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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 sprinkle on your favorite toppings and enjoy! I’ve probably made this recipe at least a hundred times over the years, and can vouch that it is always a crowd fave. And it also freezes and reheats well if you would like to freeze 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 optional toppings):
Chicken: Any kind of diced or shredded chicken! I typically shred a rotisserie, or I often use leftover chicken that I keep in the freezer from my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or Baked Chicken Breasts recipe.
Beans: Two cans of your choice of beans. (I typically use white beans, but pinto, garbanzo or black beans would be delicious too.)
Chicken stock: Or veggie stock, whichever you prefer.
Cumin: Plus a few teaspoons of ground cumin, to round out the flavors.
Toppings: I also usually top my white chicken chili with some diced avocado and chopped fresh cilantro. But a crumble of tortilla chips, diced red or green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, and/or extra 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.
Serve. Serve immediately, 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 hashbrown 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!
Scale
Ingredients
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
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. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer.
Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with 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.
I keep this page in my bookmarks and it came in handy today! Store was out of white beans but managed pinto. The simplicity of the recipe makes it possible with bare shelves due to our global pandemic 😔 skinned 3 of 4 turkey wing portions and slow cooker on low for a while. Looking forward to it later! Thx
My family of five loved this recipe! The only change I made was to thicken it with cornstarch. I topped it with avocado, cilantro, sharp white cheddar, and crumbled blue tortilla chips. Delicious! So easy – thank you!
I’ve been making my family this recipe for years and it is one of their favorites. I always make it in the slow cooker and use Peruano beans. Tonight I’ll be using it to make Cafe Rio style burritos for my daughter’s quarantine birthday. I’ll scoop the beans into a separate pot while shredding the chicken. I’m making cilantro lime rice, fresh flour tortillas, and salsa verde, too. And I bought aluminum cake pans to put under the broiler and make them “enchilada style”
Thank you for this easy fantastic recipe, it has brought my family so much joy!
I made this tonight using what I had left over in my fridge. Instead of chicken I had turkey. I also added leftover saffron rice to it and since I didn’t have any salsa verde I left that out. Overall a very yummy meal. I did the 6 cups of stock because of adding the rice.
I’ll be honest: I was doubting this recipe just a little bit, but I read so many positive reviews, so I went for it. As always, you nailed it. It was super quick, easy, and flavorful. We served it with your honey beer bread which is another favorite of ours. My husband even said this recipe was better than my usual crockpot chicken chili that takes much longer. Guess we have a new soup in the rotation!
Flavor was good but I think I would reduce the amount of stock as this was more of a soup than a chili. I even tried mashing some bean to try to thicken it up a bit.
Very good but I made some tweaks. Lots of freshly squeezed lime juice. 4 cups chicken broth and 2 cups veggie stock. Chopped baby potatoes. Let it simmer for about an hour.
Making this soup for the first time. We are not a spicy family ;-). Any substitute suggestions for the salsa verde? Thanks!
Jeff Miller —
Sometimes recipes claim to be easier than they really are. This is not the case here. The flavor quotient to the amount of effort to make this recipe is off the charts. It’s a great way to repurpose leftover chicken breasts. If you are running tight on time, this is a hearty, satisfying meal that can be prepared in the same amount of time it takes to chop the ingredients. I got lucky and found a very good salsa verde which helped huge on the flavor. Leftover, it was even better!
★★★★★
Jeff Miller —
I used the mild salsa verde. Little to no spice level..
This was delicious! My picky 12-year-old daughter said she would like me to give her the recipe so she can share with her kids when she’s older. LOL – Super quick and easy. Definitely going into the rotation. Thank you!!
Solid recipe. I agree with others that it only needed 4 cups of stock. I am thinking I will add a 4 oz. can of diced chiles next time for a little more heat.
Honestly didn’t think this would turn out great but was feeling too lazy to make my regular long recipe(olgas white chicken chili recipe) I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW EASY, CHEAP AND GOOOOOOOOD THIS WAS!!!! I won’t bother with any others from now on! Thanks so much for sharing this!! Its all about making life easier when you’re pregnant, over 40 and have 5 hungry kids and a hangry hubby already lol. You’re a lifesaver!
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Nice recipe best for cold season,I’m been craving for that.
★★★★
Made this even easier on my grocery shopping day by using a rotisserie Chicken!! So easy and delicious!
