Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (Thick and Creamy)

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Most white chicken chili comes out thin and soupy, more like a bowl of chicken soup than actual chili. This slow cooker white chicken chili is thick, creamy, and chunky enough to rival any beefy tomato-based chili.

I have a strong opinion about chili: it should be thick. That’s a tall order in a slow cooker. A covered crock traps every bit of steam, so nothing reduces the way it would in a pot on the stove. You end up with more liquid at the end than you started with, which is exactly why so many crockpot chili recipes run watery even when the flavor is good.

So I built this crockpot white chicken chili to fix that. It started as a spin on my slow cooker chicken tortilla soup, but I reworked the ratios and the finish until it had the same body as a tomato-based chili. Everything goes in raw, the chicken shreds at the end, and you get a pot thick enough to actually hold your toppings.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

• It’s genuinely thick. No watery broth at the bottom of the bowl.
• Everything goes in raw. No browning, no sautéing, no extra pan to wash.
• The chicken shreds itself. Whole thighs go in and pull apart with two forks at the end.
• It feeds a crowd. This slow cooker white bean chicken chili makes a big pot, so it’s a good one for game day or a full week of lunches.
• It’s a chili night staple. Serve it with homemade cornbread the same way you would my Instant Pot chili with dry beans.

White Bean Chicken Chili Ingredients

Everything here is a pantry and grocery store staple. A few of these choices are doing more work than they look like they are, so here’s what each one is for.

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs – Two pounds, added whole. Thighs are more flavorful and meatier than breasts, and they stay tender through a long cook instead of going stringy.
• Chili powder – Chili powder is not the same thing as chile powder. Chili powder is a blend of mild ground chiles, cumin, oregano, and garlic. It isn’t spicy on its own.
• Ground cumin and smoked paprika – Cumin gives the chili its tex-mex base. Smoked paprika adds the, smoky flavor you’d normally get from browning meat in a pan.
• Garlic powder and onion powder – Powders bloom evenly in a slow cooker.
• Kosher salt and black pepper – These round out and bring out the flavor of all the spices and chicken in the crock.
• Sweet onion – Diced small so it melts into the chili instead of showing up in chunks.
• Fire-roasted diced green chiles – Two 4 ounce cans, drained. Draining prevents excess liquid from ending up in the chili.
• Cannellini or great northern beans – Drained but not rinsed. That starchy liquid clinging to the beans is free thickening power.
• Corn – Canned or frozen works here. It adds sweetness and a little pop of texture against all the creaminess.
• Salsa verde – The tomatillos in the salsa verde replace the acid you’d normally see from red tomatoes in a traditional chili. I use a mild version, but the medium roasted chile version is delicious if you like it spicy. It’s the same flavor family as my green chile chicken enchiladas.
• Chicken broth – Only two cups. That sounds low, but the thighs will give off more broth as they cook.
• Cornstarch – Whisked into a slurry at the end. This is what stands in for the thickeners hiding in a packet of chili seasoning.
• Cream cheese – Six ounces, softened and cubed. The cream cheese holds well on the “Warm “setting and reheats without breaking. It also helps to thicken the chili.
• Lime wedges – A squeeze at the table brightens the whole bowl up.

A note on chili seasoning packets: If you’d rather use a premade chili seasoning packet instead of the spice blend, skip or cut back on the cornstarch at the end. Those packets already include flour and cornstarch, and doubling up will turn your chili into paste.

How to Make White Chicken Chili in a Crockpot

Step 1

Whisk the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Mixing the spices first means they spread evenly instead of landing in clumps. Add the onion and chicken to the slow cooker, and sprinkle on the spices.

Step 2

Add the drained green chiles, beans, corn, salsa verde, and broth to the Crockpot and give it a stir.

Step 3

Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours or High for 3 to 4 hours. You’re looking for the chili to be bubbling around the edges and the chicken to shred easily.

Step 4

Lift the chicken out with tongs and move to a bowl or cutting board for shredding later. Getting it out of the way now makes the next step much easier.

Step 5

Whisk the cornstarch into cold water until it’s completely smooth, then stir it into the chili. Shred the chicken with two forks while the broth thickens.

