Creamy White Chicken Chili {Stovetop or Slow Cooker}
Easy and so delicious, this best-ever white chicken chili has been a family favorite for years (with no signs of stopping!). With directions for stovetop or slow cooker, it’s versatile, simple, and tasty!
Let’s talk about chili.
Creamy white chicken chili to be exact.
I like classic red chili. Here are a few of my favorite red chilis:
My Mom’s Classic Red Chili
Slow Cooker Red Chili
Hearty Turkey and Bean Chili
Sweet Heat Louisiana Chili
But if I’m being honest, I LOVE (double heart, love, love, love) white chili.
And I hate to throw out exclamations like this: but this creamy white chicken chili is the best of the best of the best.
I mean, just read through the comments and you’ll see why so many people rave about this white chicken chili.
Not only is it a cinch to throw together, but the flavor is amazing.
Over the years, I’ve kept the basic recipe the same, but you can see below that I’ve added some notes to make this recipe even more delicious.
It also works beautifully in the slow cooker.
And since I know people will ask (can’t blame you), I actually have tried this in the Instant Pot as well.
But it definitely falls into the category of: it’s just as fast to make it on the stovetop. By the time the IP comes up to pressure, cooks the chicken, and the pressure releases, this white chicken chili can be ready to go via a saucepan on the stove.
However, I’m not one to talk you out of using that Instant Pot every single day of your life. So, feel free to give it a go.
I didn’t include directions for the IP below because I don’t make it that way, but you can try tossing everything but the dairy ingredients in the IP (use whole chicken breasts) and cook for 8 minutes on high pressure (probably 3 minutes for cubed chicken, but the other ingredients, like the onion, may not soften fully).
Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, quick release the rest of the way, stir in the sour cream and cream/milk, select Saute and heat through.
See How To Make It Here:
And also, if you are interested, here are a few of my other beloved white chili recipes:
White Bean Chicken Chili (with a little extra flair that makes it different than today’s recipe)
Roasted Garlic and White Bean Chili
Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili (not creamy, more brothy)
Slow Cooker Jalapeño Popper White Bean Chili
What To Serve With This:
Chili toppings, like shredded cheese, tortilla chips, etc.
My Favorite Cornbread
FAQs for Creamy White Chicken Chili
No, cooking time stays the same.
Yes!
Yes I freeze it all once it is made- the texture can be a little grainy, but we don’t mind.
Creamy White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (leave whole for slow cooker method)
- 1 medium chopped onion, (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
- 2 cans (15.5-ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5) ounce can chicken broth, (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 2 cans (4-ounces each) chopped green chiles (see note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup whipping cream (see note)
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
- Shredded cheese, tortilla chips, other toppings (optional)
Instructions
- Stovetop Directions: In a 4- or 5-quart pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, onion, and garlic powder (or fresh garlic, if using). Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, until the onion starts to soften (it’s ok if the chicken isn’t cooked all the way; it will cook more in the next step).
- Add the beans, broth, chiles, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper and cayenne.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat; stir in the sour cream and cream.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately with other toppings of choice, if desired.
- Slow Cooker Directions: In a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker, place 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts whole (without cutting into pieces).
- Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, green chiles and all of the spices. Do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet!
- Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices. Cook on low for 5-7 hours.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces (or use a couple forks and shred right in the slow cooker). Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the chili cook warm through on low temperature. Serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe originally posted September 2008; updated with new pictures, recipe notes, commentary.
The video in this post was made in partnership with Inspo
398 Comments on “Creamy White Chicken Chili {Stovetop or Slow Cooker}”
Love this recipe. Instead of the cans of chili’s, (which I didn’t have in the pantry), I used 1 Cup of Hatch Chili Green salsa. Was so good!!! Thanks, Mel.
Made this recipe and we love it.
Have not made any changes as only made one time.
We are considering making this and it sounds really yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this recipe just exactly as shown. I have been making it since probably 2011/2012. It is a family favorite!
Sometimes to punch up the heat a notch we do a can of Jalapeños in place of one of the green chili cans.
It’s freezes very well, so I usually make a full recipe and save 4 of the 6 servings for later!
My family’s favorite!
This recipe is even better with Hatch green chilies! I believe you can buy bottle of it at Costco.
So easy and delicious!
We won our work annual chili cook off with this recipe out 20 contestants from all over the country. Absolutely a repeat!
This is the best! I have made it 2X but I divided the recipe in half since it is only for me. I was sick this weekend this soup is the only thing that tasted good to me!
This is my absolute favorite chili! I made it for my neighborhood chili cook-off this year and took first place! It’s also a great one to take to people when you need an easy meal.
We love this recipe and have made it several times!
My grandkids ask for this recipe when I tend them – kid approved!
Perfect spice and cream ratio! So flavorful! Thanks for sharing, Mel!
Sounds delicious!! I prefer chicken thighs, How would you adjust the cooking times?
You shouldn’t need to change much – maybe add time to cooking but there’s a good chance you won’t need to.
It’s amazing how quick, easy and – most importantly – DELICIOUS this recipe is. We loved it and will definitely add it to our dinner rotation!
Literally won our ward chili cook off with this recipe So delicious
This recipe is so good that after I got it from my friend I made it no less than 4 times in the next month! Thank you for a staple soup recipe!
How big is each serving? I see it makes 6 servings but is that 1 cup pervings?
About 1 1/2 cup servings, but that’s just an estimate.
I used the thin sliced chicken breasts from Costco and threw them in the slow cooker still frozen. I cooked it on high for about an hour and then turned it to low for the rest of the time, probably a total of 5 or 6 hours. Served with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocado, tortilla chips, and corn bread. It was so tasty!
We have made this recipe countless times and it is definitely a family favorite. Do you think you could put all the ingredients in a ziploc in the freezer prior, then pull it out and put them in a slow cooker? So basically make it a freezer meal?
I would think if you did it with pre-cooked chicken, then it would totally work that way. Have you tried it?
Sooooo yummy!!! I never really vibes with any white chicken chili until this one. My sister-in-law let me have a taste when she was feeding it to her toddlers, who were weirdly scooping the stuff into their mouths like it was going out of style. I knew it was a winner from the first cheesy, creamy, slightly spicy bite. I’ve now made it 3-4 times at least, and have made it with some pretty mad substitutions. I like it better with navy beans than great northern, but other than that prefer to stick to the recipe when possible. You know I’m not running to the store at 5:30 pm! Oh, yeah… this recipe can literally come together in 10 minutes if you use canned chicken and let the onions cook while you’re gathering the other ingredients. One MORE thing! Please, please buy dehydrated ingredients like dried green chili flakes. We love the flavor, they last forever, and you’ll never be left needing to run to the store for it, and Amazon delivers to your door.
Lots of love to Mel for this recipe ALONE!!!
I’ve made this chili a LOT over the past 5 years and my favorite combination is Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) plus heavy whipping cream. Also with a rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken, just added at the end. Always a favorite with my family.
Hi Mel! I’m kind of a longtime lurker. I’ve tried a TON of your recipes, but never reviewed until NOW! This recipe was so so good it even had my 1.5 year old saying, “mmm dats good!” Whenever I try a new recipe of yours my husband asks if it’s a recipe by “my girl” aka you, lol. Thanks so much for all the great tips and recipes! You are for real a kitchen wizard!
Haha, thanks for taking the time to comment, Meghan!
I doubled the recipe and added a whole block of cream cheese. I used the slow cooker directions. It was fabulous and so creamy and hearty! It was a guilty pleasure for my bunco group! Thank you!
Does anyone know if this would freeze well? I have tried it before and we love it! We use canned chicken for ease, and add an extra can of beans to make it more filling.
This is my family’s new favorite meal. Everyone gobbles it up. The first time I made it I quickly realized I needed to double it because everyone was disappointed there weren’t leftovers. I’ve got some picky eaters, and they all love this!
Started making this before I realized I didn’t have canned green chiles. What I did have was a large jalapeño, so I chopped half of it up super fine and subbed it in. Let me just say, wow, I will absolutely make it that way from now on. I LOVED the flavor it brought and it was so perfect for this recipe. Highly recommend trying some minced jalapeño instead of the green chiles!
Delicious! Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!! Followed recipe exactly, will definitely be making this again. Thanks for a great recipe!
pamelaann1969@gmail.com
I have been using so many of your recipes during this crazy quarantine! I don’t even go to Pinterest anymore – just your website! This chili is truly delicious! I had to use substations this week and was worried because we love the recipe as is, but I didn’t want to go back to the store for 2 ingredients. I used 1 can of white beans and one can of black and instead of sour cream added in 4-5 ounces of cream cheese. DELICIOUS! My husband called it Tuxedo Chili because of the black and white. Thanks for all your amazing recipes! We’ve had so much good food during this crazy time!!
You’re amazing, Jennifer! Way to wing it and make it delicious with those substitutions!
Have you ever done this recipe as a freezer meal? Maybe put everything in a bag like the crockpot recipe lists? I love freezer meals and we loved the recipe!!
I haven’t, but I bet you could!
I have! I just did last month. I kept the creams separate from the rest. It worked really well! SO delicious! I thawed it a day in advance and cooked on low for 7-8 hours. It was partially frozen when I put it in. Then I added in the sour cream and we used milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
To clarify- I used a slow cooker. And I put it in the crock pot partially frozen and cooked it 7-8 hours on low. Then once it was done I added in the dairy.
This is one of my favorite recipes!! I want to try and make it in my instapot. Has anyone tried it?
Thanks!
Thank you! I just asked this question above.
Can you pleaseeeeeeee also have an instapot version? Been making this for years but just got an IP and I want to make it using that!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
It’s so fast on the stovetop, I’ve never made it in the Instant Pot!
I make it in the instant pot all the time! (Whether my chicken is frozen or preshredded rotisserie) I do manual for 15mins, natural release for 10-15mins, pull chicken out to shred if needs be and then add the dairy to heat through. Works so well! I serve it with buttered toasted English muffins and we love it!
