Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
With just a handful of ingredients and no pre-cooking required, slow cooker white chicken chili is every bit as satisfying as it is simple. Check the recipe notes for two options for thickening the chili with or without dairy and lots of options for toppings. This recipe should be made in a 6-quart slow cooker.
Servings: 6
Cost: $8.00
Equipment
- 6-quart Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dried Navy Beans, rinsed (see note)
- 1 1/2 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (you can use boneless, skinless chicken breast)
- 1 16oz jar Mild Salsa Verde (use a spicy salsa verde if you want your chili spicy)
- 1 small Yellow or White Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 4 cups Chicken Broth (or chicken stock)
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Sour Cream (optional, see note)
For Serving (optional):
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Avocado
- Chopped Cilantro
- Sour Cream
- Tortilla Chips
Instructions
- Combine dried beans, chicken, salsa, onion, cumin, salt, chili powder, broth, and water in the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker and give it a stir to combine. Cook until the beans are tender and the chicken falls apart easily, 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. (Note: dried beans can vary in cook time depending on how long they've been stored, so plan for the higher end of the cook time range if you think yours might have been on the shelf or stuck in the back of the pantry for a bit.)
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and transfer to a cutting board.
- Optional step to thicken (see note): Remove 1 cup of liquid from the chili. Whisk 1 cup sour cream into this cooking liquid. Pour the thickened liquid back into the chili and stir to combine.
- Roughly chop the chicken and stir it back into the chili.
- Taste the chili and season with some more salt, if needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with any (or all!) the toppings you like.
Notes
Beans - It is not necessary to soak the beans before cooking. The first couple hours in the slow cooker will take the place of pre-soaking the beans. Just be sure to rinse the beans well before adding them to the chili.
Thickening the chili - Adding sour cream to the chili in the optional step above yields a creamy, thick chili. If you want to skip the sour cream for a lighter or dairy-free option, use an immersion blender to blend a small portion of the chili before adding the chopped chicken back in. (The beans will naturally thicken the chili once blended.)
Nutrition
Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 1107mg | Potassium: 1389mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 373IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 6mg