WOAH! This White Chicken Chili is done in less than an hour start to finish in the Instant Pot with melt-in your mouth tender chicken. It’s one of our favorite instant pot recipes! Just stir everything together, top with cream cheese and set for 20 minutes. So EASY!!
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Instant Pot White Chicken Chili!
We love chili around here including this hearty beef chili and easy turkey chili. It’s wonderful to have quick homemade meals like this in your pocket for busy weeknights. The instant pot makes it faster than ever to enjoy a piping hot bowl of white bean chicken chili in no time!
Ingredients for White Chicken Chili:
We have made this recipe healthier over the years by using organic produce and non-bpa lined cans. You can absolutely use home-cooked beans, or your own bone broth and freshly boiled corn on the cob (if using fresh corn from the cob, use 1 cup of chicken broth instead of 1/2 to compensate for the lost liquid).
*What Size Ranch Dressing Mix Should I Use?
Various ranch mix brands come in different sizes. It should be enough to make 16 oz of dressing or dip per the package instructions.
- Hidden Valley brand ranch packets come in a more concentrated 0.4 oz packet yielding 2 cups ranch.
- Simply Organic ranch dip used here came in a 1.5 oz packet which also yields 2 cups ranch dip.
How to Use an Instant Pot:
**CAUTION: If you are new to using the pressure cooker, always read the instruction manual and safety warnings for your machine as various brands or even models might have a different process and settings for use.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and call on your inner nerd to read through the instructions. Instant pots are fabulous tools for speedy cooking, but they have to be used properly.
How to Make White Chicken Chili:
Step 1: Combine everything in your Instant Pot and stir together
Step 2: Top with cream cheese and set on manual high pressure for 20 minutes. It will warm up, cook 20 minutes then let it naturally depressurize 10 minutes.
Step 3: Remove chicken and shred then put it back and stir everything together.
The shredded chicken absorbs the liquid and because super juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Instant pot chicken is the only way to get super tender chicken this fast!
How to Serve White Chicken Chili:
White chicken chili can be served over baked potatoes or as an appetizer with tortilla chips. Garnish with:
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Jalapeños
Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Make Over and Over:
- Chicken Bone Broth – the best way to make bone broth!
- Instant Pot Beef Plov – a flavorful one-pot rice pilaf
- Dulce De Leche – unbelievably fast in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Beets – blazing fast and so flavorful
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for White Chicken Chili:
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can white beans, drained
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 15 oz can corn with juice
- 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis , (with their juice)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 0.4 oz packet ranch dip or dressing mix*
- 8 oz package cream cheese, cut into 6 pieces
Optional Toppings and Serving Suggestions:
- 1/2 cup chopped Cilantro, for garnish
- 1 avocado, diced, for garnish
- Tortilla chips or baked potatoes to serve
Instructions
- Place all of your ingredients into your instant pot bowl in the following order: 2 chicken breasts, drained black and white beans, chopped onion, corn with juice, tomatoes with juice, and 1/2 cup chicken broth.
- Add 1/2 to 1 tsp chili powder (use 1/2 tsp to make it kid friendly), 1 tsp cumin, ranch packet. Stir everything to combine, getting some of the juice under the chicken to keep it from scorching.
- Cut cream cheese into 6 pieces and place over the top of chili. Cover and seal with lid, switch the valve to the "sealing" position and cook for 20 min on manual high pressure. Once it is done cooking, let it naturally depressurize for 10 min then switch the valve to the "venting" position to completely release steam before opening lid.**
- Remove the chicken breasts to a plate and shred apart with 2 forks. Stir everything together in the pot to melt the cream cheese into the chili then return the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Serve garnished with avocado and cilantro if desired.
Notes
**CAUTION: If you are new to using a pressure cooker, always read your instruction manual prior to use.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Q: What is YOUR favorite way to use an Instant Pot? If you were to name 1 recipe that makes owning an instant pot worthwhile, what would it be?
This is the best and easiest recipe. I make it all of the time for us and for company and everyone loves it.
This is the best chicken chili recipe! It really is perfect in every way. Everyone in my family loves it.
That’s just awesome, Rachel! Thank you for your awesome review!
What can I replace the corn with? Just don’t like corn. Or should I just omit?
Hi Jennifer! You can just leave it out.
I love this recipe. I have made it before and so has .y daughter in law. I didn’t have chili powder or cuman, so i used cocoa chili blend and garam masala. It was good.
I love this recipe and have been making it for years!! My daughter and son in law are expecting their first child and I want to make this for them when baby comes however my son in law is lactose intolerant and I’m not sure what brand cream cheese to use. Anyone have any suggestions?
Congratulations to your daughter & son-in-law! For lactose intolerance, you’ll want real lactose-free cream cheese or a dairy-free vegan cream cheese for the chili topping or sides. You can find them at the grocery stores or online.
Thank you! Will it melt the same as cream cheese?
Yes it will be fine. Enjoy!