My husband finished his bowl of chili and then shouted, “TERRIBLE!” which is what he likes to say after a particularly good meal that I cook. Hah! He then went to the kitchen to get seconds. We loved this recipe!
The only things we did differently were that we added in some corn, and instead of immediately adding all of the beans to the chili, I blended some with a little broth. I added the blended beans with just a little sour cream (no whipping cream) and it turned just the right thickness!
I added 4 ounces of cream cheese, the juice of 1 lime and a can of corn creamed style. It was Aaaaa- mazing!!
You just won us a chili off, Mel! Thanks!
Woohoo!! Yay!
This soup is so yummy. Made along with 2 other soups for a dinner party. This was the clear favorite by a long shot. It tastes as if it can’t possibly be so easy to put together. I did in crockpot. Dumped frozen chicken and other things in, se al hours later shredded the chicken and add the creamy part. So convenient and easy. Highly recommend this. I did it with a larger amount of sour cream and about 1/2 c milk instead of the whipping cream.
Has anyone figured up what the Weight Watcher points is for this? My daughter made it and yumm mmy
Have you every tried to double the recipe in the crockpot?
Sorry meant to ask if I did double would I need to cook longer?
No, the cooking time should be the same.
Delicious! I omitted the heavy cream and planned to use extra sour cream or milk and flour but 1 cup of sour cream was plenty creamy for me. I love heat but my kids don’t like things too spicy so I only used 1 can of green chiles and about 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper but it was still delicious! I used some left over shredded chicken and et it simmer for about 15 minutes. The flavor was amazing, tasted like it had been simmering for hours! My husband loved it too. I will definitely be adding to our rotation.
I’ve had this recipe printed out for a while so I finally made it in the slow cooker on Sunday. It was amazing! I have leftovers for lunches this week too! **Kitchen winning bonus: I also made a double batch of your Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins…fall was in the air yesterday and everyone was very happy. 🙂
Just curious as to why you don’t use the whipping cream anymore? Health? Taste? Texture?
I still use it sometimes but usually I sub it out in order to save a few calories.
This was a huge hit at our house! I made it with the green salsa and with leftover turkey and it was delicious!
Loved the white chicken chili!
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious. I had to make a substitution for the sour cream but still wonderful. Also made the cornbread and it is also DELICIOUS! I think my husband could have eaten the whole pan.
What did you Sub for the sour cream? My 2-year-old is lactose intolerant. Thanks!!
My daughter makes this with coconut milk. It’s delicious!
Hi Mel, could I use canned white beans instead of great northern?
Yep!
This is pretty much my #1 favorite food. I love making it in the IP and think it has the most flavor that way. I have found that the beans split in the IP so I don’t add them until the end, with the milk and sour cream. I also love to add a can of corn (or frozen.) SO GOOD!
Any ideas of what to sub for one of the cans of beans? My family doesn’t like beans so I don’t want to overwhelm them
You could try adding extra chicken or corn.
This was so good!! My 11 year old son asked me to make it for dinner and it did not disappoint!! I loved the video, too!! Wondering- can I freeze leftovers? Thanks for all your amazing recipes!!!! My husbands favorite recipe is your baked sweet & sour chicken- it’s a favorite at the fire station!!
Yes, the leftovers freeze decently well! Thanks, Lisa! 🙂
I made this for supper last night and it was so good! I was a little unsure since I’ve made chicken chili in the past that neither my husband or I liked so I only made a half batch. But this one, my husband was scraping out the pan with his spoon! Wish I had made the full recipe for leftovers! I served it with your cornbread muffins and it was perfect. Thanks again!
Do you have to use regular sour cream or will light work? Just curious if the light will stay chunky (curdle when heated)? Maybe I’m thinking of cream cheese…
I’ve used light sour cream before and it works fine – brand may matter (I usually use the Daisy brand of light sour cream), but I think you’re fine to use light.
I never comment on the recipes that I make, but this one was awesome. Everyone in my family, and I have two teenage boys, and their friends could not get enough of this. I topped it with green onions, south western flavored tortilla strips and grated cheese…. this will definitely become a weekly rotation…. thank you!
Thank you so much, Christine! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know!
Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but my husband and I are on the key diet and this recipe fits the bill except the beans. Do you think it would still be good sans beans?
Sorry Keto not key!
If you leave them out, I’d probably double the chicken!
So we hate sour cream… I know it’s crazy….so can I sub something for that? Thanks!
You could try plain yogurt or try leaving it out and maybe upping the cream?
Oh my word. I loved watching your video! So good! Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks, Melissa!
Um, you are the CUTEST in that video. I need more of those! I’d love cooking along with you for more of our family favorite recipes like this one.
Haha, you are so sweet, Mickie. I have a few more of these coming in the next few weeks (some super fun ones with my kids, too).
This was FANTASTIC! My husband is working on his second bowl of it right now. I did sour cream and milk – didn’t have chili’s but this was amazing even without them. I will be adding this to my weekday rotation! Thank you!
I’m makimg this right now! Would a can of corn be good with it? What about replacing the whipping cream for cream cheese? I love soup in the fall and cant wait to try it!
You could definitely experiment with both of those variations. 🙂
One of our regulars now. So yummy!
Our family favorite. Outstanding recipe and so easy to make.
So, SO tasty. We just hit our first legit cold snap in Texas and I can’t wait to eat this tonight! It’s one of our favorites! (Incidentally, I also saw your Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Streusel Cake that you posted as I hopped on here to get the chili recipe, and I had a happy-fall-freak-out. Can’t wait to try that one, too! Hooray for October!)
I had a question on this: how much of the simmering in step 3 is necessary if you are adding cooked chicken at the end? Is the simmering still important for the flavors to blend, or can you bring it to a boil, remove from heat, and add the dairy and cooked chicken?
Thanks for blessing our table yet again, Mel!
Hey Annie, you can definitely cut some of the simmering out – the more it simmers, the more concentrated the flavor (and it will thicken just a little), but it isn’t absolutely necessary if you are adding cooked chicken at the end.
Make this. Right now. Delicious!
I have a 3 year old and 1 year old and they ate. it. up.
I did dial down the cayenne to only 1/8tsp and used only 1 can of green chiles and it was the perfect level of spiciness for our tastebuds.
Also, I HIGHLY recommend using the 1/2 cup of milk and 1 Tbsp of flour in lieu of the whipping cream.
Mel…you are a wonder. Thank you for keeping my family fed. And happy.
Excellent and easy to make. My family loved it.
This was very delicious and I’ll definitely make it again. Next time I’ll omit all of the salt, however; it was way too salty for us.
I tried the slow cooker way and it made my busy day (but needed to feed company dinner all the same) so much nicer. Company loved it. I loved it. My almost 2 year old loved it. My 5 and 8 year old are kind of scared of beans and chicken so I can’t say the same for them. But I’ll happily take the leftovers. 🙂 And they were happy trying the chili then enjoying your cornmeal crescent rolls. Those rolls are our fave. Thanks again for another yummy quick feed guests dinner option! 🙂
This is so good – freezes great minus dairy (I don’t even bother adding the dairy).
Just found your blog…wow! what yumminess….I am going to try your zucchini soup base for this…will let you know how it goes…maybe a dallop of sour cream on top for good measure…
This looks really yummy. I hadn’t heard of a white chilli before. I want to give this a try.
This is the second of your recipes that I’ve made, and both were terrific! (The first was refried beans.)
I really appreciate the fact that you obviously test your recipes thoroughly AND do such a careful job of making the directions and ingredient lists very clear. Those facts really put you head and shoulders above the pack, for sure! (Not to mention the minor detail that your recipes are REALLY GOOD!)
I’m looking forward to making more of your recipes (as well as making this and the refried beans again, of course… going to double the recipe on the chili next time, for sure!).
Thank you!
Thank so much for the comment, Michelle!
A family favorite of ours. And great to assemble ahead of time and put in the freezer (minus the dairy, of course).
Also, I made white chicken chili using stovetop instructions. Plan on doubling recipe next time because I want more leftovers of it :-).
I made this soup for supper last night and it was delicious! My family and I loved it! Comes together pretty quickly and very flavorful. I only used one can of green chilis, and 1/2 cup or so of sour cream (no whipping cream) and it was yummy. For toppings, we had cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and sliced green onions. Will be making again soon.
Also made your quick spaghetti sauce and cashew chicken wraps this week. Both fantastic! First time making the cashew chicken and I see why it made top 25 favorite recipes. WOW-good stuff.
I’m going in for shoulder surgery in a few weeks and trying to prep some freezer meals for my family. Do you think I could put the ingredients (minus the broth, sour cream, and whipping cream) in a freezer bag and dump into a crock pot when it’s time to make it? Do you know if canned beans freeze well? Thanks in advance!
I definitely think it’s worth a try (and good luck with your surgery!). The canned beans will probably be a little softer after freezing/thawing, but it should be ok.
I made this for supper tonight 1/20/2018 loved it! I made a couple changes such as using beer instead of chicken broth and diced pork. So for being a single man I’m Impressed it was so easy to make! THANK YOU!!! I will make it again
This was delicious!!! Thank you so much Mel!!! I only added one can of chilies because kids won’t eat it if it’s spicy, and I did 3/4 cup of sour cream. I also subbed a pinch of red pepper flakes instead of cayenne bc I ran out of it. I’m doubling the recipe next time I make it.
I admit, I made this recipe in the Instant Pot because I was feeling lazy and didn’t feel like cutting up the chicken. In my defense, I had just come in from shoveling the driveway in sub-zero temps. 🙂
I sauteed the onion and garlic for a few minutes and then added the spices. After that I added all the other ingredients and cooked on high pressure for 9 minutes. I shredded the chicken right in the pot and added about 1.5 cups of sour cream.
This was delicious and perfect for those days when you don’t feel like cooking!
