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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):
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…
Combine ingredients. Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large stockpot.
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.
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!
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
Combine ingredients. Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large stockpot.
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.
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.
We were staying in an Airbnb over the weekend and I wanted to make an easy recipe that didn’t require a bunch of ingredients since we weren’t in our own kitchen. So happy I found this recipe – it was delicious! I followed the recipe as is – using just 4 cups of chicken stock like the other reviews suggested. I also put in a small dash of chili seasoning and black pepper. I tossed in the skin from our rotisserie chicken and I don’t think I would do that again because it just got soggy. I topped the chili with shredded medium cheddar cheese, avocado, red onion, cilantro and served some Doritos (because what doesn’t go with Doritos?) on the side since I didn’t have tortilla chips. Will definitely make again!
I make this dish often! It’s great to have such a minimal list and create something delicious. Follow the recipe and add additional recommendations such as sour cream, cilantro, and avocado for garnish.. Boom!
I have been following you and using your recipes since the dawn of time 😃 I’m sure this will be another wonderful meal that will be added to our list of favorites! Thanks for all the great dishes!
Hi – could you sub green enchilada sauce for salsa verde or would that be too watery? Thanks!
Susan —
This is a great recipe! My daughter doubled it for her husband’s birthday party, and it was a big hit! I was just wondering if you can freeze the chili?
DELISH! Everyone loved it, even my super picky husband and my meat-averse toddler. I did it in the crock pot. Subbed 1 can for kidney beans because I had them. The color was nice. Also was short on cumin but it still had great flavor. High on 3-4 hours or low 5-6. so yummy and easy. Will definitely make this again!
I loved it, adjustments made. I used the carton of stock (about 4 cups) also. I used 2 cans of white cannellini beans and 1 of small white beans. I didn’t have the ingredients nor the salsa verde so went without. Was still fine. I added onion & onion powder since I was without the salsa verde. One thing I could use, a nutritional sidebar for calories, macro / micro nutruients, etc. I am going to try and just come up with my own count with an app, but it will take some time. Thanks again for sharing the recipe, super easy. I am on a weight loss / muscle up course (since March 2021) so I didn’t add the garnishments but next time I will likely add cheese and have the salsa verde on hand. Happy New Year.
This was VERY GOOD, which surprised me considering it has only five ingredients. But I usually adjust recipes based on my own preferences and others’ comments so this is what I did: sauteed a bit of red onion and garlic and added spices to my own taste, then decreased broth and added carrots. Definitely a keeper!! thank you
I love your recipes (enchiladas with homemade sauce is a family fav). For this recipe I start with a sautéed onion (sixth ingredient) which I add the cumin and some garlic salt to, then dump in everything else. I do substitute canned hatch chilis for the salsa verde. It’s so easy and delish both ways!
I recently retired & became a part time cook for my now work from home spouse. Since I didn’t have most of your ingredients, I sauteed 1/2 small chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic on olive oil then added 12.5 oz drained chunk chicken breast and tossed with pinch of salt and 2 pinches of black pepper for 5 min. I added a 15oz can of Bush’s low Na mild chili pinto beans and 24oz water with a tsp of chicken boullion base, 1 green onion, cilantro, 1 small celery stick, 2 tsp taco seasoning, cup of sharp cheddar, 2 doleful tbsp of sour cream, 2 tbsp whipped cream, 2 pieces of chopped wheat tortilla and half of jalapeño pepper. I brought it to a quick boil and simmered for 10 min. My wife who’s a very good cook loved it. Thank you very much!
One of my favorite go-to recipes. So simple, so delicious. I usually simmer raw chicken breast in the stock/salsa, then shred at the end. The meat picks up a really nice flavor and I cut out some of the salt from the processed rotisserie chicken.
This recipe was super easy and soooo delicious! Most recipes I’ve seen them use the canned green chilies, nothing wrong with that but this one had a real Mexican salsa verde recipe! This is literally the closest thing to my in-laws pozole verde that I LOVE. I added cooked bacon, raw white onion, avocado diced and fried corn Tortilla strips as toppings. I also roasted some red chili flakes with some oil which we use for pozole verde. Such a delicious recipe!
This was delicious, but should be 2-3 cups broth not 6. Otherwise it’s just too soupy. I would have given it 5 stars otherwise. I did add about 1tsp of dried oregano as it’s a personal preference. Quick and easy recipe that you don’t have to have a lot of ingredients on hand .
I just made this and yum!!! Next time I may reduce it to 4 cups of chicken broth but we just added extra toppings (cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream) to soak up the yummy broth.
My go-to white chicken chili and a staple in our house in the Winter! I had this at a friend’s house and asked for the recipe. So simple and delicious! Perfect for a busy night! I’ve substituted canned chicken for the rotisserie in a pinch as well.
Definitely more soup like than a chili. I make this often and it’s one of my husbands favorites. I crush in the tortilla chips and avocado. Excellent recipe!
