This is the best gluten-free white chicken chili recipe I've ever eaten. It's also a nice change from regular chili. So delicious and everyone you serve will be asking for more!
This is so easy to throw together with little prep required and makes a hearty meal for a cold night. This is a great soup recipe to make at the beginning of the day and let it cook while you go about your day.
You will also get to enjoy the lovely aromas filling your home! I also love how it is comforting, yet light at the same time. This is a dish I bring to family gatherings often because you can get it started ahead of time and let it do its thing and let the flavors all meld together.
Then it's easy to serve it at the end and you can make it fancier and "normal" by topping it with sour cream and Fritos for those who want them. Chicken is also relatively affordable for large groups of people.
I like to make this for my family and then freeze the leftovers for my husband to take to work so he has a home-cooked meal instead of something out of a can. I love how filling it is with the Hispanic twist of flavor. You can also spice things up a bit by upping the spices and adding some cayenne peppers to it.
I also like to roast red, orange and yellow peppers in the oven ahead of time and add them into this at the last minute. Oh, and lots of times I will sub in canned jalapenos for the green chilis - or add them. But my family (especially me) likes our food hotter than the average family probably does.
This is a popular recipe for a good reason. It's healthy, light, and flavorful. It's especially easy and flavorful when cooked in a slow cooker. I find myself making this a lot.
I actually make it for large group dinners a lot. It's so easy to throw everything in the pot and let it cook while I clean and get ready for the party. And then dinner is all in one bowl, with a few things as optional toppings to make it a little special.
Some things I like to top the chili with are sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime juice, green onion, chopped jalapeños, and/or corn chips. Some substitutions and changes I like to make sometimes are canned or fresh jalapeños instead of or in addition to the green chilis.
Lots of times I skip the thickening part. I don't add the milk at the beginning and flour at the end, because I don't always feel like it's necessary. The reason I like to use chicken thighs because they have more flavor than chicken breasts and when you cook them for a long time, they don't dry out, like chicken breast.
Another change you could make is to cook it on the stovetop. When I do that, sometimes I use chicken breasts and cook them at the same time I'm cooking the main chili part and add them together at the end.
Or I use the chicken thighs and put them uncooked in the pot and bring the whole pot to a boil and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked, generally around an hour or so. I have also cooked the soup in my Instant Pot *. You just put all the ingredients in and push the Meat/Stew button and it takes 35 minutes (plus the time to get up to pressure).
I would love to know if you have any ideas on additions or deletions or different cooking methods that you use. Please comment below with your ideas.
Recipe
Healthy White Chicken Chili Crockpot Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 360 minutes
- Total Time: 390 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Clean Eating
Description
This is so easy to make and tastes so good and I really like this recipe for cooking it in the slow cooker. Definitely a keeper!
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 3 cans Great Northern Beans, drained
- 2 8 oz cans Diced Green Chilies
- 1 Very large yellow Onion (diced)
- 1 Tbl Garlic, (minced)
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- ¼ tsp White Pepper
- 1 Tbl Coarse Real Salt *
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
Optional Ingredients (See Notes)
- 1 Cup Coconut Milk * or regular milk
- ¼ Cup Arrowroot Starch * or cornstarch
- ½ Cup Water
Topping:
- ⅓ Cup Cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs, beans, chilies, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, pepper, salt, chicken broth, and coconut milk in a crock pot. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or until chicken is very tender.
- Remove the chicken and place in a bowl. Lightly shred with a fork.
- Place the arrowroot starch in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the ½ C. water to make a smooth, lump-free mixture. Stir the mixture into the chili in the crock pot.
- Add the chicken back into the chili and stir to distribute. Let cook for another 30 minutes. Soup should thicken up.
- Add the cilantro to the soup just before serving and check the seasonings, adding more salt or pepper if desired. If you want the soup to be a little thinner, add more chicken broth or coconut milk until desired consistency is achieved.
- Top with a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
I often leave out the optional ingredients. I personally feel if you leave out the milk then you don't need the arrowroot starch to thicken it up. I think the arrowroot can make it slimey.
But it is creamier and richer with it in. It's a bit of a personal preference on what you like.
I often add in fresh or canned jalepeno peppers in addition to or instead of the diced green chilies.
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Nancy
I tried it! It came out great. We used some frozen chilis that we had.
Susan
Is the coconut milk included in the nutritional facts/calorie count?