I made this last month and everyone in the family loved it. It’s on the menu plan again this week. The one change I made was to add half a head of very finely chopped cauliflower. It added some bulk (with four kids and another on the way plus a farming husband the more food the better) and nutrients and not a person in the family noticed.
Wonderful idea to add cauliflower!!! I was going to try it with the zucchini creamy base and reduce the sour cream…
Love this. And so easy. So easy, in fact, I re-read the recipe twice to make sure I wasn’t missing a step. Only added one can of green chiles to not tempt the fates of turning my picky eater against me and was heavy with the beans. Next time I might add some corn to it. Everyone loved it and my picky eater asked for left overs for lunch the next day. Great soup to combat these freezing east coast temps this weekend.
Love it, Every time I make it everyone wants the recipe.
Hi Mel!! Making this as we speak 🙂 How would subbing out the whipping cream for evaporated milk work?
Love it! Have been asked for the recipe several times.
This recipe is the best. I made this for our neighborhood chili cook off. Although we never voted, my crockpot was the only empty one at the end of the night!
Even my picky eater loved this!
I’ve made this a while back and my family looked at me crazy when I said White Chicken Chili.. needless to say my fiancé took it to work for leftovers lunch, the guys at work (we live in South Ms) were all like WHAT never heard of such a thing, we’ve only heard of the old chili the red kind.. Lol.. they try it and then looked at my fiancé and said when’s she going to send us a crockpot full of white Chicken Chili??
The only thing I’d recommend is yield on amount of sour cream.. but in all it’s amazing and wonderful for those who can’t quit eat the other kind of Chili the red kind..
Made this for dinner tonight. Super easy, fast and oh so yummy! I omitted the sour cream but it was still so good…Thanks!!
My family and I add cooked Orzo pasta in with this chili and it is delicious! I pass this recipe along to everyone!
How much orzo do you add to the soup? Do you make 1 cup dry and add what that yields to the soup?
I have dried beans, I wonder if this would work with those instead of canned?
You’d probably want to precook the beans so they are tender when adding to the soup – otherwise, they’ll take a LONG time to soften in this recipe.
I won a chili cook-off with it! Great!
We love this recipe and have made it several times for friends and family! What a hit. Quick question — about how much chili does one recipe make? I’m thinking its approximately one gallon. Thoughts?
I think it’s probably less than that – about 10 cups, give or take.
This was so so good! I did it just as the recipe suggested and we all loved it, even my picky 10 yr old!
Hi Mel,
I’m making this tonight but only have greek yogurt, no sour cream! Is this ok to substitute with?
Thanks, Maggie
I think that would work!
Hi, how many does this serve? I have a chili cookoff next weekend AND a party–thought I’d make a big batch for both events. Not sure if I’ll have to triple or more the recipe.
It serves about 6. The yield is always right above the recipe titles :).
I feel like such a dummy. How have I always missed that? you learn something new everyday I guess.
Made it for dinner tonight and my husband and I loved it! It was a little too spicy for my toddler, though. I used green salsa instead of green chiles. It was a mild salsa. Do you think it was the salsa or the cayenne pepper?
In my blender I blend 1 of the cans of either great northern or cannelli beans with 1/2 cup of chicken broth and add it to pot. It thickens the chili and it’s so tasty. I ve used ground turkey and “brown” it with onoins, garlic and the other spices and its soo good. I always add the sour cream but no milk. Everything else stays the same. Its a family favorite!
I made a double batch of this yesterday on the stove. I used cooked shredded chicken breast (which I had made following your recipe) and added more chicken broth and just a small amount of milk mixed with flour (instead of sour cream/whipped cream). Everyone loved this! I served it with your corn muffins. Thanks!
I make this at least once a month and have been for years. It is pretty much my favorite meal ever. I switch it up based on what happens to be in my fridge or pantry and it’s super delicious every time.
I have been making this recipe for years and kind of forgot about it until I saw it on Pinterest today! Back on the meal plan for this week. There was a point early in my marriage (when I was learning how to cook) I would make this and the chicken veggie dumpling soup close to every week! Thanks for always amazing recipes Mel.
One of my favorites from Mel! I’ve been making this for years now, and it’s always a crowd pleaser. This is a family favorite and well as a hit whenever I take in a meal or feed a crowd. My favorite way to make it is with rotisserie chicken! So easy!
I have been making your recipe for YEARS. I love it so much. Definitely has become a family favorite, and a great meal for new moms, those recovering from hospital stays, etc. Thank you so much! Do you still have the original post from 2008? I am asking because I wanted to compare what modifications you made. I probably should know it by memory after all the times of making this, but I am just curious. ha!
I freeze it all – once it is completely made. The texture can get a little grainy, but we don’t seem to mind.
I didn’t change the recipe – I just added some additional notes to the bottom to indicate some changes/adaptations I’ve made over the years.
Ok, gotcha! Thanks!!
Does the white chicken chili freeze well?
Yes, I freeze it a lot. The texture is slightly different after thawing and reheating but we don’t mind.
I am guessing you freeze without any dairy in there though, correct? You add the sour cream once re-heating? I have heard of a weird separation thing that happens when freezing anything dairy…
I freeze it all – once it is completely made. The texture can get a little grainy, but we don’t seem to mind.
Aaah! Mel! You’ve done it again! I tell you, I have never made anything on your blog that is “just ok” (and I’ve made probably 50 or so of your recipes). Everything of yours is “knock-your-socks-off-good”. This one is no different.
I decided to use my fellow church members as guinea pigs at our chili cook off because whenever I told the hubs I was going to make a white chicken chili, he would make gagging sound effects, so I never did it at home (I don’t think I could eat the whole thing by myself). The hubs took your classic slow cooker chili to the cook off and I took the white chili chicken one. The white chicken chili one got first place (are you kidding?! This coming from the gal who only knew how to make spaghetti when she got married!!), and my husband had more than two bowls of it. Not only did it get first place, but my 9 year old picky eater son (who already thinks that Mom and Dad just eat weird stuff) was convinced that if enough other people liked it, Mom and Dad must not be too crazy and he tried it too!! (That’s more miraculous than first place!)
Love your blog, love your food. Love that you only post tried and true recipes and that you aren’t just posting stuff to bulk up your content. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes! The biggest problem is that I haven’t had time to try them all!
This is awesome!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I’m not going to lie, kind of excited the white chicken chili beat your husband’s chili offering. 🙂
He was happy about it too! It will definitely be going into the meal rotation!!!
My 13 year old daughter made this tonight and it was a home run! Amazing flavors…. my husband and I had tummy aches because we ate so much. We just couldn’t get enough!!! Yum!!! Thank you for this simple recipe that tasted great and helped my daughter become more confident in the kitchen. Bonus: it’s gluten free which it important since my daughter has celiac disease. You rock Mel!!!
Way to go to your 13-year old!
I am new to your blog and I am NOT a cook at all, so I do not have a high success rate trying new things. This one was a success! Thanks so much for the recipe! I like chicken and green chillies, so I figured it would be good even if I messed it up. My picky kids even liked it. It is RARE my whole family likes the same meal. Yum! Thx!!
I made this over the weekend, and couldn’t stop eating it!! This is a winner, and I’ll definitely make it again and again! I made it according to the recipe, but used onion powder instead of onions (ran out) and as you suggested, used extra sour cream instead of the cream or milk. Thanks, as always for your delicious recipes!
Variations (because it is Sunday night and I had to use what I had on hand): used 8 oz cream cheese instead of sour cream (didn’t have any), doubled the chicken broth (because my quart jar broke in the freezer and I had to use all of it 🙁 ), halved the green chilies, and added a cup of quinoa (to soak up that extra chicken broth and make it a little less spicy and a little more filling). It’s delicious. Now off to eat it with some corn chips and homemade grape juice! Thanks for sharing your recipes, and for understanding when people totally change your recipe and then tell you about it. 🙂
We love this recipe! Sooo good!
But… we absolutely have to crumble Honey Cornbread Muffins in it. The sweetness paired with the soup is amazing. Thank you so very much for this wonderful chili recipe!
This is in the slow cooker as we speak, mainly because I dislike cooking chicken to add into things, I always seem to over cook it 🙁 Anyway, if the smell is any indication of the final results we are going to really be enjoying our dinner tonight!
I’ve had you in my thoughts all week after reading your last newsletter, so glad you caught it early. Scary though. Take care of you!
Thank you, Kathy! I hope you like the slow cooker version of the chili!
We loved it! I wasn’t sure if my hubby would like it, he is a big chili fan but he wasn’t sure about chicken in chili, he is a believer now. I did cut down on calories & used 1% milk
mixed with the sour cream & it worked just fine. I am sure whipping cream would put it right over the top. Yay, a new recipe for us! Thanks!
Funny story for you, Mel. A few months ago, I made this chili, so excited to make it again since it was the first time for the cold-weather season. It’s been a family favorite for years. When I rinsed and drained the beans, I smelled a weird, almost-chemical smell. I figured it was dish soap caught in the sink, and didn’t think much of it. I finished up the chili and was so excited to dig in. There my whole hungry family sat, ready to eat this yummy meal. I took one bite and realized something was seriously wrong. The chili tasted like the smell I noticed when rinsing the beans; it was a nasty chemical taste! I concluded that there was a problem with the beans I had purchased, even though they weren’t expired or anything like that.
I was so sad and mad! (There might have been tears.) I had to dump the entire batch and run out for pizza, which was so much less appealing than this yummy chili. I called the grocery store the next day to make sure they got rid of the batch of beans on the shelf. We started calling this chili “Dish Soap Soup” and can finally laugh about it.
I felt brave and thought my family was ready (and I was craving it), so I made this again recently. And of course, it turned out perfectly! And we all still love it! (I also learned to remember to taste before I serve, something I often forget!) Thanks again for a wonderful recipe that we are anxious to make and eat, despite a past bad experience. 🙂
Oh my goodness, Stacie! I’m glad this chili ended up redeeming itself! And that’s super gross about the beans you bought from the store- thank goodness no one got sick or anything! At least this chili is back in your good graces because no life is complete without it. 🙂
Best of luck with your diagnosis. Stay positive! Love your blog!
