Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Recipe

Once the colder months hit, it's all about comfort food. Of course, the weather gets chillier, but there's also the fact that daylight barely lingers past 4:30 p.m. And once it's dark by dinner time, the last thing you want to do is prep a meal.

Luckily, slow cookers exist, and you can whip up a hearty, delicious dinner for the whole family in just a few steps. The beauty of slow cooker recipes is that you can literally dump everything into the slow cooker and then let it sit and do all the work. And that's exactly what we're allowing to happen with this super easy slow cooker white chicken chili recipe.

White chicken chili is the delicious cousin to a traditional chili, made with chicken and Great Northern beans, all in a super creamy sauce with a hint of spice. It's the perfect meal for those chilly nights when you need a bit of sunshine added to your day. Plus, it's just asking to be topped with any garnish you can think of, from cilantro and green onions to sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Putting together this slow cooker white chicken chili couldn't be simpler, especially since the majority of the ingredients can go right into the slow cooker straight from their packaging. Everything incorporated into this recipe is simple and easy to find at any grocery store. 

For your white chicken chili, gather two thawed chicken breasts, both of which should be boneless and skinless. You'll also want to grab chicken broth, two cans of Great Northern beans, one can of corn, one yellow onion, two cloves of garlic, garlic salt, chili powder, and sour cream. Adding the sour cream to the liquid is what will make this chili creamy, but you can opt to swap out the sour cream for one eight-ounce brick of cream cheese if desired. 

You'll always want to gather a variety of topping options for your finished chili. For your toppings, cilantro and green onions always add a nice touch of flavor and color to the dish. Topping your chili with a dollop of sour cream along with cheddar cheese and even green chilis or jalapenos is another great way to dress it up. 

To get your slow cooker white chicken chili started, prep your onion and garlic first to add into the mixture.

To prep your onion, start by cutting it in half. This step will make it so much easier to remove the skin of the onion. Once the skin is removed, place the onion with the flat side down on a cutting board, and make long cuts along the onion to cut it into strips. Turn your onion 90 degrees and cut across. Repeat this step with the other half of the onion. 

For your garlic, remove the skins from each clove. Place the clove on a cutting board, and then use the side of a large knife to crush the garlic clove. Once the clove is crushed, mince the garlic by running your knife over top of it. Both the garlic and onions will add nice flavor to your chili.

Once your garlic is minced and your onions are diced, it's time to add everything into the slow cooker to start cooking your slow cooker white chicken chili. Truly, this chili couldn't come together any faster. At this point, it's all about just dumping the rest of the ingredients in and setting it to cook. 

Add your two thawed chicken breasts to the slow cooker first. Pour the chicken broth over top of the chicken breasts.

For this recipe, you'll want to make sure you're putting thawed chicken into the slow cooker. You can opt for another cut of chicken such as thighs or tenderloins, but be sure it's boneless and skinless so it can easily be shredded once it's fully cooked. For the broth, feel free to opt for chicken broth with a regular sodium content. Or you can go for a low-sodium option to be sure you're not adding too much sodium to the dish.

Once your chicken breasts and chicken broth are added to the slow cooker, it's time to add in the rest of the ingredients for your slow cooker white chicken chili.

Add the minced garlic and diced onion and stir. Then, add in your two cans of Great Northern beans and your can of corn. You can opt for any type of corn here. Anything you have on hand, including canned or frozen corn, will do. For the beans, we opted for Great Northern Beans because of their mild flavor and the way they hold their shape. However, you could opt for cannellini or another type of white bean if you prefer. 

Last but not least, add in the garlic salt and chili powder and stir. Turn your slow cooker on the high heat setting, and allow your white chicken chili to cook for three to four hours until your chicken is thoroughly cooked.

After three to four hours, check the chicken in your slow cooker white chicken chili. You'll know the chicken is cooked once it's completely white. Often, it's easy to tell when you stick a fork in the chicken breast and the meat begins to fall apart.

Once the chicken is cooked, transfer the two breasts to another bowl. Using a large fork, shred the chicken breasts into small, thin pieces. If you have a stand mixer, you can shred the chicken in your mixer using the paddle attachment. Or, simply grab a fork or two to pull it apart. Once shredded, add the chicken back into the slow cooker and stir in the sour cream.

To avoid the sour cream from curdling quickly in the hot liquid, add the sour cream to a bowl and add a bit of the liquid from the chili and stir well. Then, add the sour cream mixture to the chili. Put the lid back on, and allow it to cook another 15 minutes.

Once your slow cooker white chicken chili has finished cooking and it's nice and creamy, it's ready to serve. And really, this is where the fun part comes in.

White chicken chili is the perfect dish for plenty of toppings and garnishes. Really, there's no better recipe to pile high with other additions. The flavor of the chili pairs so well with a huge variety of options. 

Mince up cilantro and green onions as a great topping option for flavor. You might consider adding jalapenos or diced green chilis as well. Dicing or slicing up a ripe avocado can also add wonderful texture and flavor to the chili. Serve up your chili in bowls, and then let everyone in the house top their bowl with their own selection of toppings. Add a nice big dollop of sour cream, and don't forget a generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese.