One of my goals this year is to go camping more as a family. We’ve gone camping in the years past, and with three little boys, it can be umm… challenging. I love seeing my boys running wild and free in the wilderness as they were meant to do, but the bugs, meal planning, and freezing cold nights make me think twice.
No one sleeps very well, washing dishes is a pain in the rear, and the boys get dirt in every little crevice! It’s a lot of work to prepare for the trip, a lot of work once you get there, and a lot of work to put everything away when you get home. That’s a lot of work!
But on the other hand, we make memories, spend time with family and friends, become one with nature, and unplug from technology… which is all good and needed.
Last summer when we camped with my sister’s family and some family friends, my sister made this white chicken chili, froze it in Ziplocs and then warmed it up in a dutch oven for dinner.
It was pretty slick for campground cooking. I’m all about doing the prep work at home ahead of time where my dishwasher can do the dirty work for me!
It’s one of my family’s favorite meals in the wintertime, and I’ve made a few changes to make the recipe a little healthier.
The original recipe calls for canned soup and a packet of taco seasoning, and I simply made a white sauce that substitutes for the canned soup, and added the spices one by one. This cuts down on the processed food a little bit, and really doesn’t add too much time to the prep.
It’s convenient because it cooks all day while you do your thing, and then you add the creamy ingredients an hour before serving.
Go crazy with the toppings if you can! Fritos, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream are my favorite. When we go camping again this year, I’m definitely putting white chicken chili on our menu!
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Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
A family favorite made healthier, and so easy too! No cream of chicken soup or seasoning packets.
Ingredients
- 3–4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, uncooked
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
- 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles
- 15 ounce can white corn, drained
- 2 15.5 ounce cans white beans, drained (Cannellini or Great Northern are good)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bullion chicken base
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts on the bottom of a crockpot, and add chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chicken broth, green chiles, corn and beans. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- About an hour before serving: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, and allow to bubble and brown a bit. After a few minutes, gradually whisk in the milk and chicken base.
- Allow the sauce to simmer for 4-5 minutes, whisking frequently until it is slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper.
- Pour sauce into crockpot and mix to combine.
- Add sour cream and mix.
- If chicken has not already shredded with stirring, take out large pieces, shred them with two forks, and return to the crockpot.
- Let the chicken chili cook on low 1 more hour if you can.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 421
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 704mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 7.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.5g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 7.1g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 92mg
Disclaimer: the links in this post for the Better than Bullion chicken base are Amazon affiliate links.
sally @ sally's baking addiction says
This chili is a must try, Julie! I simply love white chicken chili and I loved that you healthed it up from your original version.
Julie says
Thank you Sally, sweet of you to stop by LLK!
Nikki says
Hi! I’m hoping to try this soon, but I was wondering if I cooked it on high in the crockpot how long you would recommend cooking it for?
Julie says
I would cook it for three hours on high end then check to see if the chicken will easily shred. All crockpots run a little differently so your first time might be a bit of a test! Enjoy!
Sharon says
Sounds and looks delicious! I am going to make this tomorrow! Can I use white kidney beans and/or chick peas?
Julie says
Sure thing. You can use any kind of beans you enjoy.
Jeanelle says
I made this a couple nights ago. And wow super good. I did leave out the cream cheese and half/half to cut down on the calories. Ive only been on this site for a couple of wks and already love the food. Id have to say this chilie is better then chilie with beef. Thank you,
Jeanelle
Julie says
I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes Jeanelle! I have to agree about this chili compared to traditional beef chili – it’s nice to change it up now and then!
Susan says
Where was cream cheese and half and half listed
Mandy says
I think an older version had those ingredients. I made this before, but had to search for it again as it was gone from my board. This is a “healthier” version. I’ve made it again for dinner right and am just waiting a but longer for it to be ready! Will compare as I remember it being very very good before.
Jami says
I have everything but the green chilies, will it still taste as good?
Phyllis Park says
I really want to double the white chicken chili recipe but afraid my crockpot won’t hold it. How long and what temp if I do it in my cast iron pot in the oven?
Erica says
I have made this and LOVED it. I want to make it again today and I want to use already cooked shredded chicken. How do I alter the cooking to accommodate for the cooked shredded chicken instead of raw chicken breasts?
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
This chili sounds amazing and your photos are just gorgeous! PINNED
Julie says
Thank for your sweet words, Aimee, and for pinning too!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
This chili sounds (and looks!) amazing! Perfect way to warm up on a chilly evening!
Julie says
Thanks Jessica! Hope you get a chance to try it!
Elizabeth says
This chili is delicious and my kids even love it! Do you think there would be room in a standard sized crock pot to double the recipe?
Julie says
Elizabeth, I’m so glad you and your kids liked it! In my 5 quart crockpot, I can do a recipe and a half, but not quite a double recipe.
Chrystal Harrison says
This is the family`s new favorite recipe! I have recommended this to everyone I know. Its so simple and so delicious! Thank you!
Chris says
If I were to do a recipe and a half, how long would I let it cook for?
Julie says
You should be fine with the same cooking time but just to be sure you could add an extra hour. Just make sure your crockpot is large enough.
TV tran says
Im wondering with the chilli and cayene powder will it a spicy for kids? I have toddlers
Julie says
My three young boys love this chili, but I do add some extra sour cream to their bowls to cool it down a bit. You could always cut the seasoning down by half and see how they like it.