Thanks, Heather. 🙂
Mel, sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. I will be praying for you!
Please don’t apologize for being vain. I think you are incredibly brave! You are doing a service to remind us to take our health seriously. Because of your courageous post last year, I am more diligent about using sunscreen and getting yearly checks at my dermatologist. Who knows how many people you are helping! Thank you for sharing.
I think you are the best and I don’t know you either. Just my honest opinion.
Have a great day!
Thank you, Trish. 🙂
I love this! For a change in color for kids! I always think about red chili meals!
Made this for dinner tonight, and the flavors were great, but I would make some changes next time I make it. I would only use 1 can of chilies (2 cans were a little too spicy for my kids), add another can of chicken broth (used only one as the recipie called for, and the chili was super super thick after it sat for a few minutes), and also less sour cream (maybe only half a cup- also I didn’t add the cream, the flavor was a little too rich for my preference).
Despite the fact that I cook nearly all our family meals from your website, I hadn’t tried this recipe yet. I’m so glad you re-posted it today! I made it for dinner tonight and my family of 7 absolutely loved it. It was delicious. I used one can of green chills and 4 oz of salsa verde. Yum! We licked the pot clean and fought over the last bites. Thank you!
That makes me so happy, Amber!
Made this recipe tonight for my family and a family in my neighborhood who needed a meal brought in. To thicken it up a bit I used your chicken tortilla soup recipe and added chopped up corn tortillas. It was delicious!
What a great idea!
Can you use this recipe in the Instant pot with Frozen Chicken Breasts?
Hi Jennifer – you can certainly try. I only tried this a couple times in the IP before realizing it was just as quick to make it on the stove, but if you are using frozen chicken breasts, it might be worth it.
This looks amazing! I’ve never made a white chili before, but this needs to go on the menu for next week!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
How have I missed this recipe? Can’t wait to try it this week!!! Mel, I am so sorry to hear of your recent health news. But great that it seems to have been caught early. Sending you hugs, love, and prayers.
Thank you, Teresa – yes, I’m very relieved this one was caught early!
I have referred so many people to your website just because of this chili! It’s one of my families favorites, and actually, my husbands absolute favorite in the whole chili/soup category. He tells me so every time I make it. Haha.
On a different note, I wish you much peace, and I’m hoping for the best with your skin! Unfortunately, family has dealt a lot with skin cancer too, so I understand a little bit (although not first hand, yet) how scary and heartbreaking it can be. Good luck!
I love that you love this recipe so much, Nicole! It’s a keeper, isn’t it? And thank you for thinking of me; your kindness means so much.
I’ve made this recipe countless times since you first posted it. My entire family loves this and so do I! It is absolutely delicious!
I forgot my question in my earlier post – how do you determine what a pound of meat is without putting it on a scale (don’t have one)?
That’s a great question, Becky – with chicken, usually it’s about two medium to large boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If they are small, about three.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This is going on my menu for next week! Or I might just have to revise the plan for this week. Yum! Thanks, Mel!
Thank you for keeping the original picture on the bottom! I was going to ask if this was the white chili with the purple background, that’s how I’ve come to know it. So anyway, yes, this is a stellar recipe and we’ve eaten it many times over the years. It converted me to white chili, actually. I hope and pray all is well with your new skin issues. You have dealt with a lot already. Chin up and know you have lots of friends and supporters!
Thank you, Shannon. 🙂
Only after reading your post about this “favorite family chili”, plus all the many great reviews, I made this last night. Followed the recipe exactly, but only used one can of green chiles and used the slow cooker method. It was terrible. I am shocked by all the good reviews and am now wondering if they were written by family members or close friends (?) It was more like a soup, and not much flavor. My husband and son didn’t like it either. After wasting money & time, I threw it out and tossed the recipe also. UGH…
I’m so tired of all the food bloggers who always write “best recipe ever” about SO many of their recipes, but when I try them out, it’s just okay or terrible. This was one of those recipes. I am not new to cooking either…been cooking for about 25 yrs now, so I’m not a newbie who maybe did something wrong. I also made your toffee apple dip for NY Eve, and it was good, but I had to add a bit of vanilla and less than 1 cup of brown sugar for it to taste better. AND, you should’ve written that it tastes much better the next day.
Hi Karen, I agree it can be so frustrating to try a recipe and have it not work out. I’m sorry that was your experience with this recipe! That really is the worst. I assure you I don’t have over 200 close family and friends writing reviews for me – this recipe really is a family favorite of ours and for many others, judging by the comments. It appears maybe my taste and your taste in food is a little different?? Good luck finding a recipe source that suits your expectations a bit better! 🙂
Mel,
I want to say how impressed I am by your response to this comment. You were respectful, understanding, firm and got your point across in a loving manner. I’m glad I read this tonight (I’m planning on making tomorrow and was just reading comments for suggestions) because my 16 year old daughter has several girls spending the night. I’m going to show this to them as an example of a great way to respond to, in my opinion, meanness. Thank you for your example to me and a great conversation starter to the teen girls in my house! And, I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow!
Hey Karen- I just read your comment as I was prepping to make this for dinner tonight for the 1,00000th time. I dont know what went wrong when you made it (I never make it in the crock pot) but I am in no way related to Mel, and am an honest person who genuinely think this is one of my favorite recipes on planet earth. You should try it again, just not on the stove. I hope you get to experience this true recipe because you’re missing out in life without having tried it.
Best of luck!
*I mean, not in the crockpot again. DO try it on the stove 🙂
Also, MEL IS THE FOOD BLOGGER WITH ALL THE “BEST” RECIPES. I used to be literally AFRAID of cooking. Now I cook all the time because her recipes always turn out! Anyway, again, best of luck. But give Mel another shot!
Karen, I am not a family member or even friend of Mel, but I do use her blog as resource often. I have made this soup so many times, both on the stovetop and in the slow cooker. I have to admit when I make it in the slow cooker it really is not as good. I think because chicken in the slow cooker just doesn’t taste as good and maybe because the sour cream gets cooked a little bit or something. Overt the stove top though it is fantastic. Also when using the slow cooker you really do need to add less chicken broth, because the liquid does not evaporate in the slow cooker.
Karen, I’ve made this a dozen times and it’s always so good. I was craving it so I came to recheck the recipe which is how I came across your insane comment. So 230 people said they liked this and all 230 comments are “fake”. Karen, if you’re such a great cook you shouldn’t need recipes anyway.
I don’t know Mel personally either but I love this recipe! I’ve made it on the stove, crockpot, and pressure cooker several times a month for family and friends and everyone loves it!! In fact almost every recipe I have tried of Mel’s has been easy and tasty. Thankfully my sister Mariann told me about her friend Mel and all her great recipes!!
I also love this recipe and am in no way related to Mel. I have brought it to many parties as well and it is always loved and gone by nights end. I come to Mel’s blog all the time because her recipes always turn out delicious!
I don’t know Mel either (although I pretend to know her – having made so many of her recipes I use her name on a weekly basis!). I’ve made this chili countless times and follow the recipe closely. However the first time I made it I thought it was bland and have found I prefer to season with more salt than the recipe suggests. As with any recipe, I tweak it to meet the preferences of my family. And I am of the opinion that there will be blog recipes I don’t care for; instead of announcing how many years I’ve been cooking/publicly disliking them, I simply don’t make them a second time!
Karen, I truley pray that people are nicer to you then you are to others.
YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS! LIKE Mel has time to manufacture reviews AND raise five kids while still posting regularly enough to fill our bellies with warmth and deliciousness so often.
You’re not the only one, Karen. I’ve had some major flops using recipes from this site too. It sucks because usually they require a ton of ingredients and time to make also. That being said, I have also made some real winners here too! Just have to get lucky I suppose.
Not everyone has the same taste so therefore ,you will not like every recipe !!! that doesn’t mean people are lying or paying people to say nice things about them and their recipes. If you don’t like a recipe just don’t ever make it again!! You don’t have to try to be to be hurtful to someone or attacked their character!
I will be trying this recipe very soon .
Mel , thank you for the time that you take to publish recipes! I use Pinterest all the time and I’m so glad that it is available and that people like you take the time to put recipe up for people like me ! thank you
Hi, I was just wondering if you could tell me the carb and calorie count for this recipe? I want to make it, but i am diabetic so I need to know the nutritional information if you have it.
I don’t provide that information, sorry! There are a lot of online calculators you can plug the recipe into.
I use the calculator at Sparkpeople.com. Go to that website and search for Recipe Nutrition Calculator. It’s easy to use.
I like to calculate myself, as I can vary the ingredients if I wish and see how that affects the calories, fat, etc.
Thanks so much!
Hi Mel, Ive made this soup many times but this time I had a lot of chicken to use, so I used about 4 lbs of chicken, making the soup in the crock pot. I did add about 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth since there was a lot more chicken. Do you think this will turn out ok? Im cooking it for about 8 hours on low. Thanks so much!
This soup is pretty adaptable, so I think it should work out just fine!
Fabulous. I little more soup-y than I think of chili but it’s so good it doesn’t matter.
A girl at bunco made this and I knew it had to be your recipe. Sure enough- it is identical. Such a great soup that my husband says is his new favorite. Thanks for solid and filling recipes Mel. One of these days I hope to run into you in our great state of Idaho.
I made this for a chili contest tonight and it won 1st place! 🙂
Maybe someone else has already let you in on this secret, but my sister gave this recipe to me and said to serve it with a mixture of 2-3 Roma tomatoes, 2 avocados, about 1/2 cup cilantro, and the juice of one lime. It really kicks an already great soup up a notch. Love it!
Yum!