This was a marvelous “base” recipe! I found that I didn’t have the salsa verde on hand, so I raided the pantry and added a can of Mexican Corn and Rotel Tomatoes. I’d already made the Shredded Chicken (via Instapot recipe), so I had almost a pound of chicken to add that was already made. The only other addition I made was a bit of ground chili pepper. I shredded a brick of Sharp Cheddar and have sour cream, a bit of avocado and corn chips to add to the finished product!!
I love this chili. I made this in a slow cooker today. I made the salsa verde using the linked recipe. I added a cup of frozen corn. High 4hrs. I pulled the fully cooked chicken at 3 hours and shredded it and added it back. Had 2 bowls with a quesadilla for dinner. 5 stars.
For so few ingredients, the flavor is so vibrant and yummy. I usually start off with a finely diced yellow onion, sauteed, and then proceed from there. And then everybody can garnish as they desire, but meanwhile you have a delicious dish that can be dairy free and/or gluten free, that’s super easy to throw together. Thanks for the great recipe, I’ve made it many times!
Simple and yummy, I made and Shredded my chicken, seasoned with Danno’s Spicy Seasoning. Added some southwestern canned corn and reduced the cumin 10 about a teaspoon and a half. Topped with cheese, avocado and tortilla turned out great.
This soup was so delicious and I was shocked at how easy it was! I used a rotisserie chicken and for toppings; avocado, cheese, sour cream, fresh jalapeños + cilantro and chips. It was a 10/10!
Everyone loved your white chicken chili
We were staying in an Airbnb over the weekend and I wanted to make an easy recipe that didn’t require a bunch of ingredients since we weren’t in our own kitchen. So happy I found this recipe – it was delicious! I followed the recipe as is – using just 4 cups of chicken stock like the other reviews suggested. I also put in a small dash of chili seasoning and black pepper. I tossed in the skin from our rotisserie chicken and I don’t think I would do that again because it just got soggy. I topped the chili with shredded medium cheddar cheese, avocado, red onion, cilantro and served some Doritos (because what doesn’t go with Doritos?) on the side since I didn’t have tortilla chips. Will definitely make again!
I made this following this exact recipe and now it’s one of are favorite dishes!!! Thank you for sharing….. The Miller family
I make this dish often! It’s great to have such a minimal list and create something delicious. Follow the recipe and add additional recommendations such as sour cream, cilantro, and avocado for garnish.. Boom!
Does anyone know how much each of the 4 servings yields?
So easy and so delicious! Thank you. (I did use half the cumin but that is my personal taste).
I have been following you and using your recipes since the dawn of time 😃 I’m sure this will be another wonderful meal that will be added to our list of favorites! Thanks for all the great dishes!
Hi – could you sub green enchilada sauce for salsa verde or would that be too watery? Thanks!
This is a great recipe! My daughter doubled it for her husband’s birthday party, and it was a big hit! I was just wondering if you can freeze the chili?
DELISH! Everyone loved it, even my super picky husband and my meat-averse toddler. I did it in the crock pot. Subbed 1 can for kidney beans because I had them. The color was nice. Also was short on cumin but it still had great flavor. High on 3-4 hours or low 5-6. so yummy and easy. Will definitely make this again!
I love this recipe! So delicious and so simple!
I loved it, adjustments made. I used the carton of stock (about 4 cups) also. I used 2 cans of white cannellini beans and 1 of small white beans. I didn’t have the ingredients nor the salsa verde so went without. Was still fine. I added onion & onion powder since I was without the salsa verde. One thing I could use, a nutritional sidebar for calories, macro / micro nutruients, etc. I am going to try and just come up with my own count with an app, but it will take some time. Thanks again for sharing the recipe, super easy. I am on a weight loss / muscle up course (since March 2021) so I didn’t add the garnishments but next time I will likely add cheese and have the salsa verde on hand. Happy New Year.
Really easy and very delicious. I put all ingredients in a crockpot in high for 2 1/2 hours and came back to a great dinner.
This was VERY GOOD, which surprised me considering it has only five ingredients. But I usually adjust recipes based on my own preferences and others’ comments so this is what I did: sauteed a bit of red onion and garlic and added spices to my own taste, then decreased broth and added carrots. Definitely a keeper!! thank you
Can you freeze this chili
I love your recipes (enchiladas with homemade sauce is a family fav). For this recipe I start with a sautéed onion (sixth ingredient) which I add the cumin and some garlic salt to, then dump in everything else. I do substitute canned hatch chilis for the salsa verde. It’s so easy and delish both ways!
