This post is sponsored by Hurst’s HamBeens, all opinions are my own.
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Creamy white chicken chili, loaded with hearty beans, tender shredded chicken, sweet corn, and a rich creamy base that is loaded with flavor. There are so many varieties of chili out there, but this white chicken chili is sure to be a family favorite and is a great alternative to traditional beef chili.
Whether you are a chili person or not, this is a recipe you’ll want to be making year round. And because the flavors just get better as they meld together, it is the perfect dish for leftovers or to make ahead for busy night.
What Ingredients go into White Chicken Chili?
- Hurst’s HamBeens Great Northern Beans- Start from dry, and let them soften and cook up right in your pressure cooker. No need for soaking or prepping.
- Chicken -I prefer chicken thighs, as they stay nice and tender and juicy and don’t dry out too much while cooking, but you can use chicken breasts if you are in a pinch.
- Red Onion – red onion adds lots of flavor here, and still keeps it nice and mildly sweet.
- Chicken broth – Go with a high quality flavorful broth for the best results, or make your own.
- Fire Roasted Rotel- This is going to add a nice flavor boost, with those fire roasted tomatoes and green chilies.
- Cumin, Chili Powder, Ranch seasoning – these create a perfect blend of spices here for fun flavor, and not too many ingredients to add.
- Canned Corn – You can add frozen corn at the end too if you want, but the juices from the canned corn help add flavor to the broth.
- Cream Cheese – This adds major creaminess, and is such a fun addition.
- Toppings and Garnish – I like to add avocado, cilantro, jalapenos, tortilla chips, and cheese.
Why Hurst’s?
This is where you get the highest quality dry beans and flavorings. Starting in 1947, the Hurst name became recognized in the industry as being a first quality packager of edible dry beans. In 1963, Hurst partnered with a local company to create a dry ham flavoring for his beans. The HamBeens® brand name was trademarked and became the first mass produced seasoned dry bean product in the country.
Now they offer over 30 flavored varieties across the Hurst brands, making it easy to find the right mix of beans and seasoning packet to make dishes the whole family will love!
With the Great Northern Beans with Ham Seasoning, each package contains 20 oz. of dry beans with one seasoning packet. The seasoning packet is a great way to add even more flavor to this fantastic white chili without having to round up additional ingredients.
The Trick For A Creamy White Bean Chicken Chili
I have tested this recipe over and over to get the right thickness, consistency, and creaminess. And you are going to find this is the perfect chili like consistency. But if you want it a little thicker, there are a few things you can do:
- Blend Beans: Process some of the Great Northern Beans with some of the soup broth in a blender or food processor, and add it to the pot. This will give your soup a nice creamy texture without changing the flavor at all.
- Make a Cornstarch Slurry: Mix 1 Tbsp of cornstarch into 2-3 Tbsp of cold milk/half and half/chicken broth or water. Stir until cornstarch dissolves, then stir that mixture into the hot chili. Cook until thickened to your liking.
- Sour Cream: For added creaminess, add a dollop of sour cream to your bowl and stir.
Can I Make White Chicken Chili in a Crockpot?
Yes, absolutely. This White Chicken Chili can be made in a crockpot with just a few adjustments. To do so:
- Place the beans in a colander and sort out any debris, rinse beans and add to the slow cooker.
- Use 1 lb. raw chicken thighs and add them to your crock pot, along with the beans, broth, spices, and chilies.
- Finely mince the onions or saute first so they are cooked through.
- Cook on high 4 hours or low 6-8 hours (or until chicken is cooked through and beans are soft) then remove chicken and shred it, add softened cream cheese and cook until melted, add chicken back in.
- Stir it all together, and top with your favorite garnishes.
Tips for Chicken Chili
This pressure cooker version of white chicken chili is so easy I don’t have many tips for you, but here are a few things you can do to get great results every time!
- Adjust heat levels to preference – This is a very mild white chicken chili, the spiciest thing in it is the Rotel, and you can get that in whatever spice preference you want. If you would like it spicier feel free to add cayenne pepper, or more green chilies.