I made this but I left out the chicken and then at the end I put it in a blender and blended it all up. I got that idea from my sister who was unsure her girls would eat it with it looking so beany. She blended it and then served it with chips and they raved about it. It can be eaten as a soup with chips or you can make it as a bean queso-y kind of dip for the chips. It was super delicious!
omg!! A friend made this at a party, I had her email me the recipe the next morning. I made it that day!! I hate beans, but still put one can in….I even ate them!! One of my absolute favorite recipes! It wa the first chili I ever made….. I am looking forward to making it again this weekend for me and my husband!!
Making this for the second time!!! Very good recipe! Delicious. Thank you
This is the best white chicken chili, hands-down! I’m a newborn nanny and cook for the families I work for. The last family I worked for had me make this one night. I had a recipe of my own, and didn’t think anything could top it – but yours was better! My boyfriend loves it too, and thought it would be a great topping for nachos – over tortillas, with some cheese and sour cream. Yum! 🙂
I’ve been making this soup ever since a fellow-mom brought it for me when my son was born and I’ve been making it ever since (I accidentally found it on your blog and realized it was the same recipe!) First, I get most all of the ingredients at Trader Joe’s (and the organic if they have it…It makes a HUGE difference in the flavors!)
Then I double the recipe and make TJs cornbread the first night and leftovers get TJs tri-colored flaxseed tortilla chips on top. It adds a nice texture and mixes it up with the toppings. Thanks for this recipe!
I’ve made this for my family several times and then yesterday I made 3 large crock pots full for a chili competition for my work and out of 12 other chili’s it took FIRST place! I was so proud and can’t say thank you enough for sharing the recipe. I will say i make one small addition, i add about a cup and a half of shredded smoked gouda, just gives an already terrific recipe a little something extra. I share your website to all my friends, thanks again and keep on cooking!
Congrats on the chili win, Georgia, and I LOVE the idea of smoked gouda. Thanks for sharing!
This is so good! Even my husband who doesn’t like beans or peppers loved this. He said it was delicious, and that is high praise indeed because he rarely makes comments about food. Thanks for sharing this with all of us.
One of my faves, Mel! Thanks for the great recipe!
This was delicious. I did it in the crockpot and wish I had cut the broth back to about 1/2 cup instead of 1 1/2 cups. Mine turned out more like a soup than a chili. But still very tasty!
Thanks, Mel, for ANOTHER winner recipe! I made this a few weeks ago and my husband seemed to have died and gone to heaven. When he saw me putting the ingredients together in the crockpot this morning, he grinned big and asked if I was making chicken chili again. While I’m a fair cook, your blog and recipes make me seem like a superstar!
Mel…..Good gracious this was good! I am on a stupid diet challenge thing so I scooped my helping out before the creamy goodness was added and I still loved it like that. Served it with your cornbread (my favorite thing ever!). Took every bit of self control to not eat the entire pan like I normally do. Once again thank you for your recipes and also your new videos. So fun!
Wow! Thanks for this recipe! I made it for my church’s chili cook off tonight and won 2nd place-only 2nd to a local restaurants’ chili that someone brought and entered! 🙂 so yummy!!! I doubled it, made it in my slow cooker, used rotel chilies with tomatoes (couldn’t find just chilies), and added an additional cup of sour cream. The flavor is amazing! Spices are perfect! Thanks again!!!
I was looking for a recipe for white chili for a long time. This was AMAZING. I make it multiple times per month.
I just throw everything in a slow cooker and let it sit all day long.
The only thing I did differently was puree one can of beans to make it a little thicker.
Next time, I will add some hot sauce.
Mel–the recipe says serve immediately (after adding the sour cream and heavy cream). Is this ok to make ahead, and/or to have leftovers and store in the fridge to reheat the next day or so? Or does the sour cream and heavy cream in the chili make it weird or funky? Thanks! Kim
Kim – yes, I should probably edit the recipe because this keeps well warm (like in the slow cooker) for several hours and the leftovers are great.
I made this recipe for our Ward Chili Cookoff. I won “the best white chili” award. This was so yummy. Thank you!
didn’t have any white beans on hand, so I used hominy– it was such a good mix of posole and chili — loved it!
This is really good! I didn’t have chili powder or cayenne, so I rubbed taco seasoning on the chicken. Came out great! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
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I added 1/3 of frozen corn at the end…the sweetness with the spiciness was out of this world! I can’t go wrong with your recipes, Mel. My family thanks you!
Tammy – the texture may change a bit upon reheating but it should freeze OK. I think a few other commenters have left feedback about that up in the comment thread.
Do you think this would freeze well?
We loved this – even my skeptical husband who usually doesn’t like “creamy” soups loved this (he also loves your chicken corn chowder which was my first sign that his distaste of creamy soups was not rational and thus I could find exceptions). Anyway, I stumbled across a recipe that is identical to yours except it uses Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and whipping cream. Have you ever experimented with Greek yogurt as a substitute for any of your recipes? One of the brand websites offers a conversion chart for using greek yogurt in place of sour cream, mayo, oil, cream, etc, but I’m hesitant to try myself. But you, I trust! So any thoughts on this?
Hi Jana – I use plain yogurt (sometimes Greek sometimes regular) to sub for sour cream so yes, I definitely think you could sub it in here but I wouldn’t sub it for all of the sour cream AND milk. I’d only sub it in for the sour cream and still use some type of milk/cream for the liquid. That’s just a personal recommendation since the tang of the yogurt sometimes overpowers the taste for me.
This recipe is delicious with ham! I used leftover ham I had from the holidays, chopped it up… divine! One of our family favorites!
You are not lying about this soup winning you friends and fame! I had never made it, but knew I couldn’t go wrong with something from your site, so I took it to a chili cook-off and it won! I was so excited! Everyone loved it! The credit goes to you for posting this deliciously awesome recipe! Thanks Mel! It is hands down my favorite chili!
LOVE this soup. Thank you for simple and delicious food!
I just found your site. Thanks for this recipe! I made this with pulled pork I cooked in a crock pot and my company ate every last drop of it! And, I tripled the recipe that should have given me a LOT of leftovers. There were several other dishes that took longer to prepare and they ate very little of those!
Mel, as always, you save the day again with a great recipe. I’ve made this one several times before, but I needed a soup I could crockpot overnight. It’s supposed to be for my 1st grader’s class party today, and I have to be there at 9. So, I saw that you had conveniently provided me with the crock pot version, and I threw it together at midnight last night. SO AWESOME. Thanks for making my morning so much smoother! Now if I just didn’t have to navigate the giant school parking lot with a toddler, camera bag and a crockpot of soup! 🙂
What a fantastic recipe! Thanks for sharing, I did serve it to some friends who wouldn’t believe me White Chili existed and they were blown away by the flavors.
Hi Mel! I won 3rd place in my work chili cook off yesterday! I was pleasantly surprised because I think I bungled something in the recipe. It was EXTREMELY thin, much more soup like. However, people raved about the flavor. It really is great. I didn’t have any cayenne pepper so I added smoked paprika instead. Thanks for being my go-to recipe spot! I had so many requests for the recipe. I sent them this way!
Next, I told a coworker we are going to have an enchilada cooking contest. Those honey lime enchiladas are without a doubt the best I’ve ever had in the history of all mankind forever and ever times infinity Amen! (I may be just slightly prone to hyperbole. Just a bit.)
Thank you!
Thanks for this awesome recipe! I tried substituting nonfat Greek yogurt for the sour cream and loved it. I also happened to have garbanzo beans already soaking so I used those in place of the northern white beans! Loved the flavor and simplicity of your recipe, THANK YOU!!
And…..we have a winner!! Mel, I won first place yesterday in the chili cook off! Had soooo many people ask me for the recipe, it was amazing! My youngest son told me I’m the best cook in Tennessee…isn’t that sweet? 😀
Thanks again for another great recipe!
I made this last week and my boys declared it the BEST chili EVER”!! I’ve been making a red chili for years, my moms recipe, and it’s always been a family favorite…even during the summer! Yea, I KNOW, who makes chili in July…I do!! LOL!
So the fellas are asking me to make the “awesome chili” again this weekend for a chili contest at our church…they’re sure it’s a winner!
Will let you know how it goes, Mel! Thanks for ANOTHER great recipe!!
Yum, yum, yum. Made this for a church hayride last night. It could not have been a worse night for a hayride – cold and rainy – but it made the perfect night for a warm crockpot full of chili. I loved the flavor of this, especially the cumin. Like some other reviewers said, I added a can of white corn which was a good call. I wanted the end product to be a little thicker, so I’d probably cut back a bit on the sour cream and whipping cream, but the flavor was AMAZING.
Oh. My. Goodness. As soon as my husband and I tasted this, we both looked at each other and said, “Holy crap!” Thank you for our new favorite dish!
We LOVED this! A real keeper. It’s got the perfect amount of spice, and so yummy. I didn’t change a thing, it was amazing. Thank you!
Love your site! I took this to our church’s annual chili cook-off and won 1st place in the white chili category and won 1st place overall out of about 40 chilis!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Amy, you can definitely try your substitutions and see how they go. If you read through the comments, I think there are several people who have commented on the variations they use to lighten it up.
Rachel- I can’t wait to try this, however i was wondering if lowfat Sour cream and 2% milk will work as substitues for cutting down on the calories and fat content from the sour cream and whipping cream. I try to cut down on little things in all recipes…makes a difference throughout the day.
Love this recipe so much! We made this for the first time for our cub scouts’ chili cook-off last night, and it was a huge hit. All the moms wanted the recipe. I made the crockpot version, and it worked perfectly. I was sure that most people would bring traditional chili so I wanted something new. I’ll definitely be making this again in the very near future! Thanks for the great recipe.
This recipe is simply delish!!!! After the first bite I was a in HEAVEN. What a wonderful recipe to whip up during the week and the leftovers the next day were amazing ! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe to add to my collection =)
I love this chili!! I added a can of corn and substituted plain yogurt for the sour cream to save some calories!! Loved it!!!