Rebecca Baron
Yes
Mle
Good! Easy!
Rebecca O.
This was delicious! I made in my instant pot but otherwise followed directions. Will make again.
TiffanyGZ
How long did you cook it in the Instant Pot?
Kia Renee
Delicious!!
Kristina Garrett
Literally the best we’ve ever had!
Lezlie Andrew
This was seriously delicious! We garnished with goat cheese, jalapeños & cilantro. So good!
Rachel Goode
Very yummy. It’s a staple now.
Heidi
Used left-over thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken and omitted the milk while cooking. Added sour cream, cilantro and crushed tortilla chips as toppings. Very easy and scrumptious!
Rebecca Baron
Great idea! I'm so glad you liked it.
Susan Roddy
Had a friend make this for me and it is great because it is a lighter version of chili, not heavy.
Beth Markowitz
So comforting!
Alyssa Drummond
Only used 12oz green chilies and drained the beans but didn't rinse. Squeeze of lime into your bowl + sour cream + cilantro are all mandatory, and it is bomb!
holly escobar
This is a yummy chicken chili recipe. The coconut milk is a very nice touch and makes for a creamy texture. I also added a can of Rotel diced tomatoes. I didn't thicken with starch, but took out about one cup of the liquid (beans included) and pureed in my blender and then put back into the crockpot and thickened to a nice texture.
Erica B
Love it!
Karen
This is a staple in our house!
Stephanie B
Delicious as is! Added a sprinkle of cheese, dollop of sour cream, and tortilla strips to each bowl as garnish and family loved it. Will definitely make again!!
GrannyKat
We don’t care for cilantro. This chili is yummy and easy to make.
Melissa Wilson
REALLY YUMMY! I made this and took it to work and 8 people asked me for the recipe, and they were all surprised to see how clean the ingredients were. This soup freezes really well. Sometimes I make a batch, divide it into 2 and freeze for quick and easy meals.
Ashley C
Very good flavor! Personally would use a little less chicken. I like a thicker soup, so I would use less of the chicken broth too.
Marin k
Turned out Great!
Kelly
Love this recipe and have been making it for years now but never left a comment! It's definitely a family favorite for me!
Rebecca
I'm so glad you like it. Thanks for stopping by!
Tonya Sweatman
Perfect, everyone loved it
Jacquie
Could you please tell me what the serving size is? I cannot find anywhere on here how much is in a serving.
Thanks!
Rebecca
I'm sorry it's so hard to find. Look above the ingredients in the orange boxes. But it has 10 servings.
Cassie
Have you ever made this in an instant pot? If not no worries 🙂 just curious! Thanks! This looks delicious, excited to try it!
Rebecca
Actually, that's about the only way I make it lately. Guess I should put the instructions on the recipe, but really all I do is throw everything in the Instant Pot and press the soup button, which cooks it on high for 30 minutes.
Cassie
Awesome, thank you so much! Excited to try it this week!
Rebecca
It makes the chicken texture like butta. I would love to know how it turns out. . .
Sigrid
What is the serving size? One cup? Two?
Rebecca
I count .25 pounds of meat as a serving, so this recipe has 10 servings, so it’s a 10th of this recipe. My guess would be roughly a cup of soup. Does that help?
Robyn
I made this tonight and my family loved it! Will definitely make it again. I did switch out the milk for almond milk though since I can't have dairy.
Rebecca Baron
Thanks for your feedback!
Beth
I really enjoy this recipe and have made it multiple times. It tastes delicious and is very filling. This is a keeper in my recipe repertoire .
Beth
I also have a question about the carb count. That seems really low for having beans in a recipe. I entered the info into my fitness pal and it came out to something closer to 23 carbs. Did I do something wrong?
Rebecca
Nice catch. I had selected the wrong type of beans on the nutrition calculator, so it was way off. Now my carb count is even higher than yours. I find the different nutrition calculators to be so different, so it's hard to know which one to believe, but I tend to like My Fitness Pal. I wish I could use it on my website.
Rebecca
I'm glad you like it. We make it a lot too, especially for family gatherings. It's something everyone likes and it's inexpensive to feed a lot of people and quick and easy to make.
Shannon
I’m planning on making this today but cutting the recipe in half— should I shorten the cooking time or maybe cook it on low? It looks amazing!