I recently retired & became a part time cook for my now work from home spouse. Since I didn’t have most of your ingredients, I sauteed 1/2 small chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic on olive oil then added 12.5 oz drained chunk chicken breast and tossed with pinch of salt and 2 pinches of black pepper for 5 min. I added a 15oz can of Bush’s low Na mild chili pinto beans and 24oz water with a tsp of chicken boullion base, 1 green onion, cilantro, 1 small celery stick, 2 tsp taco seasoning, cup of sharp cheddar, 2 doleful tbsp of sour cream, 2 tbsp whipped cream, 2 pieces of chopped wheat tortilla and half of jalapeño pepper. I brought it to a quick boil and simmered for 10 min. My wife who’s a very good cook loved it. Thank you very much!
This is a great recipe!
Love this recipe and have made it many times. My family likes a little more kick so I add a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles to the mix.
This is one of my go-to recipes. So simple, so delicious.
One of my favorite go-to recipes. So simple, so delicious. I usually simmer raw chicken breast in the stock/salsa, then shred at the end. The meat picks up a really nice flavor and I cut out some of the salt from the processed rotisserie chicken.
This recipe was super easy and soooo delicious! Most recipes I’ve seen them use the canned green chilies, nothing wrong with that but this one had a real Mexican salsa verde recipe! This is literally the closest thing to my in-laws pozole verde that I LOVE. I added cooked bacon, raw white onion, avocado diced and fried corn Tortilla strips as toppings. I also roasted some red chili flakes with some oil which we use for pozole verde. Such a delicious recipe!
5ingredients. 5star easy. 5star results.
I have made this several times – it is absolutely delicious.
This was delicious, but should be 2-3 cups broth not 6. Otherwise it’s just too soupy. I would have given it 5 stars otherwise. I did add about 1tsp of dried oregano as it’s a personal preference. Quick and easy recipe that you don’t have to have a lot of ingredients on hand .
I just made this and yum!!! Next time I may reduce it to 4 cups of chicken broth but we just added extra toppings (cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream) to soak up the yummy broth.
This is a wonderful basic recipe as in. I wanted a creamier version so added 16 oz of sour cream and whisked it in. Very delicious.
My go-to white chicken chili and a staple in our house in the Winter! I had this at a friend’s house and asked for the recipe. So simple and delicious! Perfect for a busy night! I’ve substituted canned chicken for the rotisserie in a pinch as well.
I love this recipe. It’s so easy, so good!
Thank you!!
Hi! My family loves this recipe! Do you happen to know how big each serving is and how many calories per serving? Thank you!!
I make this so often, it’s amazing! Quick and comforting. Goes together in minutes fantastic flavors.
So if I don’t have cumin, could I just opt for chili seasoning? It’s cold and storming and not trying to get out for cumin 😭
Definitely more soup like than a chili. I make this often and it’s one of my husbands favorites. I crush in the tortilla chips and avocado. Excellent recipe!
A family favorite. I often add frozen peppers and onions from Trader Joe’s.
How long would you cook it in the Instant Pot? I usually use the crockpot but sometimes I’d like to use the Instant Pot.
This was a marvelous “base” recipe! I found that I didn’t have the salsa verde on hand, so I raided the pantry and added a can of Mexican Corn and Rotel Tomatoes. I’d already made the Shredded Chicken (via Instapot recipe), so I had almost a pound of chicken to add that was already made. The only other addition I made was a bit of ground chili pepper. I shredded a brick of Sharp Cheddar and have sour cream, a bit of avocado and corn chips to add to the finished product!!
This was sooo delicious!!! Definitely loving to be a staple go to for us! I used hatch chilis and they were perfect.
How long will this soup last? Even though I have a feeling it will gone between the two of within just a couple of days.
I love this recipe…quick, easy and delicious! I do add a half block of cream cheese to the pot after it simmers to make it thicker and creamy.
I love this chili. I made this in a slow cooker today. I made the salsa verde using the linked recipe. I added a cup of frozen corn. High 4hrs. I pulled the fully cooked chicken at 3 hours and shredded it and added it back. Had 2 bowls with a quesadilla for dinner. 5 stars.
For so few ingredients, the flavor is so vibrant and yummy. I usually start off with a finely diced yellow onion, sauteed, and then proceed from there. And then everybody can garnish as they desire, but meanwhile you have a delicious dish that can be dairy free and/or gluten free, that’s super easy to throw together. Thanks for the great recipe, I’ve made it many times!
Absolutely delicious and so very easy!
Simple and yummy, I made and Shredded my chicken, seasoned with Danno’s Spicy Seasoning. Added some southwestern canned corn and reduced the cumin 10 about a teaspoon and a half. Topped with cheese, avocado and tortilla turned out great.
This soup was so delicious and I was shocked at how easy it was! I used a rotisserie chicken and for toppings; avocado, cheese, sour cream, fresh jalapeños + cilantro and chips. It was a 10/10!
I haven’t made the recipe yet, it sounds delicious. Do you have the macro on it?
This soup has been a go-to meal for my family and I for years. So easy, filling, and healthy!
This is a great recipe. It always comes out great and is so easy to make. It is a perfect weekday meal if you have to work.