This Instant Pot White Chicken Chili is creamy and hearty with just the right amount of spice! Loaded with lean chicken, white beans, green chiles, and corn, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
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My Instant Pot makes my life so much easier when I plan ahead – and also when I don’t! 😉
I can make amazing meals for my whole family in such a short amount of time with very little prep.
This easy Instant Pot Chicken Chili is one of those meals that comes together perfectly with minimal ingredients and absolutely no fuss!
The only thing you’re preparing is a chopped onion, and the rest is dump-and-go.
If chopping an onion is even too much prep you could buy pre-chopped onion, or skip it and use a sprinkling of onion powder instead!
I have used fresh chicken breasts here, but you can make it just as easily with frozen chicken breasts or thighs.
I love healthy chili recipes that are quick and easy to make, just like my Classic Instant Pot Beef Chili recipe!
For other busy weeknight dinner inspiration, try this great recipe for Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken, Pot Roast (Instant Pot Recipe), or my Super Quick Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
Ingredients Needed:
- Broth: use a low-sodium chicken broth so that you can better, control the saltiness of the dish. You can also use chicken stock.
- White Kidney Beans: these add some extra protein to the dish. White beans work best in this dish as the sauce and chicken are a lighter color. You can also use cannellini beans or great northern beans (or really any, but they will change the color!).
- Corn: I used canned sweet corn, but you can use fresh or frozen corn instead.
- Onion: use chopped white onion or red onion, or even onion powder to make this recipe super quick!
- Green Chiles: canned green chilis work well though you could substitute this for salsa verde or seedless minced jalapeño peppers.
- Chili Powder: use mild chili powder for chili with mild heat. Double this for a bit more heat, or use hot chili powder.
- Chicken Breasts: I have used fresh, skinless, and boneless chicken breasts for this dish. You can use chicken thighs if you want to, or even leftover shredded chicken!
- Cream Cheese: I use full-fat cream cheese, but you can use lower-fat cream cheese if you wish. Use a plain flavored one, and have it at room temperature before you begin.
How To Make White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot
This easy recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make! For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Put ingredients into Instant Pot and give it a good stir.
- Put chicken breasts into an Instant Pot (I use a 6 quart smart wifi Instant Pot)
- Cook. Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 10 minutes. Once the cooking time is over, allow 10 minutes for a natural release before opening the valve and removing the lid.
- Shred chicken. Shred the chicken and stir it into the chili.
- Add cream cheese. Add the cream cheese to the chili with the shredded chicken.
- Allow to melt and serve!
Serve with chips, avocado, lime wedges, salsa, cheese, jalapenos — whatever your favorite toppings are!
White Chicken Chili FAQs
The best way to thicken white chicken chili is to add a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch to cold water and add it to the pot while it is hot, stirring it until it thickens (in this recipe, the cream cheese does the job!).
For extra tips, see my post on How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot. In reality, as long as your chicken isn’t frozen right together, you won’t need to add a lot of extra time, even if it’s rock solid. You could add a couple minutes of additional cook time, just to be safe. If they are frozen together, you’ll want to try to break them apart first.
White Chicken Chili can easily be made in the Crockpot. Simply dump all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Shred the chicken and then stir in the cream cheese, as the original recipe requires, and serve.
Store in an airtight container once completely cooled, and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, or on the stovetop.
This chicken chili freezes perfectly, so don’t be afraid to make a big batch and save some for later!
Simply let it cool to room temperature, then place it in a large freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
If you’re using a freezer bag, be sure to lay it flat and squeeze the chili out into a flat layer to freeze for easy thawing.
To thaw, set in the refrigerator overnight or place in a sink full of cool water for 20-30 minutes (super easy to do if you have used a freezer bag!).
How to make White Chicken Chili on the stovetop
See my original Stovetop White Chicken Chili for stovetop instructions.
Tips and Notes
- Use skinless and boneless chicken for this recipe, as it will be less greasy and easier to shred the chicken.
- This recipe works well for leftover shredded chicken (if you’ve got some Instant Pot Shredded Chicken hanging around), and it will work well for Thanksgiving turkey leftovers too!
Variations on this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili:
- Spice it up. This recipe is on the milder side of chili, which can be ideal for young kids. If you like a lot of spice, add an extra teaspoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, or add in a sliced jalapeno, or Tobasco!
- Lighten it up. Choose light cream cheese or opt to skip it out completely.
- Make it dairy-free. Skip the cream cheese in this chili recipe, and it will still be delicious! You don’t need to substitute anything in its place.
- Saute vegetables. Saute the onion in olive oil and extra vegetables like bell pepper, some mushrooms, etc. before adding the chicken and broth for extra flavor. We love this Chicken Chili as is, but feel free to experiment!
- Substitute the chicken. Swap the chicken breasts for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can also brown the chicken before adding the other ingredients if you desire.
- Change the consistency. This is a thick and chunky chili, but if you want it to be thinner you can add more broth, milk, heavy cream, or a little bit of plain greek yoghurt.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with chips, avocado, lime wedges, Homemade Salsa, cheese, jalapenos, sour cream, green onion — whatever your favorite toppings are!
- Add a squeeze of lime juice on top for a burst of citrus.
- Alternatively, serve with rice and vegetables like Air Fryer Green Beans on the side.
More Instant Pot Dishes You’ll Love
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 540 ml canned white kidney beans drained & rinsed (19oz)
- 341 ml canned corn (12oz), drained
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 127 ml canned green chiles (4.3oz)
- 2-3 teaspoons chili powder (depending on your tastes)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- corn starch + water (to thicken – optional)
Instructions
- Pour in the chicken broth, and add the beans, corn, onion, green chiles, chili powder, and salt. Give it a good stir.
- Add the chicken breasts and press down into the liquid.
- Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 10 minutes. It will take 10-15 minutes to start counting down the cooking time.
- Once the cooking time is over, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then open the valve and remove the lid.
- With two forks, either shred the chicken right in the Instant Pot or remove it to a cutting board to shred, then add the chicken back into the chili.
- Cut the cream cheese into very small pieces and add to the chili. Stir until melted and smooth. (If desired, you can stir together equal amounts corn starch and water and add to the chili to thicken further)
- Serve with tortilla or corn chips, avocado, lime wedges, salsa, cheese, jalapenos — whatever your favorite toppings are!
Nutrition Information
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Heather says
Delicious!! I have made this several times now and it is SO easy and SO yummy – one of our favorites!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Heather! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
TMC says
Made this in the crock pot over the weekend. It came out really well ! I’ll make it again in the crock. (I might be one of the few without an instant pot) This was great with cornbread!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi TMC! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Magee says
What kind of white beans do I have to use?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Magee! It’s white kidney beans also known as Cannellini beans, great northern beans, or navy beans.
Dore says
Can you let me know why the ingredients for instant pot are different than for regular soup pot. The instant pot calls for 2 tsp chili powder the soup pot calls for 1 tsp. Instant pot doesn’t have garlic powder or Tabasco sauce.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Dore! They are just two separate recipes. No reason really. Great thing about seasonings is that you can adjust them to your liking!
Mowgli says
First recipe I made with my new instapot. Definitely watery but I have some food thickner I added. I also added more spice. Otherwise this was amazing
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!