Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

published: Jun 18, 2023

Creamy, Wholesome White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot!

When I want an easy meal that will make everybody in the family happy, chili is one of my major go-to recipes. No one can resist a pot of perfectly seasoned chili, with toppings and dippers galore. Plus, chili is usually pretty simple to pull together, and the leftovers are great for a quick lunch, or another dinner later in the week.

Most of my chili recipes are for beef chili, like this chili colorado, easy crockpot chili, or this chunky beef chili with a hearty combination of hamburger and stew meat. But we also love white chili around here, made with juicy chicken and diced green chilies, from a can or from a fresh habanero, like my creamy white chicken chili. But I think this cinnamon-spiced crockpot version might be the best of all!

From top left: Chicken broth, garlic, salt, chili seasonings, evaporated milk, corn, chicken breast, canned beans, flour, onion.

What Is White Chili Made Of?

This easy chicken chili recipe is made with canned beans, chicken breast, green chilies, and a few other easy-to-find, easy-to-prep ingredients. Here’s the list:

Onion: You can use any type of onion – I usually use a yellow onion.
Garlic: Minced, fresh garlic. You could also use garlic powder.
Chicken Breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breast. Boneless, skinless thighs would also work.
Broth: Regular chicken broth, or you could substitute low-sodium broth, vegetable broth, etc.
Seasonings: Chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and of course, salt and pepper.
Corn: I usually have frozen corn on hand, but fresh or canned corn is totally fine, too.
Beans: Canned white beans. Rinse them well and drain them before you use them.
Evaporated Milk: Using evaporated milk adds rich creaminess without the fat and calories of heavy cream.
Flour: A few tablespoons of all-purpose flour give the chili the perfect thickness.
Optional Toppings: Shredded cheese, tortilla chips, cilantro, diced onions, diced tomatoes, avocado, sour cream… the list is endless!

Slow cooker white chicken chili in a crockpot with a ladle.

How to Make Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Making chicken chili is even easier than making beef chili, because you don’t need to browned the meat before you start! This is definitely a dump and go recipe.

Slow Cook the Chicken, Aromatics, and Seasonings. Starting with a cold crockpot, add the onion, garlic, chicken, chicken broth and seasonings to the crockpot insert. Cover with the lid, and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.

Chicken breasts, beans, seasonings, and other ingredients in a crockpot.

A slow cooker with chicken, broth, and other ingredients.

Shred the Chicken. Take the chicken out of your slow cooker, and shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken back to the pot.
Add the Corn and Beans. Stir the frozen corn and rinsed, drained beans into the pot.

Shredded chicken on a cutting board with two forks.

Adding frozen corn and canned chilies to a crock pot.

Stir in the Evaporated Milk and Flour. Next, in a bowl or a measuring cup, whisk the flour with the evaporated milk until the mixture is smooth. Stir this into the chili.

Flour and evaporated milk in a measuring cup.

Finish Cooking. Place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook for an additional 30 – 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken slowly and unevenly, so stir every 10 minutes to be safe.
Enjoy! Taste the thickened chili, and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Spooning chicken chili out of a crockpot.

What Will Thicken White Chicken Chili?

You can thicken crockpot white chicken chili in a lot of different ways, but the easiest way is to simply mix a little flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot powder with liquid to form a slurry.

In this recipe, I combine flour with evaporated milk for my slurry. You could substitute cornstarch or arrowroot if you want a gluten-free version (if that’s the case, be sure to check your other ingredients for gluten, as well). Remember that cornstarch and arrowroot are twice as strong as flour for thickening, so you would only need three tablespoons.

Slow cooker white chicken chili with colorful toppings arranged in the bowl.

Helpful Tips

Even a dinner as easy as slow cooker white chicken chili can come with a few questions, which is why I’m including these helpful tips.

Beans: You are welcome to use any white or light colored bean in this recipe. White beans, cannellini, great northern beans, or even pinto beans can work.
Evaporated Milk: You can swap heavy cream, half and half, or even whole milk in place of the evaporated milk. The only caution with using fresh dairy is that it can break (or curdle) as it heats, so once the chili has thickened, you’ll want to make sure and lower the heat to WARM.
Spices: If you want to make this chili with different spices, feel free! It’s also great with a package of white chili seasoning mix.
Cornstarch: If you want to use cornstarch to thicken your chili instead of all purpose flour, use only 3 tablespoons of cornstarch in place of the flour.

A large bowl of white chili with toppings.

Easy Serving Suggestions

What should you serve with your white chicken chili? Honestly, the possibilities are endless! Here are just a few ways we like to enjoy this hearty recipe:

Chips: Fritos, potato chips, or tortilla chips would all be good. For an extra-special treat, try making your own homemade tortilla chips!
Cornbread: This cheddar jalapeño cornbread is the perfect amount of spicy and cheesy, and goes beautifully with a hot bowl of white chicken chili. However, beer bread is my favorite carb-y pairing with any chili.
White Rice: Chili is also amazing served over rice, like this authentic arroz blanco Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican white rice). You’ll love the crispy crust at the bottom of the rice pot!

Storing and Reheating

Like most chili recipes, my slow cooker white chicken chili stores for quite a while in the fridge. You can keep it in airtight containers in your refrigerator for up to five days. Great for meal prep!

Does Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Freeze Well?

In general, dishes that include dairy should not be frozen, because the dairy ingredients can separate and become grainy. However, this chili has frozen well for me when I tried it. I recommend storing it in airtight containers, and freezing it for up to three months. Thaw it out in the fridge before you reheat.

Close-up shot of white chili with several toppings.

5 from 3 votes

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Yield: 6 Servings