This was really good! I didn’t have 2 cans of white beans, so I had to modify with pinto. It tasted fine, but wasn’t “white”. So, I have a recipe for you to create…a soup based on spinach artichoke dip. Sounds like you have knack for soup and a love of experimentation! Can you do it??
Delicious and easy to make! I used 1 less can of beans and about 2 oz of green chilis due to my kids pickiness . Made this with your cornbread with honey butter! It was a huge hit! Thank you for the recipes!
Just made this for myself for dinner (kids had spaghetti- AGAIN) and WOW. So good on snowy WI evening with a glass red of wine and the kids in bed…. bliss! I used leftover roast chicken and 1 cup of monterey jack cheese instead of the cream. Again…bliss!
I’m back. Again. To tell you how awesome this is. I crave it more often than I’d like to admit.
Do you ever use dry beans to cook with? It’s one of my New Year’s resolutions to save some $ so I’m wondering if you have any tips. I’ve you haven’t dived into that world yet I”ll pass any your way I come across.
Thanks again for feeding my family!
Just made this for a chili cook-off and won 1st place! Thanks Mel!
I was searching Pinterest to find “my” white chili and here it is. I have been making this for years and everybody loves it. Now I can pin it and direct everyone here insteady of always giving out recipes. It’s the best chili around….thanks again
I made this chili for my Cookie Exchange Party with my girl friends this year along with the Romain Salad with spiced pecans, apples, red onion, cheddar, and cranberries and the Oreo Cheesecake Bites for dessert. All recipes were a huge hit. This chili recipe was such a hit that 3 of the ladies made it in there homes less than a week after the party and 2 more have the ingredients to make it next week! I’ll need to make it again soon because there wasn’t any left over for my husband to try any! Thank you for this recipe and the many others I have gotten from you.
I made this tonight, and it was so good! Vest chili I’ve ever had! Thanks for all the great recipes!
I know that this is an overused comment for this particular recipe, but I sure did just win a chili cook-off with it last night! Thanks for this and all the wonderful recipes!
Doubled this and it still turned out great! The liquid was a little loose for me, so I added one tablespoon of masa harina which really kicked up the TexMex taste. So easy and had everything I needed in the pantry…
I forgot to mention I also cut the green chiles in half!
Great chile. I doubled the recipe but didn’t double the cayenne pepper. Just the right amount of heat for my family. I also added seasoned black beans to make it a “black and white” chile. Very pretty and delicious. The whole family loved it. Like many others, I am going to have a go with it at our church chili cook off.
We are going camping next week and we usually try to make everything in advance and freeze. We are having a chili cook off one night and I really want to make this. Could it be frozen? Maybe do everything except mix in the sour and whipping cream and do that there? What are your thoughts? Mel have you done this before or anyone else? I want to win the chili cook off and I think with this recipe I could!! =) Thanks!
Brianne – I’ve never frozen this chili before so I’m not sure how it would work. Do you have time to do a trial run? I definitely would try to avoid freezing the sour cream and cream and add that in after it has been defrosted. The chicken broth/bean base should freeze ok. The beans may get a little bit mushy but that may not be a bad thing. Good luck!
I had never had white chili before I tried this recipe, and I love it! Thank you for all your great recipes. This one makes an appearance at my table frequently.
I have a recipe very similar to this and LOVE it! It’s one of my kids favorites! The only couple of things I do differently is to add a can of garbanzo beans and either frozen corn or canned corn. I’ve also used a package of softened cream cheese, whisked in, instead of the sour cream and cream. Either way, very yummy!
Melanie– I’ve just recently discovered your website and I’ve tried 2 recipes so far. I made this chili tonight and I LOVE IT! My kids are all eating it (that is saying a lot since they are picky) and mine was gone before the kids finished. I gave the kids corn chips to eat with it and they loved it. Aside from the beans, my husband loves it too (he’s not a fan of beans). Thank you for taking the time to make and post these recipes. I am feeling inspired to get out of my cooking rut finally and that is HUGE! 🙂
I made this last night, blogged about it this morning. I made it with leftover turkey and added a sweet red pepper and a generous helping of jalapenos and it started to approach the heat that I like. LOL This is a great recipe. Thanks for this!
We have had this twice in the last few weeks, and I’m still craving it! I seriously might have to make it again this week! 🙂 I’m a sissy, so one can of chilies was perfect for me. Thanks!
Hi Melanie, just wanted you to know how much my family and I enjoyed the chili, it was so creamy! What was Green Bay like the week of Super Bowl? Lots of Packers fans in my family!
This soup has made me a rock star at church. I took it for a soup potluck and now everybody wants the recipe. I literally had people hounding me at home the next day so they could make it for dinner that night. My kids are also crazy for this. We actually argue over who gets the leftovers the next day (although we rarely ever have leftovers from this). Thank you for this recipe!
I made this chili and entered it in a chili cookoff today. I won 3rd place and it was a huge hit with the crowd. It was the first chili that was all gone. I was the only non beef chili and most of the cooks were guys. So it was fun to place! Thanks for the great recipe! !! Now you know your chili is award winning!
I’ve made this recipe more times then I can count, I love it! I have made a couple modifications to make it low-fat (neither of which change the flavor). The first was to use broth to saute the chicken and onions instead of oil. The other is in place of the cream, I combine equal parts nonfat plain yogurt and low-fat or fat free cottage cheese in a blender until smooth. I’ve served my lowfat version to friends who have also made this chili and they couldn’t tell a difference!
I have been looking for a good white chili recipe forever. For a potluck years ago, a friend brought a white chili she said was from Taos, NM. It was divine! I am lucky enough to have family in NM (we live in WI) that ships me 100lbs of fresh Hatch green chili late every summer that we spend two days roasting in the backyard and freezing. So when I came across this recipe I just had to try it. I am thrilled to report that this chili is EVEN better than my friends! ♥
Amanda – I wish I had family in NM that would send me chiles like that! So lucky! I’m glad that this chili met up to your other expectations…thanks for letting me know.
Mel, I live in Santa Fe, NM so whenever you want green chile let me know, I’ll ship them to you!
Hey… I’m loving your blog. I’m so glad I found it. You’ve got so many recipes on here that I am itching to try. I’ve got a grocery list as long as my arm. LOL
I made this for dinner tonight. It was so good. Loved the flavor of the sour cream, green chilies and cumin.
I had cannellini beans in the pantry, so used those in place of the great northern beans. I also made some corn cakes to go with the chili. I put one in the bottom of my bowl, poured a ladle of chili over it and sprinkled a little grated monteray jack cheese on top. It was delicious.
I will definitely be making this again!
KarenC – I am loving all of your comments lately. Thanks for taking the time to leave them! I love the idea of pouring this soup over a corn cake – delicious!
Another winner! Very tasty. It was fantastic comfort food during our winter storm.
A couple ideas for readers… We use plain yogurt instead of sour cream in recipes — tastes about the same but has a couple extra health benefits. Tastes like low fat sour cream does, so we use it in cooking or on whatever we’d use sour cream for. One less item to keep on hand. And it works great in this recipe too! Also subbed in half-and-half because we didn’t have whipping cream, but worked great.
We made the batch spicy enough for adults, but added some extra yogurt/”sour cream” in the kids’ bowls, and they loved it. Still plenty of flavor without the kick. It was a hit all around! Thanks Mel!
Angela – great tips! Thanks!
THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!
By far the best white chicken chili I have ever cooked…..or eaten. I made it a little soupier with more broth and served it over slow cooked white rice. I did also use one can of chiles to see how hot it was and that gave it the slightest kick but just enough to be happy. I ended up using scoops to scoop it all out and it was SO YUM! I am hoping for some leftovers. This will be making a repeat again and again this winter. Time to stock up on white beans and green chilis. Recipe #3 in my Decembermealathon was a HUGE thumbs up! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Thanks, Juliann – and thanks for including your variations. Long live the Decembermealathon!
Made this today and the whole family loved it! I wanted to let other readers know that this worked great in my crockpot. My husband is a minister and so Sunday after church lunches are usually late and we’re all starving. So, I put all of the ingredients except the sour cream and heavy cream in the crockpot the night before (2 whole large chicken breasts that were even still frozen) and put it in the fridge. Sunday mornings my husband gets up at 5am, so he pulled it out and turned the crockpot on low. We got home about 12:45, I took the chicken out, shredded it, and added the creams. Cranked it up to high and let it cook some more while the cornbread was baking in the oven. The soup was magnificent! I was so happy it turned out good even though I didn’t do the first steps of cooking the chicken on the stovetop. Thanks for sharing your tasty recipes with us!
Jennifer – LOVED your tips. So much in fact, that I’ll be cooking my soup like that next time. Thank you!
So I’m currently in a situation where I have to cook for a 2 year old up to a 98 year old, both of whom are VERY picky, plus it has to pass the 4 month old breastfeeding test (as in not too spicy), and this was a hit!! Thanks for another great, easy soup!
So glad, Ashlee!
Oh, and I forgot to mention, I didn’t even add the sour cream because I didn’t have any, and it still tasted great! I did add some shredded monterey jack cheese…because I like my chili cheesy. 🙂
Umm..all I can say is AMAZING. I even think this may be my favorite recipe of yours so far…although I’m curious about your other white chili recipe; I need to try that one too and see how it compares. But this one gets 5 stars from me…and I’m so glad it used up the rest of my turkey leftovers! Now I don’t have to feel guilty about throwing any food out. 🙂
Kimiko – so glad you liked this recipe and great idea to use your turkey leftovers with it!
I love your website so much!!! I rant and rav to everyone!! I made this chili this morning for our ward chili cook off tonight and It won 1st place.. everyone LOVED it soo much they all want the recipe I was sooo happy!!! thanks for all of your amazing recipes!
Brooke – congratulations on the first place prize! I’m so happy you won and that you have loved the recipes you’ve tried. Thanks for letting me know!
Mel Mel Bo Bel, Banana Fanana Fo Fel, Me My Mo Mel…MEL!