- Customize your toppings – One of the best part of chilis is adding all the fun toppings on. You can top this recipe with so many fun garnishes that add color, flavor, and amp up the chili. For example: Avocado, tortilla strips, jalapenos, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, green onions, green chilies, etc.
- Add spices: This is a great universally liked white chicken chili, with great flavor, but fairly mild flavor, you can enhance those flavors with chicken bouillon, or more spices.
Can you Freeze White Chicken Chili?
Yes, you absolutely can freeze white chicken chili.
Chili is a great dish to make ahead and freeze, especially as the flavors continue to meld together and enhance as it sits. Store it in freezer containers, then when you’re ready to use, partially thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Heat it through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, and add broth or water if necessary to achieve desired thickness.
STORAGE
Chicken chili can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Variations:
- Protein swap – try making this chili with turkey instead of chicken!
- More beans – Add a package of Hurst’s Chili Bean mix, for more protein. Just be sure to add more broth so there is enough liquid to rehydrate them.
- Add heat – for a spicier chili, try using the hot variety of green chiles, diced jalapeno, or even hot sauce to your pressure cooker.
- Non-Dairy – you can enjoy this chili without adding the cream cheese, instead blend up the beans, or make a corn starch slurry to get the thickness. The flavor will be a bit different, but it is a great way to cut the dairy.
- Leave out the Corn– I love corn, and I love the subtle sweetness it adds to this recipe, but it isn’t totally necessary, so if you are not a fan, you can leave it out.
How to Make White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot
- Place the beans in a colander and sort out any debris, rinse beans and add to the pressure cooker.
- Then continue to place all of your ingredients into your instant pot bowl in the following order: Beans, chopped onion, corn with juice, tomatoes with juice, water, and chicken broth.
- Add chili powder, cumin, ranch, and ham flavor packet from beans. Stir everything to combine.
- Place lid on instant pot, set vent to sealing, and use manual high pressure, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure by switching the valve to the “venting” position to completely release steam before opening the lid.
- Open the lid, and add the chicken to the pot, pushing it down into the liquid.
- Cut cream cheese into 6-8 pieces and place over the top of the rest of the chili ingredients. Cover and seal with lid, switch the valve back to the “sealing” position and cook for 20 min on manual high pressure. Once it is done cooking, let it naturally depressurize for 10 min then switch the valve to the “venting” position to completely release steam before opening the lid.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and shred apart with 2 forks. Check the doneness of the beans. If they need more time, add 5-10 more minutes.
- Stir everything together in the pot to melt the cream cheese into the chili then return the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Serve garnished with avocado and cilantro if desired.
Let’s get cooking:
White Chicken Chili
Equipment
- 6 qt or larger pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 20 ounce Hurst’s HamBeens Brand Great Northern Beans with Ham flavor
- 31 fl ounces chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 15 oz corn with liquid
- 10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis fire roasted is best, with juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons ranch dressing mix
- 8 oz cream cheese cut into 6 pieces
Optional Toppings and Serving Suggestions:
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped for garnish
- 1 avocado diced for garnish
- Tortilla chips to serve
- 1 jalapeno for garnish
Instructions
- Place the beans in a colander and sort out any debris, rinse beans and add to the pressure cooker.
- Then continue to place all of your ingredients into your instant pot bowl in the following order: Beans, chopped onion, corn with juice, tomatoes with juice, water, and chicken broth.
- Add chili powder, cumin, ranch, and ham flavor packet from beans. Stir everything to combine.
- Place lid on instant pot, set vent to sealing, and use manual high pressure, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure by switching the valve to the "venting" position to completely release steam before opening the lid.
- Open the lid, and add the chicken to the pot, pushing it down into the liquid.
- Cut cream cheese into 6-8 pieces and place over the top of the rest of the chili ingredients. Cover and seal with lid, switch the valve back to the "sealing" position and cook for 20 min on manual high pressure. Once it is done cooking, let it naturally depressurize for 10 min then switch the valve to the "venting" position to completely release steam before opening the lid.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and shred apart with 2 forks. Check the doneness of the beans. If they need more time, add 5-10 more minutes.
- Stir everything together in the pot to melt the cream cheese into the chili then return the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Serve garnished with avocado and cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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