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5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili

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This 5-ingredient white chicken chili recipe is super quick and easy to make, full of great flavor, and always a crowd fave!

After sharing a new recipe for easy (red) chicken chili, I thought I would circle back today to share one of my all-time favorite recipes for easy white chicken chili.

Even better — my favorite easy white chicken chili recipe that is made with just FIVE easy ingredients. ♡

This recipe is as easy as it gets. Simply stir all of the ingredients together, bring the soup to a simmer, ladle it up while it’s nice and hot, then pile on your favorite toppings and enjoy! I’ve probably made this recipe at least a hundred times over the years, and it always has a way of hitting the spot. It also freezes and reheats well if you would like to save the leftovers or make and save a big batch for easy meal prep.

I’m telling you — this recipe is always a winner. Let’s make a batch!

5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili Ingredients:

To make this white chicken chili recipe, you will need the following five ingredients (plus I highly recommend going big on  toppings):

  • Chicken: Any kind of diced or shredded chicken will do. I typically shred a rotisserie or use leftover frozen chicken from my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or Baked Chicken Breasts recipe.
  • Salsa verde: Either homemade or store-bought, whichever you prefer. I will note that store-bought brands of roasted salsa verde can vary pretty dramatically in terms of heat. So if you prefer a milder soup, I would definitely recommend finding a salsa that is on the milder side.
  • Beans: You are welcome to use whatever type of beans you love best for this chicken chili. I typically use white beans (such as Great Northerns), but pinto, garbanzo or black beans would be delicious too.
  • Chicken stock: Because this ingredient list is so short, I recommend using a good-quality brand of chicken stock or veggie stock, whichever you prefer.
  • Cumin: We will also add in a hint of cumin to the broth to helps round out the seasonings in the salsa verde.
  • Toppings: Finally, I recommend using a generous amount of whatever toppings you love best! I almost always add cilantro and fresh avocado to my soup. But a crumble of tortilla chips, diced red or green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack or a Mexican-blend), crumbled cotija cheese, and/or sliced jalapeños would also be delicious additions!

How To Make This Soup:

To make this 5-ingredient white chicken chili recipe, simply…

  1. Combine ingredients. Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large stockpot.
  2. Bring to a simmer. Cook on high heat until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer briefly for 5 minutes.
  3. Serve. Then ladle the soup up into serving bowls, garnished with your favorite toppings.

Possible Variations:

There are so many ways that you could get creative with this soup recipe! For example, feel free to…

  • Add extra veggies. If you would like to add some extra veggies to this soup, diced poblano peppers, onions and/or potatoes (feel free to use frozen hash brown potatoes as a shortcut) are some of my other favorite additions.
  • Make it in the Crock-Pot or Instant Pot. This soup really just needs to be stirred together and warmed. So feel free to let it simmer on low in the Crock-Pot or use the sauté button on your Instant Pot, if you would prefer to use one of those appliances.

More Favorite Chili Recipes:

Here are a few more of my go-to chili recipes, if you would like to give them a try!

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5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili Recipe

5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 105 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

This delicious and easy white chicken chili recipe can be made with just 5 ingredients in 15 minutes!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 3 to 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans beans of your choice, rinsed and drained (I used Great Northern beans)
  • 2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde (store-bought or homemade)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • optional toppings: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped red or green onions, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, fresh jalapeño slices

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients.  Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large stockpot.
  2. Bring to a simmer.  Cook on high heat until the soup reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering for 5 minutes.
  3. Serve.  Serve immediately, garnished with lots of your favorite toppings.

Notes

Chicken: 4 cups shredded chicken is equivalent to approximately 2 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts.  I often shred a rotisserie chicken for this recipe, or use leftover chicken from my Baked Chicken Breasts or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipes.

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458 comments on “5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili”

  1. The flavor is very good but it’s very runny. It should be called White Chicken Chili soup as it’s thin and watery–definitely not the consistency of chili.






    • Hi Laura! We’re glad you enjoyed the taste, and sorry this came out watery for you. It sounds like it may have needed to simmer longer. You could also make a slurry to thicken it more. In a bowl, just whisk 4 TBS flour or cornstarch with 1 cup of the chili liquid, then add back to the chili pot. We hope this helps for next time!

