This Instant Pot white chicken chili is a staple in our house. It’s a warm and comforting meal that the whole family looks forward to! The chicken becomes extra juicy and shreddable in the Instant Pot, while Northern beans, sweet corn, mild chilies, and spices create a rich, creamy, flavorful bowlful.
Follow up this creamy white chicken chili with my no-bake rum balls or buckeyes for a perfect cold-weather combo.
This quick and easy white chicken chili is full of great flavors. I’m a big fan of the cumin in it. It adds a touch of spice, but this kid-friendly chili recipe is not particularly spicy. My 2 1/2 year olds love it as much as my husband and I!
The Instant Pot cooks the chicken, veggies, and flavorful broth to warm, creamy perfection in just 30 minutes, so this Instant Pot white chicken chili is a favorite on weeknights. It also goes perfectly with a side of ham and cheese sliders or spicy shrimp tacos on game day.
I use cream cheese and sour cream to thicken up my chicken chili and make it extra creamy. If you aren’t a fan of sour cream, you can leave it out and add some extra cream cheese instead. There’s nothing like a bowl of this cozy, creamy chili with some Fritos scoops!
The 30-Minute White Chicken Chili You’ll Crave All Year
- Quick and foolproof. In my experience, nothing cooks proteins quite as tender in such little time as the Instant Pot! From Instant Pot pork roast to this creamy chicken chili, the pressure cooker cuts down the simmering time immensely.
- Minimal effort. No need to stand in front of the stove-top or keep an eye on a bubbling pot of chili. I love how I can throw all the ingredients for this white chicken chili into the Instant Pot and walk away.
- Delicious in any season. Warm white chicken chili is cozy enough for colder weather, but ingredients like sweet corn, green chilies, and fresh lime make the flavors bright enough for a summertime cookout.
- Meal prep it and freeze. This easy Instant Pot chicken chili stores well in the fridge, and it’s also freezer-friendly. Perfect for thawing and reheating during busy weeks!
Chicken Chili Ingredients
Simple, easy-to-find ingredients are part of what makes this Instant Pot chicken chili so satisfying. Here’s what you’ll need to make it. Find the exact measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – You could also make this chili with chicken thighs, though they tend to be juicier and may take slightly longer to cook.
- Diced onion – Red or yellow onion will both work, but I personally love the extra flavor I get from red onion.
- Minced garlic – If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of jarred minced garlic or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder per fresh clove.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Vegetable broth is a good alternative.
- Diced green chiles – Choose hot or mild to taste. If you’d prefer to use fresh jalapeño pepper, remove the seeds to cut down on the heat.
- Northern beans: You can also use kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, or a mix of beans for variety.
- Whole kernel corn – Canned or frozen. If you’re using canned corn, be sure to drain and rinse it.
- Spices – Cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper. You could use a packet of taco seasoning in place of the individual spices in a pinch.
- Cream cheese – Bring your cream cheese to room temperature. This will help it blend into your chili more easily.
- Sour cream – Plain Greek yogurt makes a good substitute for sour cream, or you can use extra cream cheese.
Can I Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot?
Yes! You can definitely use frozen chicken breasts for this recipe if you’d like. Just be sure to break them apart if the chicken breasts are stuck together. If you’re using frozen chicken, add 3 or 4 extra minutes to the cook time.
Unlike the slow cooker (where you should never use frozen chicken!), the Instant Pot cooks frozen chicken to a safe temperature quickly.
How to Make White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot
This is where the Instant Pot really shines! Did I mention that this white chicken chili will make your house smell amazing? Here’s how to make it.
- Assemble your ingredients. First, place all of your ingredients into your Instant Pot bowl.
- Cook. Cover the pot and seal the lid. Switch the valve to the “seal” position and cook for 20 minutes on manual high pressure. Note that the Instant Pot will take additional time to come to pressure before the cooking time starts; the exact time can depend on the model.
- Release the pressure. When the IP is done cooking, let it naturally release/depressurize for 10 minutes, then switch the valve to the “vent” position to fully release the steam before opening the lid. Be careful of the remaining hot steam!
- Shred the chicken and stir. Lastly, shred the chicken breasts using two forks, and then stir everything together. Serve your white chili warm with garlic bread, tortilla chips, and your favorite garnishes.
Chili Toppings Suggestions
Here are some of my favorite toppings to add to this Instant Pot white chicken chili:
- Cilantro: For a simple and classic garnish, sprinkle chopped cilantro on your chicken chili. Try parsley instead if you aren’t a fan.
- Avocados: Sliced avocados taste amazing with this chili, too!
- Jalapeños: Give your chili another spicy element by topping it with fresh jalapeños.
- Cheese: Turn this dish into cheesy chicken chili by adding shredded cheddar, Oaxaca, or crumbled Cotija cheese.
- Limes: Garnish your chili with a few lime wedges or add some zest.
- Cornbread: Sometimes I like to crumble pieces of cornbread into my chili. It’s really good!
What to Serve with White Chicken Chili
A steaming bowl of homemade white chicken chili goes with pretty much any side, but here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Rice: Try serving this chili over rice if you want to make it even more hearty and satisfying. Add colorful fajita veggies on the side for a full Tex-Mex meal.