Rebecca
It may take a little less time, but not much, like maybe half an hour. What I like to do is make a full batch and then freeze individual servings of it right after I eat it. Then I have several ready to go lunches or dinners with barely any work and they taste totally fine when they are re-heated.
Brooke
What's the serving size? Trying to watch my calories.
I've actually made this a couple times and my whole family loves it. Thank you!
Rebecca
I count .25 pounds of meat as a serving, so this recipe has 10 servings, so it's a 10th of this recipe. My guess would be roughly a cup of soup. Does that help?
BROOKE
Thank you! Yes that helps perfectly! That's about what I ate last night. It was great again ?
Melissa
Absolutely delicious just the way it is! My family raves over this dish and ask for it frequently. The only thing we add to it is a little bit of cheese on top! I may try soaking my own beans next time to really reign back on the sodium intake, but aside from that a total 10? meal!
Punam R
Made this last night and it was AMAZING. My boyfriend and I can't thank you enough for this recipe. Looking forward to trying out your other recipes 🙂
Rebecca
I'm so glad you like it! It's definitely a recipe we make a lot at our house.
Klew
Hi, I am planning on having this tonight but I have chicken breasts and have to use the slow-cooker. Can you recommend a cooking time? Maybe just three hours on high? Really looking forward to it!
Rebecca
I've never done it with chicken breasts and I'm obviously really late answering you, but 2-3 would probably do it, depending on how thick the breasts are.
Melissa
The first time I made this, I used chicken breasts, and it was just fine. I would say that the thighs are much more tender than the breasts
Felicia
I had to go off dairy for my baby, and I cook with a lot of dairy. A friend shared this recipe with me and it was a nice change up for my husband and me. I love the use of coconut milk!
EmilyGC
I made this tonight, following your recipe exactly, and it turned out perfectly! We loved it. I made cornbread to go with it and those together were so delicious. My husband loves white chicken chili and this will be our go-to from now on. Thank you!
Rebecca
Oh, yes. This WOULD be so good with cornbread. How come I haven't made that in forever? I love it. Thanks for the reminder . . .
Laura
When I use my crock pot, I usually put everything together the night before so that all I have to do is pull it out of the fridge and turn it on as I go out the door. Is it OK to "marinate" all the ingredients in the fridge overnight with this recipe?
Rebecca
I often do that too. As far as I know, you should be fine.
Becky Turner
This is absolutely delicious! I am gluten free and dairy free and made this exactly as written. Thanks so much! I'm bringing it to a group dinner!
Rebecca
I'm so glad you like it. Yes, I often bring it to group dinners.
Erica
What could I use instead of coconut milk?
Rebecca
Lots of times I don't even add coconut milk or regular milk or thicken it. I just add some sour cream on top and call it good. But, you can totally just sub regular milk for coconut milk.
Ashley Scherzer
I’ve subbed for unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened almond coconut milk and it’s delicious!
Jamie N
Made this yesterday and my husband and I LOVED it! Will definitely make it again...and again!
Rebecca
So good to hear - and thanks for taking the time to comment!
Stephanie
Hi! Amazing recipe! One question: can you use frozen chicken thighs? Many thanks!
Rebecca
Totally! I almost always use frozen chicken thighs. I just thrown them in frozen and cut them up at the end with tongs and scissors.
Toni
This is seriously one of the best recipes I have tried for white chili. Thank you!
Rebecca
I'm so glad you like it! My family loves it too.
Brent
Delicious Recipe! Love chicken chili and this is filling and tastes great! And best of all clean!
Rebecca
Yes! Clean and gluten-free are definitely a bonus, but I would eat it even if it wasn't so healthy.
Luz Lindner
Thank you for this recipe. It not only fits my dietary restrictions perfectly but I attended a chili cook-off using this recipe and tied for first place. So you get all the credit for sharing this great recipe!
Rebecca
Awesome that you won! That's so exciting. Just proves that simple recipes are often times the best.
Madelone C.
I'm pretty excited to be making this tonight, I'm doing a little experimenting... I forgot to pick up a can of coconut milk and don't want to go back to the grocer so I came up with a possibly brilliant idea. I've roaster an acorn squash ahead of time that I will purée and use to replace the coconut milk and I also have the last harvest of my garden bell peppers that I will add because we just love peppers! I hope it turns out well! Thanks for the recipe!
Rebecca
Oooh! How did that turn out? Most of the time I just leave out the starch and milk. It's really not necessary. A little sour cream stirred in is enough for me.