  2. For the crock pot recipe, when do you add the beans?

    • Oh goodness, thanks for catching this, we accidentally left that step out! You can just add them during the last 30 minutes of the cooking time. We hope you enjoy!

  3. This is an incredibly delicious and easy dish. You can add additional ingredients but the flavor is in the core five ingredients on the recipe. I substituted ground turkey for the chicken…Delish!






  4. This is absolutely one of my favorites! I recommend it to all my friends who are starting to cook and/or meal plan. You seriously can’t go wrong!

  5. Just what I was looking for; easy, tasty and quick. I used Costco’s canned cooked chicken and it was just great. Had to cut back on the ingredients because I only had one can of chicken but it was just fine in doing that.






  6. Great recipe! I would probably add one more can of beans but great as is, thanks.






  7. Awesome! I made this vegan with beyond meat seasoned chicken strips. I also added some corn and thickened with rice flour. It turned out delicious! A quick and easy lunch

  8. Delicious and so easy! I used a roasted chicken!






  9. I love this easy, yummy white chicken chili. I add cumin, more mild green chilis and light sour cream or fat free greek yogurt to make it creamy (just heat it up before you add at end).

  10. I love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times for my family, boyfriend, and friends. So simple and so delicious. The only thing I add is some sautéed onion and garlic.






  11. I just made this I used a store brought rotisserie added onion and garlic off the hook it’s a must have recipe. Thank you so much.

  12. Loved it something different and also made 3 cheese quelliaillas with it. Will make it again especially for the winter season. Thank you for the recipe.

  13. Hi there! I was just wondering how spicy this dish is…i’ll be feeding a 6-year-old and a one-year-old, and i’m wondering if 2 cups of salsa verde might make this a little too much for them. Would it be possible to leave it out? Or is there anything I can substitute with if it’s necessary for texture? I’m so excited to try this!!

  14. It had great flavor and even though I saw the picture.. I guess I was expecting a more chili like texture. I’m not real a big fan of a lot of broth in my soup so next time I’ll use less broth & a can or two more of beans. It is a great 15 min meal!






  15. Wow! I just made this and I’m very impressed. It’s delicious! I like anything that is easy to make by buying a few simple ingredients.
    I used chicken thighs, bc they are cheap and flavorful, and made it in my crockpot. After about four hours I removed the thighs, discarded the skin and bones and shredded the meat, then returned the meat back to the pot and added the beans to cook a bit.
    Fantastic!






  16. I love this recipe! It’s my go to for weeknight dinner and for when I have last minute guests! So quick and delicious.






  17. My family loves this recipe!! Thank you for sharing!!






  18. Simply delicious! This is brilliant! Extremely simple weeknight dinner! We cooked chicken in a large saucepan, chunked it (our preference), and threw everything else in; one skillet meal! We used a very low sodium chicken broth and low sodium beans for an overall lower sodium version, and the salsa verde truly made the meal! We topped ours with avocado, which was also a fantastic addition!






  19. My husband and I love it! We have also made it for family and friends and it has been a hit. The only change we make is that if were using Medium Salsa Verde we cut back a little on the cumin, but that’s our preference.






  20. Would you happen to have the nutritional information for this recipe? It’s absolutely delicious!!






  21. I made this the other night! Although I would call it more of a soup then a chili, we loved this simple recipe.. I threw in some paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, garlic power and oregano and added in 2 tbs cornmeal meal mixed into a paste w/ water with the beans, Thanks for another great recipe!






  22. So easy and so good thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






  23. This tastes like it took a lot of effort but it is sooo easy! It’s delicious and versatile. Yum!






  24. +juice of one lime &fresh cilantro-delish!






  25. My family loves this recipe. I will usually add an extra can of beans to make it go further. The next night I might add another can with more broth and cumin. We will stretch this out over several meals. I have also added spinach to have some veggies in my diet.






  26. This was great – just didn’t have ripe enough avocados. So easy and very tasty!






  27. One of my favorite soup recipes! My husband also loves it too! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.






  28. Made it with all the ingredients except cumin and I used tamatillo salsa verde. And I paired it with blue corn tortillas. Great presentation :)
    Excellent receipe. Will be in the rotation.
    Kids loved it, too!






  29. Made this recipe today as a way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken and it was absolutely delicious! We loved it so much that I’m going to add it into our regular meal rotation, especially during the fall and winter months.






