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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.
Hi Ali. This looks so yummy and easy. What brand of salsa verde do you typically buy? I’ve had some pretty terrible ones and would hate to use something like them as a flavor base. Thanks!
I used the Archer Farms salsa verde that is sold at Target (per the suggestion from my sister-in-law). She was right, and it’s really good in this chili : ) Enjoy!!
oh man. this makes me so excited. i love white chili, but it’s one of those recipes that i think is complicated so i never make it. this seems doable! thanks. ;)
You can bet your pants that this recipe will grace my table over the course of the next few months. I love chili in the cooler months, and the fact that this is so quick to throw together will be very appealing as a quick weeknight meal. Thanks for sharing!
I looooove salsa verde and I have been craving white chicken chili so much lately!! This looks like it’s totally bursting with flavor. And I’m all over the “easy” factor too :) Great recipe Ali!!!
I made this for dinner last night and you weren’t kidding when you said EASY. Who knew so much flavor could come from 5 ingredients?? Great recipe!
Oh and PS: I’ve been binge watching Friday Night Lights since Saturday. A couple of co-workers have been talking it up to me for awhile, but your blog post pushed me over the edge. So. Good. I can’t get enough!!
I make this recipe with ground chicken! Also, I mash 1 can of beans to make the base creamy . We eat this about every 10 days! Easy, healthy and delicious!
Oh my! We LOVED this recipe… my husband can’t stop talking about it. We browned some onions, jalepeno and garlic in butter first. Then added ground chicken and cooked it up. Added the rest of the ingredients… oh, heaven! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’ll be a repeat in our household for years to come.
Yum! This is on my meal plan for the next week or so. Do you think it’d work just as well on low in the crock pot all day, starting with uncooked chicken?
New follower of your blog here … and so glad of it, because this was a FANTASTIC and super-easy recipe. Boyfriend liked it and co-worker was jealous of it :)
This sounds great! I am thinking about making this this weekend but do you think this would work in the crock pot? I have cooked chicken breast in the crock pot before and the chicken usually just shreds apart.
I made this a few nights ago and it was AMAZING, came together easily and fed a crowd. I used store bought salsa verde, mixed in other white beans. Two night before, I boiled a whole chicken to get the shredded chicken and broth. I used half the whole chicken and saved the rest for another soup. The salsa verde gave the soup the rich flavor I have found lacking in other recipes I have made. Thank you for this great recipe.
WONDERFUL! I boiled several chicken breasts (more than 4 cups)which shredded beautifully. I also used 3 cans of beans, mashing one. Taste was wonderful but not thick enough, therefore, we added a flour/water mixture as a thickener. Turned out FANTASTIC. We loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
This was delicious! So easy and so quick! Satisfying without being heavy especially with the avocado. Next time, i want to use a bit of crema mexicana.
My family loved this recipe! I left out the cumin to make it more kid friendly for my boys. (And myself, who am I kidding!) I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Thank you so much for this recipe, it was delicious and so easy to make!! I think it needs another can of beans though and I used plain white beans. They were only 99cents vs the Great Northern beans which were 2.99 a can. Still came out super good!
Chris —
My fam enjoys this. I only use 4 cups of broth, and I add 4 cans of white/pinto beans (whatever I have on hand). It always turns out great! We love to serve it with a dollop of sour cream stirred in, crumbled tortilla chips, and cheese melted atop! So comforting and delicious!
My husband said this was the BEST meal I have ever made!! Thankfully this was also by far one of the easiest dinners too! I bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded it, I also used three cans of white beans. Easy, easy! Thank you so much!!
Love the avocado in there!
ohhhhh, i LOVE this!
5 ingredients never looked so good!! This is awesome, Ali!
Super-delicious-looking soup, Ali! I’m definitely going to have to try this! :)
Salsa verde! Why have I never thought of that!? Thanks for the salsa recipe, too- this one is definitely headed straight for the repertoire!
I love a white chili! Make it veggie and its even better!
I love white chicken chili, salsa verde makes the dish!
This chili looks so delicious, Ali! Such a great weeknight dinner, and love the salsa verde addition!
Totally brilliant idea! I used salsa verde in the pasta dish I made earlier this week and it was the star! I love this!
I love how quick and easy this is, Ali. This would be perfect for a last minute football get-together.
God, I love salsa verde. It gives everything a tart kick in the pants! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ali. This looks so yummy and easy. What brand of salsa verde do you typically buy? I’ve had some pretty terrible ones and would hate to use something like them as a flavor base. Thanks!
I used the Archer Farms salsa verde that is sold at Target (per the suggestion from my sister-in-law). She was right, and it’s really good in this chili : ) Enjoy!!
the perfect recipe for these upcoming colder months. though to be honest I think I could eat eat this year round!
Everyone needs a shortcut version of their favorite recipe. This looks great. I just need my husband to look past the white beans.