Can you make this in a crockpot? I’m guessing you can.. Wondering if there would be ingredient alterations.
Hi Sharin, See my Chicken Cream Cheese Chili (Slow Cooker Recipe) which is the slow cooker version of this recipe. I hope you love it.
Green Valley makes a good organic lactose free cream cheese. I use it in this recipe all the time. (I prefer to add it after it’s done cooking. I let the cream cheese come to room temp while the chili is cooking. There’s plenty of residual heat to melt the cheese.)
Congratulations, Grandma!
Would using my ninja foodi in pressure cooker mode be similar to using instant pot?
Hi Patti, I use the pressure cooker mode to make this, so if your Ninja acts like a pressure cooker, I bet that could work. I hope you love this recipe.
Natasha, can this meal be prepped as a freezer dump and go meal?
Hi J, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe but one of my readers has and it sounds like it works! Here’s what they said “We freeze leftovers In a Ziploc bag all the time and they reheat beautifully! I prefer to reheat slowly on the stove and usually add just a touch of liquid to start it out. You’d never know it had been frozen. One of our absolute favorites go-to recipes!” I hope this helps!
We love this recipe. It’s always a huge hit and great for cold nights. Sometimes I use chicken thighs instead of breasts and it still comes out great.
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with me, Jules.
Can i cook this in a slow cooker? I have a large amount to make and it would be easier. Thank you 😊
Hi Patti, See my Chicken Cream Cheese Chili (Slow Cooker Recipe) which is the slow cooker version of this recipe. I hope you love it.
Is a 6 quart instant pot is large enough for this recipe?
Hi Bobbi! Yes, mine is a 6qt too.
My family loved it, and it was so easy to make. Although, we are a family of 5, I have three teenage boys, and there wasn’t enough for all of us. Next time I will double the recipe. Wondering if I need to increase the time when I double the recipe?
Hi Kim, doubling it will work! You don’t need to double to cooking time if you want to double the recipe. You can still cook it for 15 minutes on high pressure using this recipe and after cooking, allow it to naturally release pressure for about 10 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining pressure.
This chili is so delicious and super easy to make. I modify it just a bit, because we love spice and heat. I add a bit of cayenne, and I bump up the cumin and chili powder to 1 tablespoon each. Also some fresh garlic. The house smells amazing while cooking and is loved by the whole fam!
I made this many times over the last 5 years or so. My husband loves it. So easy and tasty 🤤
I normally don’t make the effort to leave recipe reviews, but I had to for this chili. Holly crap. This was easy and delicious. I had frozen fresh cooked white beans on hand and added them and the very end after the pressure cooking. I topped the chili with avocado. Best white chicken chili recipe out there. Thank you for sharing!
Another delicious recepie..easy to make, & full of flavor with the spices!!
I have made many of your recepies & have enjoyed every one of them…Thank You!!
I’m so glad to hear that, Kathy! Thank you for sharing.
Recipe sounds great! Can I make it in a Crock Pot instead?
Hi Jean! Yes, see my Chicken Cream Cheese Chili (Slow Cooker Recipe) which is a slow cooker version of this recipe. I hope you love it!
Can I cook this in a slow cooker and for how long?
Hi Gale! See my Chicken Cream Cheese Chili (Slow Cooker Recipe) which is the slow cooker version of this recipe. I hope you love it.
Love this recipe! My grandma is having surgery so I’m trying to make her some freezer meals. Do you know if this dish freezes well? Thanks!
Hi Hannah! I haven’t tried freezing this recipe but one of my readers has and it sounds like it works! Here’s what they said “We freeze leftovers In a Ziploc bag all the time and they reheat beautifully! I prefer to reheat slowly on the stove and usually add just a touch of liquid to start it out. You’d never know it had been frozen. One of our absolute favorites go-to recipes!” I hope this helps!
SO DELICIOUS & SO EASY! It’s the FAVORITE in my household when the weather turns cool!
This sounds delicious, but I’m surprised that the cream cheese gets put in and pressure cooked. I’ve always read that dairy in the IP is a no-no, and that you cube the cream cheese and stir in afterwards on keep warm. Can you speak to why it’s fine to pressure cook the cream cheese? Does anyone else have a negative experience with putting the cream cheese in for the pressure cooking?
Hi Anne, we have not had an issue with it and it allows it to blend nicely with the other flavors making this creamy. I hope you try and love it very soon!
Hi Natasha and Anne, I had the same question about adding cream cheese in the beginning , but I followed the recipe as written. It came out a bit curdled looking, with little bits of cream cheese that didn’t really melt. Still tasted great, but didn’t like the way it looked. Next time I make this, I’ll follow my instinct and add the cream cheese when I shred the chicken at the end and just simmer a bit until it melts into the broth. It was a great, easy weeknight dinner recipe, though. Delicious with cilantro and avocado on top.
I had the same problem with the cream cheese chunks not melting. I put the 1/2 cup of water in a bowl with the cream cheese and microwave it stirring and mixing it so it thins out. Works perfectly.