- Tortilla Chips: My family loves eating our white chicken chili with Fritos scoops, but you can use whichever tortilla chips you like. Serve roasted tomato salsa on the side for dipping.
- Bread: A fluffy slice of warm cornbread (or this creamy cornbread casserole), garlic bread, or beer bread goes wonderfully with this chili.
- Tortillas: Warm flour or corn tortillas rolled around your favorite cheese. Great for dipping into your chili!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge. Let it cool completely before refrigerating. This white chicken chili will stay good for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. To reheat your chili, microwave it at 15-second intervals until warm. If you’ve frozen your chili, thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Freeze it. You can totally freeze your chili to make it last longer. Just lay it out in the freezer in a sealed bag. This will make it easier to thaw out your chili before reheating it. Frozen chili will last for up to 3 months. Since this recipe contains dairy, you might notice a little separation once it thaws, but stir it well, and it’ll still taste amazing.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
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Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup diced onion (yellow or red onion)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 cans low sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz cans)
- 2 cans diced green chiles ( 4 oz cans )
- 2 cans great northern beans (15 oz cans, drained and rinsed)
- 15 oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons oregano
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 12 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- ½ cup (115g) sour cream
Instructions
- Place all of your ingredients into your instant pot bowl.
- Cover the pot and seal the lid. Switch the valve to the “seal” position and cook for 20 minutes on manual high pressure.
- When done cooking, let it naturally release/depressurize for 10 minutes, then switch the valve to the “vent” position to fully release steam before opening lid.
- Shred the chicken breasts and stir everything together. If the cream cheese is chunky, stirring in the chicken should help break it up and smooth it out.
- Serve warm with garlic bread, tortilla chips or other garnishes.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
This is a favorite of my wife’s and me. It’s simple, quick, and tasty. As an alternative to starting with raw chicken, we have had great success with using a rotisserie chicken instead. Rather than cooking it in an instant pot, we simply put everything in a cooking pot and simmer it for about 20 minutes so that the flavors all come together. Certainly recommended!!!
Nice shortcut! I like it! Glad you enjoy it!
Delicious and super easy! Will be making this one again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for posting this recipe! I can’t wait to try it! I have a question – do you sauté the onions and garlic prior to adding everything else then pressure cooking? You know, to soften up the onions? Almost every Insta pot recipe I use that has onions recommends that.
I don’t sauté them first. I don’t think they need it.
Loved this in the instant pot an want to try making it in the crock pot… Instead of 4 hours on high, how long would you recommend Cooking it on low? Again thank you for a great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! 7-8 hours on low should work well.
Do you still put all the ingredients in at the start of the crockpot method? Or put cream cheese/sour cream in towards the end?
You could probably do it either way, but I typically add the cream cheese at the end when I use the crockpot.
Strange question, but my family is not big on beans, could this be made without beans? Would there be anything else I’d need to change?
If you leave the beans out, you may want to add more corn or some thing. Or reduce the overall amount of liquid so that it doesn’t seem too liquidy and lacking.
Did this in an old Mirror Matic Pressure Cooker and it worked perfectly. This recipe is a keeper!
Love this recipe!! The flavor is amazing!! It is really runny and watery when it’s done and I end up having to add 2-3 Tablespoons of corn starch to thicken it up. I like my chili a bit thicker but that is really watery otherwise.
If I doubled the recipe in my 8 qt instant pot would I also double the cooking and natural release time? Thank you 😊
I don’t believe you will need to double the time. It should be the same.
Tastes excellent but I will tweak just a couple of things before I make it again. I’ll cube the cream cheese while it’s still cold and then let it warm up to room temperature so it blends in more easily when the dish is done. Also I won’t add the corn til it’s finished cooking because I like the corn to stay a bit crisp. Really good!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi this chili looks delicious. I wanted to make sure do I also just put in the uncooked chicken breast along with the other ingredients in the instapot? Once the chili is cooked I take it out and shred the cooked chicken and place it back in the pot?
Yes, that’s correct.
I followed your recipe exactly. When it was finished, after the 10 minute cool down, I was surprised to see large chunks of cream cheese floating on top and hadn’t thickened at all. I did cut the cream cheese (room temp) into chunks before placing it in the pot. It doesn’t look at all like your photo. Any ideas what may have happened? Did I do something wrong? Before I place the chicken back into the soup, I’m going to use my stick blender hoping it will come together.
Any suggestions???
The cream cheese chunks won’t break down on their own. It has to be stirred. I find that they break up best actually after adding the chicken because the chicken chunks help thicken things and break them up.
How long would the cooking time be to make this in a crockpot instead?
I usually do 4 hours on high.
This didn’t work out for me at all. It’s thin and watery. I had to stir it forever to get the chunks of cream cheese to dissolve into the chili. It’s probably a good soup but I was hoping for chili consistency.
Do you really add all ingredients at the beginning? Even the cream cheese and sour cream? Do you add in a specific order? Sounds yum thx
That’s what I do, yes. I add them in the order listed.
I don’t have an Instant Pot but do have a pressure cooker. Can this be made with the same directions using my pressure cooker?
I believe an instant pot and pressure cooker are pretty much the same in this case, so that should be fine.