Angie
Tasted soooo good!!! I'm not the best cook by any means and a very busy person but this looked simple enough to make so I gave it a try and wow, loved it!!!!
Rebecca
I'm so glad you like it! I make it all the time and love it too.
Stephanie Chittum
I don't have a crockpot. How long would this cook stovetop...low or medium low heat?
Rebecca
When I do it on the stove top, I usually use chicken tenderloins and cook it as long as I have time for. An hour would be best, but you can do as little as half an hour if you don't have time. If you have more time, you can use chicken thighs and cook for about two hours. The longer you cook, the the more flavor it has.
Nyuki
This was pretty good,I think I will try it with regular milk once. I think the addition of jalapenos might be beneficial. I would also halve the recipe next time,we have a lot of leftovers.
Rebecca
Yes. This does make quite a bit, but it does freeze really well. I freeze individual portions and send it to work with my husband. And it works just great with regular milk too and I often substitute jalapeños for the green chilis - or use them in addition to the green chilies. It's a very versatile recipe.
Carm
With the jalapeños or green chilies do you add the liquid too, or just the peppers?
Rebecca
I just put the whole can in since there's not much liquid and what there is tastes good.
Julia
This recipe is so so SO good and is currently cooking away in my crockpot!
Rebecca
Good to hear. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Jill
With so many coconut milk options I'm wondering if your recipe is calling for canned coconut milk(which is what I have) or the boxed more liquidy coconut milk?
Rebecca
Canned!
Leah
I made this for dinner and it was really good! I didn't realize it was 3 cans of beans instead of 2, but it still came out really good!
Rebecca
I'm glad it came out good. Sometimes I go light on the beans and only use two cans. It's totally up to you.
Courtney
If I use chicken breasts and just cook them on the stove then how long do I cook the rest of the stuff? Do I still put it on for 5 hours??
Rebecca
If you pre-cook the chicken, basically all you have to do is warm up the other stuff. The longer you cook it, the better flavor it will have (to a certain extent), but plenty of times I just cook it for about half an hour on the stovetop and it's fine.
Joann
Please tell me this can be made with regular milk, vs the coconut milk. My husband HATES anything coconut, and if there is the slightest inkling of coconut flavor, he will push the bowl away!
Rebecca
Yes. You can totally use regular milk.
Courtney S.
Hi! What size crockpot are you using? I am wondering if I need to cut this recipe in half. Thank you!
Rebecca
Just the regular size - I think it's 6 quarts. It makes quite a bit, so you may want to half it.
Brandi
Has anyone portioned this out container wise for 21 day fix? Were any adjustments to ingredients necessary? If so, I'd appreciate the share....thanks!
Tiffany
Made this today and it is fantastic! Going into the frequently used recipe file. Thank you!
Rebecca
I'm so glad you like it! I make it for our family all the time.
Michelle B
I just made this soup tonight and it is awesome!!!!! Thank you so much for the great recipe!!! (I left out the chili powder because I am going to serve it to my 5 kids and I used real milk.)
Rebecca
This is so good to hear. Our family loves it too!
Angela
Do you drain and rinse the beans before putting them in the pot? Or do you put the whole can of beans in with all of the juices?
Rebecca
I drain mine because I've heard of you don't then you get gas. Maybe TMI? but that's what I've heard, so that's what I do.
Anna
I'm making this now and just realized my coconut milk is the unsweetened kind. I'm guessing if you made the chili with unsweetened coconut milk it would have been specified. Since this is all I have I'm going to go ahead with it but do you think I should need to add anything to replace the lost sweetness?
Tanya
Can this be cooked on low for 8 to 10 hours?
Rebecca
Definitely.
Kristi
Is it suppose to be two 8oz cans of green chilies or 2 4oz cans, totally 8 oz? Thanks!
Rebecca
It should be 16 oz. total I fixed the recipe so it is clear. Thanks.
Marquita
Great recipe! I made this tonight and am in love with the combination of flavors. Thanks for sharing this!
Rebecca
You're welcome! I am glad it worked out well for you!
Heather Bailey
Can I substitute tapioca flour for the arrowroot starch?
Rebecca
Yes. Those could be used interchangeable on a recipe like this.
Carrie M.
Just made this and it is so good! One of the best slow cooker meals I've made. My husband loved it!
Jill H.