If I’m putting it in the crockpot with raw chicken breasts, how long and what setting do I cook it on?
I do it in the crock-pot on low for 5-6 hours. Tastes great!
I keep this page in my bookmarks and it came in handy today! Store was out of white beans but managed pinto. The simplicity of the recipe makes it possible with bare shelves due to our global pandemic 😔 skinned 3 of 4 turkey wing portions and slow cooker on low for a while. Looking forward to it later! Thx
★★★★★
I agree with the other commenters – 4 cups of stock is plenty!
★★★★★
Most delicious soup ever. And so easy. Thank you
★★★★★
loved it, so yummy!
Neeti
★★★★★
My family of five loved this recipe! The only change I made was to thicken it with cornstarch. I topped it with avocado, cilantro, sharp white cheddar, and crumbled blue tortilla chips. Delicious! So easy – thank you!
★★★★★
1 of top 5 soups
★★★★★
I’ve been making my family this recipe for years and it is one of their favorites. I always make it in the slow cooker and use Peruano beans. Tonight I’ll be using it to make Cafe Rio style burritos for my daughter’s quarantine birthday. I’ll scoop the beans into a separate pot while shredding the chicken. I’m making cilantro lime rice, fresh flour tortillas, and salsa verde, too. And I bought aluminum cake pans to put under the broiler and make them “enchilada style”
Thank you for this easy fantastic recipe, it has brought my family so much joy!
★★★★★
I made this tonight using what I had left over in my fridge. Instead of chicken I had turkey. I also added leftover saffron rice to it and since I didn’t have any salsa verde I left that out. Overall a very yummy meal. I did the 6 cups of stock because of adding the rice.
★★★★★
I’ll be honest: I was doubting this recipe just a little bit, but I read so many positive reviews, so I went for it. As always, you nailed it. It was super quick, easy, and flavorful. We served it with your honey beer bread which is another favorite of ours. My husband even said this recipe was better than my usual crockpot chicken chili that takes much longer. Guess we have a new soup in the rotation!
Flavor was good but I think I would reduce the amount of stock as this was more of a soup than a chili. I even tried mashing some bean to try to thicken it up a bit.
★★★
Love this recipe. It’s so easy to toss it together with leftovers from the previous night’s chicken dinner.
★★★★★
I added a few more ingredients but this was a good base.
★★★★★
Very good but I made some tweaks. Lots of freshly squeezed lime juice. 4 cups chicken broth and 2 cups veggie stock. Chopped baby potatoes. Let it simmer for about an hour.
★★★★★
Absolutely delicious!!! 😋😋😋😋😋
★★★★★
This was sooooo good! Yum!!! I did make a few changes… To start I sautéed finely sliced leek, celery & cubanelle pepper. I served with rice.
★★★★★
Making this soup for the first time. We are not a spicy family ;-). Any substitute suggestions for the salsa verde? Thanks!
Sometimes recipes claim to be easier than they really are. This is not the case here. The flavor quotient to the amount of effort to make this recipe is off the charts. It’s a great way to repurpose leftover chicken breasts. If you are running tight on time, this is a hearty, satisfying meal that can be prepared in the same amount of time it takes to chop the ingredients. I got lucky and found a very good salsa verde which helped huge on the flavor. Leftover, it was even better!
★★★★★
I used the mild salsa verde. Little to no spice level..
This was delicious! My picky 12-year-old daughter said she would like me to give her the recipe so she can share with her kids when she’s older. LOL – Super quick and easy. Definitely going into the rotation. Thank you!!
★★★★★
This is chicken tortilla soup. Not white chicken Chile. Very good though.
Solid recipe. I agree with others that it only needed 4 cups of stock. I am thinking I will add a 4 oz. can of diced chiles next time for a little more heat.
★★★★★
Honestly didn’t think this would turn out great but was feeling too lazy to make my regular long recipe(olgas white chicken chili recipe) I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW EASY, CHEAP AND GOOOOOOOOD THIS WAS!!!! I won’t bother with any others from now on! Thanks so much for sharing this!! Its all about making life easier when you’re pregnant, over 40 and have 5 hungry kids and a hangry hubby already lol. You’re a lifesaver!
★★★★★
Very good chili even the kids liked it I cut back on chicken broth to 4 cups put cheese and tortilla strips on top a Squirt lime in it
★★★★★