Loved it! Super creamy, flavorful, and delish! I’m just mad I didn’t double it because now I have no leftovers for lunch today. I won’t make that mistake again….
Thanks, Reyna (and thanks for getting that ditty stuck in my head…)
YUM! I made this tonight with your cornbread recipe. I am so impressed with both! I did roast and use poblanos instead of green chiles. YUM! My family LOVED them. My husband said that the cornbread and soup was the best he ever had! Thanks so much for sharing your collection of wonderful recipes. Your blog is the best!!
This recipe is amazing! We loved it! I’m already looking forward to making it again. I couldn’t find the chopped green chilies so I doubled the cayenne pepper and thought that worked great. Thank you so much Mel! You should put together a cookbook! I would buy one plus more to giveaway as gifts!
Thanks, Kensi! I’ll let you know if the cookbook thing ever comes to fruition!
Hi there! I have a work chili cook off coming up, and I’m thinking this might be my winning recipe. Question – can you make this in a crock pot? If so, how long should it cook? I’m just worried because I have to bring the chili in at 8am for an 11am cookoff, and have no other way to keep it warm other than the trusty crock pot – but also don’t want to overcook the chicken. Thanks!
Rachel – I hope this IS the winning recipe. Yes, you can definitely make this work in a crockpot. I’ve done it before by making the soup like the recipe states and then just keeping it warm in the crockpot until I need to serve it. You could even make it the night before, let it cool and then refrigerate it overnight. Pop it in your slow cooker the next day and let it warm up through the morning. Good luck!
Hi Mel,
I found your recipe last fall and have made it at least twice a month since. My fiance asks for it on a weekly basis. I always make a double batch but it never lasts more than 48 hours. I can’t wait to try your One-Minute Salsa!
Thanks so much for what you do!
Julie 🙂
Julie – I’m thrilled this recipe has been such a hit for you and your fiance! Thanks for letting me know.
Melanie, I loved this recipe. I really, really loved this recipe. I was surprised at how good and savory it was. My husband made it, who never cooks, and it was so easy. My kids loved it, and the leftovers were even better. Hats off to this recipe!
Amy G – thank you! I really, really love this recipe, too, so I’m glad it was such a hit at your house.
Mmmmm this is one of my(and my household of men’s:) favorite recipes of yours. I just wanted to let you know how much your recipes mean to us. You are my go-to gal and you have a huge part in bringing my family closer together with every meal. I hope you continue this blog for as long as possible and my boys will grow up loving them as much as I do! Keep it up! <33333
Lacy – you are so nice! Thank you! As you probably know, I have a household of men, too, so hopefully these recipes will help both you AND me! Thanks again for your comment…it made my day.
I am a recent convert to your blog. My friend had made this recipe a couple of times and I loved it. I finally tried to make it myself for the first time last night. I had to use a couple of substitutions because when I went to the store to get the ingredients I lacked, it was closed! So I used canned chicken instead of chopped up chicken breasts. I also substituted paprika for the cayenne pepper and green pepper (tabasco) sauce for the chopped green chilies. It was still delicious. It didn’t have as much kick as the original, but I still enjoyed it, and there were no left overs. I want to make it the “right” way as soon as I can get the right ingredients, but it’s nice to know that if I’m short on time, the canned chicken is still very tasty in this recipe! The whole family devoured it.
Hi Alicia – I love your adaptations for this chili and am thrilled it turned out so well! Way to go…not everyone can just zip around their kitchen throwing this and that in to make a meal work. I’m impressed!
Barbi – that’s funny that you had them read all these comments. I’m glad it made them think a little more fondly on the chili! And thank heavens they liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Melanie~ I told my boys we were having this White Chili for dinner, and of course they fussed about it, so I had them read all the comments on your blog and how so many people thought it was delicious/ yummy / LOVED it.
Thankfully – this worked, they actually gave it a try, and guess what!? Yep, they thought it was delicious!!!! My 8 year old, though it was a bit too spicy for him, but he gave it a good shot. I will lay off the cayenne pepper the next time we make it, and yes there will definatlely be a next time, so he has nothing to complain about. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Laura – thanks for your comment! I’m thrilled that your husband overcame his fears of a new recipe and ended up loving it. Love your changes – thanks for letting me know!
Melanie,
Both my husband and I loved this recipe. He was a bit hesitant as I have a white chicken chili recipe that he loves. He wasn’t quite sure why I was trying a new one but after dinner he said it tasted great. Anyhow, thanks.
One thing I incorporated from my other recipe is I added the juice of one lemon, 1 tsp of lemon pepper and did not use regular pepper.
This was a winner! Loved using cilantro. That made it taste so much better! Thanks.
Gina – thank you for detailing your changes…I think that helps as others read through the comments. I’m glad you liked this recipe and your added garnishes sound absolutely delicious (especially the avocado and lime!).
I made this white chili on Monday night, and it was truly wonderful! I used both cans of chiles, and I think I goofed and doubled the cayenne (1/2 t.), so it was a little on the spicy side, but that’s okay by me. The sauce seemed a little thin to me, and as the Great Northern beans cook down, it seemed like the soup was all chicken. So before I heated up the leftovers the next day, I added one can of white kidney beans (cannellini beans), and that bulked up the soup and took the heat down a notch. Plus, I just like some bigger beans in the mix. I will definitely do that again when I make it the next time.
Also, we added some fun garnishes on top–crushed-up tortilla chips, shredded Mexi-blend cheese, and chunks of avocado tossed with lime juice. YUM!
Thanks for the great recipe!
–Gina
Danielle – I bet crushed red pepper would be fantastic in this…glad you liked it!
I whipped this up in less than an hour and simply put, it was delicious. The chicken was tender and the flavors were great. The only thing I added was a little crushed red pepper to make it spicy.
Annie D – glad this was a hit with your kids – thanks for letting me know!
I made this for dinner tonight and WOW was it great! Followed the recipe exactly and it was awesome. My 3 children (twins 17 & 12 yr old) raved– 5 stars! I am always looking for something quick and flavorful for weeknight dinners and this is it!
Kaitlyn – thanks for commenting! I'm so glad this soup was a hit with your family and that you have been getting requests to make it again and again. Thanks for letting me know (and good luck cooking while managing a University schedule)!
Honestly, this is the first time I've ever used 'real' spices. I know! But I'm slaving away in University and my mom usually cooks. Anyway, my entire family has been begging me to make this over and over again – a real first around here because everyone is so picky and peculiar about their food.I'm Canadian, and maybe white chili is common in the USA but I'd never heard of it here. I'm glad I tried it anyways! Thanks so much! I've been browsing your site ever since I tried your peppermint cookies and everything I've tried is spectacular!
Anna – well that's a good review from your husband! I'm glad…thanks for letting me know!
This was so yummy! We had it for dinner last night and a few bites in my husband said, "We should definitely have this again!" I had the leftovers tonight and I think it was even better the second day. Loved it!
Reagan Law – I hope the white chili worked out for you! I don’t mind at all if you repost the recipes…thanks for linking back to my site!
going to try this tonight!!! I’ve been making lots of your recipes and have found some keepers!!! thank you!! I have been putting the links on my blog, hope I’m doing it right :)!!
Shanna – glad that despite the complaining, the kiddos still ate up!
This was as tasty as promised! I used both cans of chilies and the kids DID complain of the spicy heat BUT ate it all anyway 😉
Erin b – thanks for your comment! I hope you like this soup (and I’m glad your friend loved the pretzels!).
Was already planning to make this type of chili for dinner tonight and then a friend sent me your post about pretzels (btw, she made them and is RAVING about them). I am so making this tonight. Yum!
Hi smodi – welcome and thanks for your vote of confidence on this soup. So simple and delicious!
Hey Melanie! Just found your site!! YUM YUM!! My mom have been making this recipe since I was a little girl some 40ish years ago and I absolutely love it. It is my feel good food! I am so glad to see so many people are enjoying it! I think I will make it tonight! LOL
Jason and Lesley – I just made this chili again today, too. Glad you liked it!
I loved this chili! Thanks so much for sharing!!
azlabrat – thanks for detailing your changes – it sounds delicious and I’m glad it turned out well for you.
I don’t keep heavy cream in the house, so I used extra sour cream and just skipped the cream, I cooked the beans from dry and just used one pound of dry northern beans cooked in chicken broth, we also had an 8oz block of hot pepper processed cheese stuff (I’m not sure how it got here, but it was still good so I used it) I chunked that up and added it in at the end and let it melt through. It was good. I would have needed extra heat if I hadn’t added the peppered cheese, but I like my food spicy so that is personal taste.
Thanks so much – my husband and I are enjoying this right now! I somehow had no cumin available so I put about a half packet of taco seasonings instead (left out the cayenne too because that’s in the packet), and used some chipotle peppers instead of chillies (not a fan). Turned out awesome! Thanks!! 🙂
mysie – how funny! We both made this the same night. I’m so glad you liked it, especially with your adaptations! Way to go!
Instead of cooking it on my stovetop, I opted to try and cook it in my Presto Kitchen Kettle. I have it simmering right now!! It smells delicious and I can’t wait til its done!!
bebemamakalei – well, I’ve never heard of a Presto Kitchen Kettle but I’ll be curious to know if you liked the end result!
Melanie–I’m planning on making this for 4 adults and 2 kids. would you suggest I double it? do you think it would fit in a 6 quart pot doubled?? Thanks! I LOVE your site!!
Amy – if everyone of those 4 adults and 2 kids eat pretty average sized portions, you are probably fine making a normal batch of this but you probably won’t have much leftover. If you don’t mind leftovers and want the peace of mind knowing that everyone can eat as much as they like, I would suggest at least one-and-a-halving the recipe or doubling. Hope it works out!
Julia – thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you like this soup and all the other recipes you have tried. And now, SEND ME YOUR RECIPE! Seriously, I’d love to have it, it sounds delicious.