Would you recommend other "milks" for this? Perhaps Soy?
Rebecca
It is worth a try! I haven't tried it but i don't think it will be a problem just be careful while cooking it since it is an experiment if you do it, you will have to pay more attention it ight cook faster or slower
Alicia
Hi! This is the third recipe I have tried from your website and they are all delicious! I am not the best cook but I am concerned about what I eat and really appreciate the time you take to post your recipes. I really enjoy eating something other than baked chicken breast and steamed broccoli.
Rebecca
Yes, variety is the spice of life, huh? Thanks for taking the time to comment and I'm glad you like my recipes.
m
hi, what type of bean are you using, is great northern a brand? i'm assuming its a navy bean.
what size cans of beans or do you know what amount this would be of dried? thanks! the recipe looks great.
Rebecca
Great Northern beans is a type bean not a brand like kidney beans etc. I just get the regular size can. Sorry about the dried beans.
Ursula
I’m just now reading this recipe.& comments. To answer m says, just look for cannelloni beans in the canned goods aisle. They’re large white beans like the red kidney beans.
Krista
This was excellent! I made this chili this weekend, with slight changes. I love the chicken with the beans, and the touch of cilantro and lime. We served this with tortilla chips, then guacamole one night as well. Thanks for the recipe! It will be a regular in our recipe stash.
Rebecca
Thank you for your nice comment, I am glad you like our recipe!
Jenny
I made the recipie but the coconut milk is giving it a strong coconut flavor. Is this suppose to happen? Is there anyway to mask the flavor? Love chicken chili and was excited to find this dairy free version!
Rebecca
You could try and kind of alternative kind of milk you prefer if you don't like the coconut flavor.
Nicole Incardone
Do we need to drain the beans before adding to the crockpot?
Rebecca
Nope, you don't need to but if you prefer you could it will turn out thicker if you do drain them.
Jackie
Hi, Can I substitute chicken breast for the thighs?
Rebecca
You could but chicken breast get dried out really easy so you wouldn't want to do it in the slow cooker. Just do it on the stove top until the chicken breast is cooked.
Cydnee
I am loving this slow cooker clean eating chili. Looks absolutely delicious!
Rebecca
Please let me know if you try it. I would love your feedback.
Kelly
Hey there! I accidentally put the crock pot on low for 5 hours ?. How much longer will it need to cook!? Or should I plan on going out for dinner!?
Rebecca
Well, I'm a bit late to answer this. How did it turn out? It should have been fine. As long as your chicken is cooked and you use canned beans, you really only have to warm it up. Any longer time just makes it taste better.
Pam
This sounds delicious! I haven't tried making chili in the crockpot before but I put all the ingredients on my shopping list for this week. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Rebecca
Please let me know if you like it!
Tiffany
Can you use beans that are not in a can?
Rebecca
You could use dried beans, but you would need to cook them first. Well, at least part way. For example, when I cook black beans in the slow cooker, I cook them on high for 12 hours, so if you wanted to do that, you would cook just the beans and then add the other ingredients at the end. Or, you can pre-cook the beans and freeze them in individual portions. That's what I do with my black beans. I need to start doing that with my white beans too . . .
Gail Williams
I love this recipe. I have gout and do not eat beef or pork so when I see a chili recipe with chicken I like to try it. This looks so inviting to eat.
Karren Haller
I love white chicken chili, my husband not so much. I do like your slow cooker recipe!!! I make it when he's gone.
Corinne
This recipes proves that eating clean and healthy can be satisfying! I can't wait to try this recipe because it looks so hearty and warm which is just what I need in these below freezing temperatures this winter!
Kyla @HouseOfHipsters
This sounds soooo good! And I love how healthy it is!
Echo
This looks awesome and I love that it is clean eating friendly! I would love if you would share this at The Soup-er Recipe Link Up!
Amy Ngai
That looks so yummy! It's perfect for the chilly weather we've been getting here in toronto! I'll definitely need to try this!
Amy @ A Cup Full of Sass
White Chicken Chili is one of my favorite soups! I need to try this recipe in my slow cooker.
Jolene
Yum! The cilantro especially caught my eye. I'm thinking this would be great for our Sunday lunch. Thanks!
Suzy
How would you covert the time to make this in the instant pot?
Rebecca Baron
You just put all the ingredients in and push the Meat/Stew button and it takes 35 minutes (plus the time to get up to pressure).