Debbie Demers says
Doubled the recipe for a 1st night dinner in my son and daughter in law’s new home. Took the chili
In my slow cooker. There were 5 of us absolutely loving it!! Such a hit and they now have leftovers while unpacking over the weekend. Paired with a couple of bottles of Santa Margherita, salad and baguette. Thanks for sharing this truly delicious recipe!!
Julie says
Sounds like a lovely dinner. What a sweet mom to bring it to the new homeowners!
Shara says
Made this tonight and it was delicious!!! My husband accused me of getting it from a restaurant and trying to pass it off as my own. :). Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
Julie says
Shara, haha! That makes my day! Thanks for letting me know how it worked out for you!
Elizabeth says
Do you drain the beans and corn?
I have everything to makes this today! Sounds amazing!
Julie says
Good question – yes, you do drain the beans and corn. I will note that in the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Elizabeth says
I made it the same day I asked my question and it is absolutely YUMMY! Easy to make as well. Thank you so much!
Julie says
Elizabeth, glad you liked it! And thanks for taking the time to post your question.
Jillian says
What kind of white beans did you use?
Julie says
Hi Jillian, I have used both Cannellini and Great Northern.
Polina says
Thank you for this recipe! We made a few adjustments based on the ingredients we had (and also because we don’t like spicy) and really enjoyed it.
Julie says
Glad you enjoyed it Polina!
mary says
How many servings does this make?
Julie says
Mary, this recipe will yield about six servings.
Laura M. says
Made this chili for dinner tonight…it was delicious and my family loved it! It’s a very filling meal!
Julie says
Laura, I’m so glad your family enjoyed the chili! Thanks for letting me know!
Wendy says
As the recipe stands, Is this spicy? My husband does not like spicy but doesnt mind a “little kick”. Would he be happy with this or do I need to adjust it? Thanks
Julie says
Wendy, I would describe this recipe as having just a little kick, but it really isn’t too spicy. My three little boys like to eat it if that helps 🙂
Rebecca says
Can this be frozen as well?
Julie says
Yes, it can be frozen.
Karrie says
one of my all-time favorite recipes. It’s fantastic. I’m new to freezing food though, what would you recommend to freeze it in?
Julie says
Hi! I’d let it cool a bit, then ladle it into a gallon size freezer ziplock. Squeeze out all the air before sealing and then freeze it flat so it’s easy to store. So glad you enjoy!
Nancy says
How many pounds of chicken did you use?
Julie says
You will want to use about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken.
Steve says
Thanks, Julie! I was wondering about this too. I’m going to try it today.
Kristin M. says
I came across this recipe today & used it in place of my normal white chicken chili recipe… We tend to prefer things a lil spicier around here so I kicked up the spices a notch, but the recipe provided a perfect base to play with if you like to add your own twist, the consistency was great & my 2 yr old asked for seconds. I also had never tried corn before and it’s a nice addition. Thanks for sharing, will use this again & visit for other recipes!
Julie says
Kristin, glad you made it your own! Thanks for letting me know how it worked out.
Rebecca says
This is in my crockpot right now. I just shredded the chicken and will do the thickening soon. It smells (And so far tastes) absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait for the finished chili. Perfect for this snowy/icy day!!!!
Julie says
Stay warm and enjoy Rebecca!
Charlotte says
Just the other day my husband saw canned white Chili and wondered if it would be good. Uh not. It was canned – yuk. This sounds really good. I think I will make this for him. Thanks
Julie says
Charlotte, this recipe beats canned chili any day of the week! Hope you guys enjoy!
Jennifer dussan says
Can I do this chili a day in advance or the thickening will be bad the next day ?
Julie says
I think it would be fine to make the day before. We have definitely enjoyed it leftover. You may just need to add a bit more milk or chicken broth when you reheat it if you find it’s too thick.
Sarah says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I made this for a chili cook off today and won 2nd place. I am 99% sure that I didn’t win first place because my chili was the very first one gone, so a lot of people didn’t get to try it out! (More people kept coming after my chili ran out.) I did add some chorizo to it, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and it was wonderful. My 2-year-old ate two bowls of it. Thank you! Will definitely make this again!
Julie says
That is so great! Chorizo would be a great addition I’m sure! Thanks for letting me know Sarah.
Denise says
Can I use regular granulated boullion instead of the Better Than Bullion chicken base? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that in our stores.
Julie says
Hi Denise, thanks for your question. I think it might be easier to substitute one can of condensed cream of chicken soup for the Better than Bullion Chicken Base, butter, flour, and milk instead of trying to substitute granulated bouillon – Just because you would have to use hot water to dissolve the bullion, and I’m not sure if the extra liquid would be too much for the chili. Hope that is helpful!
Denise says
Thank you very much for replying. Can’t wait to try this. It looks and sounds delicious!
Julie says
Hope you enjoy!
Lizzy says
If you used the soup instead, would you still stir it in at the same time or would you pour it in at the beginning?
Julie says
Lizzy, I think you would add it in at the beginning. Enjoy!
DeLiaC52 says
I love the Better than Bouillon product. I tried a sample at a ‘big box store’ and it was so good. It’s all I use now. Didn’t realize they made a vegetarian version
Ann says
Stumbled upon your website while searching for a white bean chicken chili recipe. This recipe is AMAZING! Making it again tomorrow for our houseguests. Hoping to make it a bit creamer and spicier than the last batch. Whether I succeed or not doesnt matter because this is so delicious just the way it is.
Julie says
Hi Ann! I’m so glad you are enjoying this recipe! Thanks for letting me know.