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
- 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.
Disclaimer: the links in this post for the Better than Bullion chicken base are Amazon affiliate links.
Kristen says
I love your recipe! A friend made this for Halloween and I loved it so I made it for my family and they all loved it. I’m making it for a large party tomorrow. I doubled the recipe and am making on the stove because I need to have it done tonight and my crockpot is too small to double the recipe. Do you have any idea how long it will need to cook on the stove for? I doubled the recipe and have 6 chicken breast inside. Do you recommend I do the sauce tonight? Or do you think it’s ok to make and add the sauce tomorrow before I re-heat and serve at our party? Thank you for your time, I’m a novice in the kitchen!
Julie says
Hi Kristen,
It will be fine if you just make the recipe and sauce tonight, and then reheat tomorrow. Just do whatever is more convenient for you. As far as how long it will take on the stove – my best guess – is a couple of hours simmering on medium-low heat, covered. Do give it a stir every now and then to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn. What you are waiting for is the chicken to become tender enough to shred. You could cut the chicken into pieces to make this happen faster. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for your question and have fun tomorrow!
Kristen says
Thank you for your fast response!
Kristen says
One more quick ? Should I leave the cooked chili on the stove for a certain period of time before I put in the fridge until tomorrow afternoon? Or should I immediately place in the fridge?
Julie says
Do you mean let it cool for a bit before putting it right in the fridge? If so, yes I would let it cool a little while so it doesn’t heat up your fridge.
Julie says
I got this recipe ready ahead of time tonight so I could just plug the crock pot ingredients on in the morning. Seems like there is not a lot of liquid in the pot compared to the ingredients…I did put in the chicken stock…just worried about burning it. Is this normal?
Julie says
I haven’t had any issues with it burning, though all crockpots do run a little differently heat wise. If you feel better adding a bit more chicken broth feel free. But I’ve had lots of good feedback on this recipe as is. Enjoy!
deb says
Delicious! Will make again!
Julie says
So glad Deb, thanks!
Christine Ivy says
I loved this the first time I made it – I’m making it again now and I added the milk at the beginning – have I ruined it??!
Yvonne Gardziba says
This is such a great recipe! I have made it twice now, and my husband loves it, even more so than the beef chili! Very good recipe and easy to make! Thank you.
Julie says
Wonderful Yvonne!
Leah says
Oh my goodness this soup is delicious! Made it for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit! I will definitely make it again. So glad I came across this recipe. Can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes. Thank you!
Julie says
Thanks Leah, so glad you love it!
Gina says
This is soooooo good! And you have the patience of a saint to answer all these questions! 😉
Julie says
Haha! Thanks Gina!
Tee says
Great chilli! I was wondering if anyone has calculated the nutritional content such as calories, fat etc., before I go for seconds lol?
Justine says
Is there anyway we do the last step a bit earlier? Like 2 hours before serving? I am making for my husband and toddler tonight but won’t be around to finish up the last step an hour before.
Julie says
Absolutely – the main reason I add the creamy stuff last is because my crockpot runs hot and it tends to burn on the sides if I put it in at the beginning. So I just add it an hour before so it doesn’t get the chance. Hope they enjoy!
neha sodha says
Would red kidney beans make the taste much different?!
Julie says
I think they would taste just fine if that is what you prefer or have on hand. Might be nice to add a little color too.
Shelby says
This looks SO yummy, I am going to make it tomorrow (I can’t wait!!). The only ingredient I don’t have is the corn. Do you think it will have a big impact on the flavor or texture if I omit it? Thank so you much for sharing!!
Julie says
Shelby, go ahead and make it anyway. I definitely like it with corn, but I’ll bet it’s still pretty tasty without. Enjoy!
Denise says
Won 1st Place at our church Chili Cook-Off! It’s a great recipe, that’s easy to put together for a ‘ready-when-you-are’ meal.
Julie says
That’s so great! Thanks for letting me know!
Vicki Wilson says
I made this chili and it is a favorite. But when I made it we ended up having more people then expected over so we quickly made it into soup. I got so many compliments on this dish that I will be making it again. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Julie says
Glad you were able to stretch it Vicki. So happy it went over well!
Theresa says
This chili was crazy good! My husband does not even like white Chx chili and raved about it! I omitted the sour cream and added roasted red peppers instead of the green chilies. I am sharing this with all my family! Thank you!!
Julie says
Theresa, what a sweet comment! So glad you all liked it. I love the addition of roasted red peppers!
Amanda says
what happens if the chili is still soupy after adding the roux? how can i make it thicker?
Deanne says
I made this tonight and when I added the milk, flour butter mixture and then the sour cream it sort of separated and has white dots floating around (the best way I can describe it). Will this mix/blend together more as it cooks??
Julie says
Hi Deanne, I know what you are describing and I think that’s just the sour cream not quite blended in yet. Shouldn’t be a problem. Hope you enjoyed!
Sara M. says
I made this in my Instant Pot tonight! It was SO good, and ready in 45 minutes! I just put the first ingredients in the IP, hit the ‘Chili’ button, then made the roux while it was cooking, mixed all in and it was done! Soooo yummy!
Julie says
That’s so cool! Thanks Sara.
Asanka says
Hi! I want to make this in my instant pot tonight, but I’m wondering when to add in the sour cream. Should I add it after it’s done cooking at the same time as I add the roux?
Julie says
Hi! Yes, add the sour cream after it’s done cooking. Enjoy!
sarah says
Love this recipe so delicious! Could I do this on high for 3-4 hours instead of low?
Julie says
Hi Sarah, I think you could, but it does depend on how hot your crockpot gets. As long as the chicken cooks long enough to shred, you should be fine!
Kim says
I just wanted to say that I have made this dish many times now, and everybody absolutely loves it. They are usually pleasantly surprised at how light it is! One of my family’s favorites.
Julie says
Thanks so much Kim! We love this one a lot too.
Tracy says
Hey Julie,
I just had to say I started making this dish a few months ago and it has quickly become a family favorite. Even when I’m working and my husband is too imaptient to add the ‘last step’ it is still a wonderful dish. We are very ‘clean’ eaters, we have one very picky daughter and we both work full time. Trying to get a healthy meal we can all agree on, as well as making it easy for us parents is a huge win! Thank you so much!
Julie says
That is so good to hear Tracy, I need to make this one again soon. I don’t usually like to make soup and chili when it’s hot out but this one is good all year round!