This White Chicken Chili recipe with cream cheese is perfect for a chilly evening. Just dump the 7 ingredients in your Crock Pot and in a few hours you’ll have a deliciously creamy chili ready for dinner!
I love a good dump and go Crock Pot meal and this white chicken chili recipe with cream cheese is one of the easiest recipes!
If you’ve never had white chili before, it’s a creamy alternative to the traditional red sauce chili made with ground beef, sausage, or steak.
It’s also become one of my husband’s favorite meals. He’d eat it every week it if I made it that often.
This recipe works because it’s:
- Incredibly easy. You seriously just dump the ingredients and turn the Crock Pot on. No browning meat required.
- Easy to customize. Dress this chili up with your favorite toppings to personalize the flavors.
- Great for leftovers! This recipe makes the best leftovers. The flavors are even better the next day.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Place 2 chicken breasts, thawed and trimmed of fat on the bottom of a Crock Pot and cover with 1 ounce of taco seasoning, 1 ounce of ranch dressing and seasoning mix, 15 ounces of canned black beans, 15 ounces of canned corn, 10 ounces of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, and 8 ounces of cream cheese. Make sure the cream cheese goes on the very top.
Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
When the chili is done, remove the chicken breasts and shred.
Stir the chili together to mix the cream cheese and then add the shredded chicken back in.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
The cook time for this recipe will be a little different based on what type of slow cooker you’re using. Mine is a 7 quart Crock Pot that cooks very fast, so this recipe is usually done in 4-5 hours on low. The cook times listed in this recipe are a suggestion, so you may need to adjust depending on how your slow cooker cooks.
I usually shred the chicken breasts with two forks, but if you’d like it to go faster you can put the chicken in a bowl and use an electric beater.
If you can’t find Rotel at the grocery store, you can try one of these substitutes for Rotel tomatoes.
If you have a big container of Taco seasoning like I do, you’ll want to use 2 tablespoons to equal the amount of one packet.
Have leftover corn from a meal or other recipe? Use it in this white chicken chili recipe instead of the canned stuff.
If you don’t have cream cheese on hand, you can try one of these cream cheese substitutes, or you can use heavy cream or half and half to get a really smooth texture. Start with 1/2 cup and add more as desired.
There are two different schools of thought on when you should add the cream cheese to a soup; some say it can go in with all of the other ingredients and others say it should go in with 30 minutes of cook time remaining. It depends on how much time you have and if you care about having a really smooth texture.
If you want to wait to add the cream cheese until the end, make sure it’s at room temperature before you add it. You can also puree it in a blender with a little broth to get it really smooth before adding it to the soup.
If you want to add it in at the beginning (like I do), you can use a small immersion blender or frother to incorporate any pieces that haven’t melted down.
The last time I made this soup, I didn’t drain any of the cans and put all of the liquid in. I wanted to try to create a thinner broth instead of the ultra creamy texture that usually happens with this chili. And I loved how it turned out! The chili will thicken up once you add the shredded chicken back in, so if you want to thin it out even more, you can add a few cups of chicken broth or even water before serving.
To reheat this soup, put a serving in a microwave safe bowl and add a few tablespoons of water. Cover and heat on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir to incorporate the water and enjoy!
RELATED: How long does leftover chili last?
More Like This
Looking for more soup recipes? You’ll love these!
- Coconut Cilantro Chicken Soup
- Healthy Lasagna Soup
- Creamy Taco Soup
- Crock Pot Hamburger Stew
- Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
And if you’re looking for ideas to make a full meal, try these ideas for sides to serve with chili.
FAQs
White chili has several of the same components as traditional chili, like beans, tomato, green chiles and corn. However, white chili is typically made with chicken instead of ground beef and includes a creamy component.
The creamy aspect is also what gives this chili its light color.
This chili is already pretty thick, thanks to the cream cheese.
if you want your chili to be even thicker, you can scoop out a cup or so and blend it in a blender. The beans in the chili will puree and create more thickness.
You can also make a corn starch slurry to thicken the soup:
Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 2-3 tablespoons of milk, half and half or water. Pour the mixture into your chili and stir, well.
This chili dish is delicious on its own, BUT, there are so many topping options you can add.
I love to top this white chili with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocados, lime juice, and cilantro.
You could also throw in some chopped green onion, hot sauce or even jalapeno.
White chili goes well with chips and guacamole, cowboy caviar, or a seasonal fruit salad.
You could also eat this chili over rice, in a bread bowl, or with a big slice of cornbread.
These cheesy drop biscuits are a great side for this soup as well!
I hope your family loves this delicious white chicken chili recipe with cream cheese! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!
And if you’d like to get a 4-week meal plan featuring my recipes, just enter your email in the form above and you’ll get it straight to your inbox!
White Chicken Chili Recipe with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, thawed and trimmed of fat
- 1 ounce taco seasoning , 1 packet or 2-3 tablespoons
- 1 ounce ranch dressing and seasoning mix , 1 packet
- 15 ounces canned black beans
- 15 ounces canned corn
- 10 ounces canned Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
- 8 ounces cream cheese
Instructions
- Place chicken on the bottom of a Crock Pot and cover with the remaining ingredients. The cream cheese goes on the very top.
- Cook chili on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- When the chili is done, remove the chicken breasts and shred. Stir the chili together to mix the cream cheese and then add the shredded chicken.
- Top with desired toppings like tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocados, lime juice, and cilantro.