make a huge difference in flavor by omitting cream cheese or even a substitute? Thank you!!
Hi Eileen, I haven’t tried this substitute myself to advise. But here’s what one of my readers said about trying yogurt, please keep in mind it will be less creamy and thick with yogurt: “I used a Costco chicken that was frozen and threw it into the pot. I didn’t have canned corn, so I used a package of frozen corn and used half Greek yogurt, and 1/4 pkg of cream cheese to make it a little healthier. The chili was absolutely delicious.”
Thank you Natasha!! I think it’s worth experimenting. I love all the other ingredients. I appreciate your response.
Hi Natasha
Looks delicious as all your recipes are and will definitely be making this for dinner today. Oh btw, I love your hair staight although it’s beautiful either way!
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Karen! You’re so nice!
Can I substitute something else for the ranch dressing packet?
Hi Karen, I wish I had a better answer for you, but I haven’t tried any dairy-free substitute to advise. Maybe someone else here can share what they’ve tried?
Karen, the dry portion of a homemade ranch dressing recipe should be a suitable substitute for a purchased ranch package. You can even purchase buttermilk powder if you want to add some tangy flavor and don’t need to be dairy free.
Chicken chili is one of our favorite comfort soups and my kids just love it! I can’t wait to try your version. Looks wonderful and super tasty!
I hope you love it, Beth!
I love soup season for recipes just like this one! Served this for dinner last night and it was a hit all around the table! Bold, hearty and delicious; easily, a new favorite chili recipe!
I’m so happy this was a hit, Sara! Thank you for that excellent feedback!
This looks so yummy, can’t wait to try this tonight. If I sub for chicken thighs (what I have on hand), how many pounds should I use?
Hi Dana, we prefer it with chicken breast, but one of my readers mentioned successfully trying it with 1.5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs since that is all they had on hand. I hope you love this recipe!
Oh, this recipe is packed with flavor!! White, chicken chili is my favorite!!
Yes, it’s always a good choice – total comfort food as we roll into the cooler months.