5 ingredients. Okay seriously gurl. Want. Now.
oh man. this makes me so excited. i love white chili, but it’s one of those recipes that i think is complicated so i never make it. this seems doable! thanks. ;)
You can bet your pants that this recipe will grace my table over the course of the next few months. I love chili in the cooler months, and the fact that this is so quick to throw together will be very appealing as a quick weeknight meal. Thanks for sharing!
So easy and so tasty!
Thanks for the suggestions on additives to my old white chili recipe and we love avocados, any salsa, chips and green onions. mmmmmyummmm!!!
This looks delish! Love avocado in soup!
Thank you so much for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it :)
question: do you drain the beans before you add them?
Looks great. I too would like to know if you drain the beans first
Yes, under ingredients it says 2 cans of beans, drained.
I did drain the beans, and I only used four cups of chicken broth. Thought that the liquid consistency turned out well, this way : ) Enjoy!
I can’t believe how easy this is to make! It’s a bit cold out here in SF – definitely need to get cozy with a huge pot of this!
I looooove salsa verde and I have been craving white chicken chili so much lately!! This looks like it’s totally bursting with flavor. And I’m all over the “easy” factor too :) Great recipe Ali!!!
I made this for dinner last night and you weren’t kidding when you said EASY. Who knew so much flavor could come from 5 ingredients?? Great recipe!
Oh and PS: I’ve been binge watching Friday Night Lights since Saturday. A couple of co-workers have been talking it up to me for awhile, but your blog post pushed me over the edge. So. Good. I can’t get enough!!
Made this tonight! Amazing and so easy. Thanks!
I make this recipe with ground chicken! Also, I mash 1 can of beans to make the base creamy . We eat this about every 10 days! Easy, healthy and delicious!
My mouth is watering right now! Can’t wait to make this tomorrow night!
even quicker and easier… throw chicken breasts uncooked in the crock pot with all of the liquid and beans and cook on high for 4-5 hrs. yum!
Do you think you could make this in a crock pot using raw chicken? And just let it sit all day and cook, and then shred it when it’s done?
This soup is so flavorful and delicious! I love how easy and affordable this meal is. I used canned chicken to save on time and it was still amazing!
Oh my! We LOVED this recipe… my husband can’t stop talking about it. We browned some onions, jalepeno and garlic in butter first. Then added ground chicken and cooked it up. Added the rest of the ingredients… oh, heaven! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’ll be a repeat in our household for years to come.
Yum! This is on my meal plan for the next week or so. Do you think it’d work just as well on low in the crock pot all day, starting with uncooked chicken?
New follower of your blog here … and so glad of it, because this was a FANTASTIC and super-easy recipe. Boyfriend liked it and co-worker was jealous of it :)
This looks great can’t wait to try!
Made this tonight…so easy and so delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe!!!! I can see this being a family staple.
Just made this tonight! So good thanks for the recipe!
This sounds great! I am thinking about making this this weekend but do you think this would work in the crock pot? I have cooked chicken breast in the crock pot before and the chicken usually just shreds apart.
I made this a few nights ago and it was AMAZING, came together easily and fed a crowd. I used store bought salsa verde, mixed in other white beans. Two night before, I boiled a whole chicken to get the shredded chicken and broth. I used half the whole chicken and saved the rest for another soup. The salsa verde gave the soup the rich flavor I have found lacking in other recipes I have made. Thank you for this great recipe.
This looks delicious! Do you think it would work well in the crockpot?
This is my new go-to soup…it is so yummy! The whole family loves it!
WONDERFUL! I boiled several chicken breasts (more than 4 cups)which shredded beautifully. I also used 3 cans of beans, mashing one. Taste was wonderful but not thick enough, therefore, we added a flour/water mixture as a thickener. Turned out FANTASTIC. We loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
This was delicious! So easy and so quick! Satisfying without being heavy especially with the avocado. Next time, i want to use a bit of crema mexicana.
This is so on this week! I cannot wait to enjoy this, thank you for sharing!
I thought this recipe was too good to be true, but I’m making it right now and its just TOO GOOD!
My family loved this recipe! I left out the cumin to make it more kid friendly for my boys. (And myself, who am I kidding!) I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Thank you so much for this recipe, it was delicious and so easy to make!! I think it needs another can of beans though and I used plain white beans. They were only 99cents vs the Great Northern beans which were 2.99 a can. Still came out super good!
My fam enjoys this. I only use 4 cups of broth, and I add 4 cans of white/pinto beans (whatever I have on hand). It always turns out great! We love to serve it with a dollop of sour cream stirred in, crumbled tortilla chips, and cheese melted atop! So comforting and delicious!
My husband said this was the BEST meal I have ever made!! Thankfully this was also by far one of the easiest dinners too! I bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded it, I also used three cans of white beans. Easy, easy! Thank you so much!!
Love this recipe. I shredded a rotisserie chicken and added a can of fire roasted hot peppers and it was perfect.
Best white bean Chili ! The cilantro and avocado top it off with the perfect accent taste.