LOVE this soup and so so many of your recipes. I’ve known about your blog for a couple months now and have made so many of your recipes, including this one a few times. It is fabulous! I crave it all the time. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes, I have a fabulous cookie one I should pass on, white chocolate cheesecake cookies, they’re a big hit at all the events I’ve taken them to and fun for a change. Thanks again!!
Shantai – great news. Thanks for sharing!
I posted this recipe in our weekly Relief Society announcement and the next week everyone was raving about it!! THANKS!
Pam – yay! That is great news…thanks for letting me know. I’m glad it was such a hit.
I made this for my husbands Chili contest at work and guess what..it won first place! It is delicious.
Meagan – Glad you and your family liked this! Thanks so much for letting me know.
I made this for my family last weekend, it was a big hit. I loved that it had a kick but not too much and not too little. For my kids, I just added to dollup of Sour Cream, just to take the edge off. Very good!! Thank you. – Meagan, ATL
Lisa – thanks for letting me know this was a hit!
Hi, I found your blog recently and have enjoyed checking it out. I made the White Chili for dinner tonight and everyone loved it.
Lisa
Kara – wow, first place!! Great job on your husband’s part. How fun! Thanks for letting me know.
My husband’s work had a chili cookoff, so I told him he really should make this white chicken chili so it would stand out. I had a feeling everyone would show up with variations of a red chili (which they did). Well, thanks for the great recipe…he won first place!
Kara
Anonymous – I’m glad you liked this recipe! It is such a good one and my family loves it, too. Thanks for letting me know!
I made the creamy white chicken chili last night. It was absolutely wonderful!
Anonymous – thank you! I’m glad you liked the recipe.
I made this tonight! I loved it, thanks for the receipe.
Steph – I love the comments, so keep them coming! I’m glad this soup was finger licking (or I guess bowl licking) good! Thanks for letting me know…I’m especially glad the picky husband liked it!
Haha, I think I am becoming a very regular commenter! I made this tonight for a friend and we seriously licked the bowls clean. Then when my husband came home and saw it he heated it up and licked his clean. He said he was skeptical at first because he doesn’t like beans much but it was one of his favorites! He wouldn’t even let me freeze the leftovers because he wanted to take them for lunch the next day! Once again you are AWESOME!
Nate and Kim – wow, thanks for your comment! I’m glad that you have tried and liked so many recipes. It makes my day to know that. I hope this chili did not disappoint!
Thanks for the great recipe. I probably make a few of your recipes every week. I am making this tonight. Looks perfect for a chilly fall day.
Kara – whenever I hear that a picky eater ate a particular recipe well, it makes me so happy! I’m glad your 6 year old came through for you on this one. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you like the cornbread, too!
This soup was awesome. My 6 yr old, who is such a picky eater devoured it. Thanks for another fabulous recipe. The cornbread (with honey butter) is next on my list!
Kara
Sophie – I feel kind of bad (but not terribly bad) that I’ve converted one of your favorite soups to be loaded with cream and sour cream, but I agree, it definitely makes it wonderful. I’m glad you liked it. Thanks so much for letting me know!
I have this exact recipe, except without the cream and sour cream. I must say, those two things make it wonderful. I loved it before, but love it more now! It’s great served with cheese quesadella’s. Thanks so much!
I have this EXACT recipe and have been using it for MONTHS. I have an allergy to spice though, so I cut out the red pepper… Oh, and you really ought to try boiling and shredding the chicken sometime. Oh. My. GOODNESS! I LOVE it with shredded chicken! (BTW- I just found your site today and I am LOVING it! Those Cinnamon Rolls look heavenly!)
Anonymous – I’m glad I’m not the only one who fights my husband for leftovers! Glad you liked this, thanks for letting me know.
Bentley Family – just having you comment on this recipe makes me think I should make it tonight. I think I will since I didn’t have anything else planned! I’m glad you snuck a taste and liked it!!
Ash – thanks for making me laugh – you seem like the type I WOULD be best friends with…especially if you can give me tips on helping a picky 3-year old eat. Thanks for checking in!
Melanie–Almost a year ago Amanda told me about your awesome food blog. We have tried so many of your recipes and loved them all! Thank you so much–we owe many a delicious meal to YOU:-) I hope you don’t mind…but I’ve also told so many family and friends about this blog. You are a great lady Mel–I can tell you’re an amazing mom, wife, person, and baker!
This soup looks great – I know what I’m making for dinner tomorrow! And I think we’ll be having sugar gems for dessert – great website, I’m glad a friend passed this along to us.
That’s awesome, Pam, that it is the exact same recipe!! I bet the shredded chicken is awesome. I’ll try it like that next time, I think. Thanks for commenting!!
Bunny Wilson – thanks for commenting back and letting me know you made this. I’m glad you liked it – I think it is a keeper, too, and am glad my friend shared the recipe with me!
Ive never had white chili before. Im bookmarking this one
We had this for dinner and loved it, Nate ate like 5 servings and he kept saying “this is so good, this is so good” so you won your brother’s approval!
Mmm, Ilove white chili too. I”ll definitely be trying this recipe this Fall!
I made this for dinner last night. With a few changes and it still turned out great! I didn’t have great northern beans so I used pintos (which were really yummy!) and I only had one can of green chilies and we like a lot of heat, so I used that one can and then some salsa verde. I didn’t have whipping cream so I left it out and added more sour cream. And then I added a can of white hominey. It was soooo good! My 3 year old had seconds and my husband ate every last bit! He loved it! Thanks for a great base recipe!
MyCozyCreations – wow – those sound like great additions to the recipe. Way to improvise!! I’m so glad your family liked it and I may have to incorporate some of those same changes next time I make it. Thanks for letting me know how it went over!
Tried it, loved it. I blogged about it today. Thanks again for another great recipe.
thumbbook – glad you liked this creamy chili! I’ll have to check out foodista.com and I’ll let you know what I think. Thanks for the invitation!
Well you dont know me and I dont know you, but after i ate this chili and a church function tonight (and got my very picky 3 yr old to eat alot) I am sold! The lady who made it gave me this link to your site, and i already have it copies down to make tomorrow! You are my new best friend!
Camille – thanks for commenting!! And I am really glad you liked the soup. It is a real winner in our family, too. Thanks for your kind words!Sarah – I’ve heard from several people they have similar recipes to this one. It looks like it is a hit with lots of people. My friend who gave me the recipe will love to hear that!
i love spicy beef chili with plenty of kidney beans, but sometimes a white chili hits the spot, too. this looks like a terrific recipe, and since it’s on your blog, i’m sure it is. 🙂
I made this today and it was AWESOME!I didn’t have cumin or cayenne pepper, so I omitted those, and it still turned out absolutely delicious! Thanks for the wonderful recipe. 🙂
Melanie- I made this for the first time last night. It is actually for dinner tonight but I had to make it in advance in the interest of time. I had a small bowl when I was done and I LOVED it. It was sooo good. Thanks yet again for another wonderful recipe! I think I’ll make your Blitz Bread to go with it.
Melanie, I followed the link to your post here from Ali-Divine Domesticity and I just wanted to thank you! I also tried it at home and we love it! I would like to invite you to < HREF="http://www.foodista.com/" REL="nofollow">Foodista.com<> – the cooking encyclopedia everyone can edit. We have lots of easy recipes you can try, so do check us out. Would also love a link to this post from our site.(This will direct Foodista readers to your blog)Here’s a sample on how you can create inbound links from our site < HREF="http://www.foodista.com/recipe/VFB3Q4SC/race-car-pancakes/embed" REL="nofollow">Check it out here.<> This is a great way for you to build blog traffic and connect with other food lovers! Also feel free to share your recipes and tips with us!Thanks!
Wendy! It’s fun to hear from you. I have to confess that I check out your family blog via Amanda’s now and then for an update. What a cute family! Anyway, thanks for letting me know you like the recipes here – that is sweet and I don’t mind at all if you pass the word along. It is just a fun hobby for me!
Hi Ali – way to improvise with what you had on hand – I’m glad it still turned out delicious! Thanks for letting me know.
Mmmmmmm..I make pretty much this same recipe as well..but I add sharp cheddar cheese to it!!!YUMMO!Yours looks nice and comforting!!
I love this kind of chili! This version sounds and looks great!
Just made this recipe tonight and blogged on it – thanks for a “keeper” meal!
Wow, this sounds absolutely delicious! I have actually never tried white chili but it is on my list to try very soon. This will be the recipe I try for sure, you haven’t let me down yet!
New poster here. Just made this for dinner tonight. This..was…DELICIOUS!!!! Love your blog! Will be making many more of your recipes!!! Thank you!!!
This is a fantastic recipe! My friend shared this same recipe with me 2 years ago and I have been using it ever since. I took this white chicken chili to a chili cook-off and won “Most Kid Friendly!” (LOL) I guess because it wasn’t as spicy as some other chilis there. It was gone in about 10 minutes! My kids love it!
I’ve made this twice in the past couple months…when I made it this week, my husband and I fought over the leftovers. Next time I am going to double the recipe, so we have more leftover! Thanks for sharing the recipe :o)
I think I love you! I have been bookmarking your recipes all day. I am so thrilled to find your blog with not only tasty recipes , but not overly high fat too! Thank you thank you thank you! Feel like I found a burried treasure here!
I have a similar recipe to this, but instead of whipping cream, I add about a cup of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese. My whole family LOVES this!
Thanks for your blog!
Anne – great idea to add the shredded monterey jack cheese (oooh, and I bet pepper jack would be delicious, as well). Thanks for your nice comment – I hope you enjoy looking around and bookmarking recipes!
A friend made this for a church chili cook-off last fall and won 1st place. Since then it has become one of our family’s favorites. It doesn’t surprise me at all to find it here. So far I have loved all your recipes that I have tried. Keep ’em coming!
Danielle – I’m glad to know this is such a popular (and prize-winning!) recipe. Thanks for the comment!