Step 6

Stir in the softened cream cheese until it melts in completely. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot, taste, and adjust with salt, pepper, or a squeeze of lime.

The Secret to Creamy White Chicken Chili

The thickening happens in two stages, and that’s the whole trick.

The cornstarch slurry goes first. It’s the same cornstarch slurry I use in my crockpot broccoli cheese soup, and it takes the broth from watery to about the consistency of heavy cream. It should tighten up almost the second you stir it in. If it doesn’t, put the lid back on, set the cooker to High, and let it come to a bubble around the edges. Cornstarch needs heat to activate.

Then the cream cheese carries it the rest of the way. It adds fat and body that cornstarch alone can’t, and it’s what makes this a properly creamy white chicken chili instead of just a thickened one. Make sure it’s softened first, either sitting out on the counter or warmed for a few seconds in the microwave. Cold cream cheese straight from the fridge will sit in lumps and take forever to melt.

Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Chili

• Soften the cream cheese before it goes in. Even at room temperature, it takes a few minutes of stirring to disappear into the chili.
• Cube the cream cheese instead of dropping it in as a block. The smaller the pieces, the faster they melt.
• Always whisk cornstarch into cold liquid. Hot liquid makes it seize into lumps you can’t stir out.
• Shred the chicken while the slurry works. It’s the most efficient use of those few minutes.
• After the cornstarch slurry, the chili base should look like heavy cream consistency. The cream cheese will thicken it the rest of the way.
• Taste before you serve to see if the chili needs any more salt, pepper, or lime juice.
• Keep the lid on during cooking. Every peek adds time and lets steam escape.

Common White Chicken Chili Mistakes to Avoid

• Adding the dairy too early. Dairy that goes in at the start of a six hour cook can break, leaving you with a grainy, separated broth. It’s safer to add it at the end of cooking.
• Too much liquid and not enough chicken. This is the reason so many versions turn out soupy. Two cups of broth and two full pounds of chicken make this a thick, chunky, satisfying chili.
• Pulling the chicken too soon. Safe temperature and tender are two different things. Chicken that hits 165°F is cooked all the way through, but hasn’t gone long enough to shred easily. Cook the chicken until the crock is bubbling and the chicken pulls apart effortlessly with two forks.
• Underseasoning. A pale chili with timid spices tastes like nothing. The full spice blend plus a bright salsa verde flavors the broth and the chicken, and it’s what cuts through all the richness from the cream cheese.

Variations and Substitutions

• Extra spicy – Add 2 teaspoons of minced chipotle in adobo sauce along with the spice blend.
• Less rich – Cut the cream cheese back to 4 ounces.
• Heavy cream instead – Swap the cream cheese for 1/3 cup of heavy cream stirred in at the end.
• Standard thickness – For a thinner, more traditional white chicken chili, skip the cornstarch slurry and use the cream cheese on its own.
• Chicken breasts – Use 2 pounds of boneless skinless breasts in place of the thighs. Check for doneness around hour 3.
• Rotisserie shortcut – Stir in 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken during the last 30 minutes and cut the cook time to 3 hours on Low, or until the broth is bubbling.
• Hotter salsa – Trade the mild salsa verde for a medium roasted chile version.
• Different beans – Navy beans or great northern beans both work if that’s what’s in the pantry.

What to Serve With White Chicken Chili

Toppings matter here. Shredded Monterey Jack or pepper jack, sour cream, sliced avocado, cilantro, and pickled jalapeños all make for delicious additions. Tortilla chips, Fritos, or the crispy tortilla strips from my slow cooker chicken tortilla soup are my favorite toppings, since a chili this thick can actually hold them up instead of letting them go soggy.

For the side, sweet cornbread or corn muffins is the obvious partner. A simple green salad with lime vinaigrette rounds it out if you want something fresh against all that richness.

Storage Instructions

Let the chili cool, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It thickens further as it chills, which is a good problem to have. It will thin out as it reheats.

Freezing Instructions

Freeze cooled chili in an airtight freezer safe container for up to a month. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheating Instructions

Reheat on low, either on the stovetop or in the microwave in short bursts. Stir gently. The beans and the big pieces of chicken will fall apart if you stir too aggressively, and half the appeal of this chili is that it still has texture on day three.

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