  30. Made for dinner. Very good!!






  31. This is probably a silly question, but are your Instant Pot directions assuming cooked or raw chicken?

  32. This was the easiest and most delicious recipe for chicken chili. I added some cooked rice I had left over. I did go all out with some fresh cilantro, cheese, tortilla chips, and chopped avocado but you know what? This recipe would be just fine without embellishments. A winner winner chicken dinner kind of recipe that will be among my favorite recipes that packs a delicious flavor and is soooooo easy! No one will suspect, so s-h-h-h-h-h-h.






  33. I made this with leftover carnitas meat instead of chicken and it was AMAZING! The salsa verde is genius. Added some crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to my bowl. Seriously easy which is what I search for!






  34. I lost your online recipe after my printer went out and just happened to find your recipe today. I can’t wait to make this soup again. It is OUTSTANDING and so easy. I love it! Thanks for sharing.






  35. This was outstanding and super easy. I was skeptical to make this but I needed something easy to make in the instant pot for family coming to dinner. Everyone raved about it. I added a can of hominy (I love posole) with the beans and used 3 chicken boneless chicken breasts, which I shredded after cooking. We served it with avocados, cilantro, green onions and shredded jack cheese. Divine!






  36. Simple and delicious. I made it for a casual dinner for friends, served it with diced avocado and it received rave reviews.






  37. So simple and easy!!! Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!






  38. Going to make this next week and would like to know if I use the same IP cooking time if I double the recipe and cooked chicken?

  39. This was delicious, and the perfect dinner for the cold winter night we were having. It’s a little soupier than I would like for a chili but it’s workable. I used chicken thighs, mashed the beans up a bit to make it thicker, and also added a can of corn at the end. So good!






    • This is my 1st time making it and it came out wonderful. I took some of the advice of others and used 4 cups of chicken stock, one cup of Salsa Verde, one cup of cream of chicken, one can of corn, and it turned out beautifully!!! Thanks!

  40. Made this today in the crockpot. Was delicious. Next time I think I’ll decrease the chicken stock to 4 cups and add more chicken.






  41. Just tried this recipe for dinner and it was delicious and just “off the charts Delicious”!
    Thanks so very much.

    • I’ve been making this soup on a regular basis for awhile now. I’ve made it for my parents and for me and my boyfriend. I usually make it in the slow cooker, with chicken thighs, and with Herdez medium salsa verde. Everyone loves it. Thanks so much for grabbing my attention with these great pics of the soup! Yummm!






  42. Very flavorful! Will make again. Especially yummy with added cheese and GF tortilla chips. My 1.5 year old loved it!






  43. Delicious & so easy! The whole family loves it!






  44. I have made this in slow cooker and instant pot. It is great. But if you are using already cooked canned beans, decrease the chicken broth to 4 cups or it’s too watery. I add sour cream, cheese, avocados, green onion and tortilla chips when I am ready to eat. Yum!






  45. I enjoy your site and recipes. Some beautiful food photography! I like this simplified recipe. I did make a slurry mash of 1/2c of beans (in food processor) to help thicken the soup more to chili texture. I ended up adding a lot more cumin and salt. but I think that’s due to my broth was fairly watered down. This is a good base recipe and allows for more customization (like spicier peppers, etc) as desired.






  46. Very easy to make and tasty, too! I used the slow cooker but will try it on the stove next time.

    A coworker brought me some Mexican limes. I added a squirt to my leftovers. Easy six ingredient chili was good, too!

    I would second the suggestions to reduce the stock or add more chicken.






  47. Love this. I make it often.






  48. For frugality I used dried beans (1 heaping cup) hydrated them for 4 hours, cooked them for 50 minutes in water. Then changed the water out for 4c chicken stock, added the chicken, cooked that for about 10m, shredded it, added it back with the rest of the ingredients. I agree it didn’t need the extra 2c stock, but it was really delicious! Would definitely make again! Next time might add some limes and maybe more chicken and beans! Excellent, and easy.






  49. Love love love this recipe!

  50. Great recipe but I definitely recommend using only 4 cups of chicken stock and one extra cup of chicken and two extra can of beans to make it more like a Chili consistency because it will come out very soupy like if you don’t green onions and cilantro was very good as a topping cheese makes it very good if you sprinkle it all over