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    Home » Food » White Bean chicken Chili Instant Pot

    White Bean chicken Chili Instant Pot

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    a white bowl full of instant pot white chicken chili with a spoon inside
    a white bowl full of white chicken chili
    a spoonful of chili
    a white bowl full of instant pot white chicken chili with a spoon inside

    Instant Pot White Chicken Chili recipe is a fresh twist on an old classic. Easy to make in your pressure cooker. This quick dinner is delicious and full of chicken, corn, green chile, and beans.

    instant pot white chicken chili in a bowl topped with cheese, tortilla strips, and lime

    The Best (Easy) White Chicken Chili Instant Pot Recipe

    Great year round - We love this white chicken chili recipe so much, we find ourselves wanting it year-round, even when it's hot outside!

    Extra creamy - A lot of white chicken chili recipes are full of clear broth, but this one adds cream cheese to make it creamy and delicious. Pureeing some of the beans can add even more creaminess.

    One-Pot Meal - fewer dishes and easier cleanup for everyone.

    Weight Watcher point friendly - if you're looking for one that is low smart points, you've come to the right place!

    Simple and easy - With just a few ingredients and your pressure cooker, you can have a comfort food meal on the table in 30 minutes. There's really only about 20 minutes of actual cooking time.

    ingredients for instant pot white chicken chili

    White Chicken Chili Instant Pot Ingredients

    While traditional chili is made with tomatoes and ground beef, this is a little bit different. Feel free to use whatever white beans you personally prefer, we just happen to love cannellini beans in ours.

    • Chicken Breast - You'll want to use boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe. I usually have chicken tenderloins on hand and have used those in this recipe also. They'll be seasoned and pressure-cooked to retain their flavor.
    • Taco Seasoning - I like to make my own homemade, but store-bought works just fine.
    • Chicken Broth - You can also use chicken stock. I prefer to use low sodium broth and add more salt to taste.
    • Garlic - I use the pre-peeled, already minced for me kind that you can find at Costco. It's one of the main shortcuts I do in cooking!
    • Onion Powder - You could always use the whole onion, but my family prefers onion powder.
    • Cumin - I'm all about extra cumin. It adds a great depth of flavor.
    • Oregano, Coriander, Salt & Pepper - All of the extra spices you'll need to really make the chili delicious.
    • Roasted Green Chile - You can most definitely use canned for this. I have roasted green chile in my freezer from back home in New Mexico, but canned is great too!
    • Neufchatel Cheese (light cream cheese) - You can use full-fat cream cheese, but to keep it point-friendly I use Neufchatel cheese. It's found right next to the regular cream cheese in the grocery store.
    • Corn - Canned or frozen is fine, but I usually use frozen because I have a giant bag in the freezer at all times.
    • Cannellini Beans - You can use whatever your favorite white bean is, ours just happens to be cannellini. I love the flavor. You could very easily substitute any white bean that you really love or have on hand. Just be sure to drain and rinse your beans first!

    Can you make Instant Pot White Chicken Chili with Frozen Chicken Breasts?

    While you can technically use frozen chicken breast, you'll have a better result using thawed. If you use frozen, you'll need to adjust your cooking time and they won't cook evenly.

    The outside will be done long before the middle which will mean dry chicken. I'd stick with just using thawed.

    What Beans Go In White Chicken Chili?

    The best beans for white chicken chili are cannellini or great northern beans.

    How To Make Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

    (full recipe instructions with measurements and printable card are at the end of this post)

    • Place your chicken breast into the bottom of the Instant Pot and sprinkle with taco seasoning.
    • Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth.
    • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to SEALING.
    • Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 12 minutes.
    • Press CANCEL.
    • QUICK-RELEASE the pressure valve.
    • Remove the lid and shred your chicken, reserving all of the broth.
    • Press SAUTE.
    • Add in your garlic, onion powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt & pepper, and green chiles. Stir to combine.
    • Add in the remaining chicken broth.
    • Add in the Neufchatel cheese, stirring occasionally until it has fully melted.
    • Once the cheese has melted, add in the corn and cannellini beans.
    • Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it begins to boil turn the saute function down on the Instant Pot.
    • Serve up with your favorite toppings! Some of our favorite toppings are sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime juice.
    • seared chicken in an instant pot
    • chicken broth with seared chicken in an instant pot
    • shredded chicken in broth in an instant pot
    • green chiles and seasonings added to shredded chicken and broth in an instant pot
    • cream cheese added to chili in an instant pot
    • beans and corn added to an instant pot

    How to Make White Chicken Chili without Cream Cheese (Dairy Free)

    This recipe is nearly dairy-free as is. The only substitution you'll need to make is cream cheese. You can leave it out completely, or substitute a dairy-free version.

    How to make White Chicken Chili in a Crockpot or Slow Cooker

    • Add the chicken with taco seasoning and 1 cup of broth to the slow cooker.
    • Cook on LOW for 5 hours.
    • Shred the chicken and add it back to the slow cooker.
    • You can follow the remaining steps of the recipe, just allow the extra time for the cream cheese to melt.
    • I would recommend adding the cream cheese about 1 hour before you plan to serve.

    How to make Stovetop White Bean Chicken Chili

    You could either opt to use rotisserie chicken to eliminate cooking the chicken altogether, or you could boil your chicken on the stove.

    white chicken chili in a bowl topped with cilantro, lime, cheese, and tortilla strips

    Delicious Toppings for Instant Pot Chicken Chili

    We all have our own favorite toppings! Here are some you can try on your Instant Pot White Chicken Chili:

    • Tortilla Strips - You can buy the pre-made tortilla strips from the store, or you can make your own using corn tortillas.
    • Shredded Cheese - we prefer Monterrey Jack because of how it tastes and melts, but really any shredded cheese works great.
    • Avocado - it is great on so many things. The cool creamy avocado adds a great flavor and texture contrast to the chili.
    • Cilantro - Are you a cilantro lover or a cilantro hater? We're a house divided. I love cilantro on mine.
    • Lime Juice - A fresh squeeze of lime tastes wonderful.
    • Sour Cream - This cool creamy topping goes really great with avocado on top.

    Can Instant Pot Chicken Chili be Made Ahead of Time?

    Yes. I feel like it just gets better with time. It is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day after all of the flavors have had a chance to meld together.

    How to Store & Reheat Instant Pot Chicken Chili

    To freeze this recipe, omit the cream cheese from the recipe, cool, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator and when you go to reheat it and serve, add the cream cheese in and allow it to melt before serving.

    FAQs and Tips for White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot

    How do I thicken white chicken chili?

    The cream cheese will thicken the chili a bit. If you want it even thicker, you can puree one of the cans of cannellini beans. Put them in the food processor before adding them in.

    Can this be made using dry beans?

    You'll want to cook your dry beans first. If you want to use only the Instant Pot, start by making the dry beans.

    Then remove them and make the chicken. You can continue as normal for the remainder of the recipe.

    Can I add chili powder to my white chili?

    You can. If you'd like to add a little extra spice in addition to the green chilis, feel free to add as much chili powder as you'd like.

    white chicken chili in a white bowl with a spoon

    What to Serve with Creamy White Chicken Chili?

    The best side dish for creamy white chicken chili is a good cornbread you can use to soak up all the extra flavor.

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    white chicken chili in a white bowl with a spoon

    Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

    Kara - Sweetly Splendid
    Instant Pot White Chicken Chili - This chili is a fresh twist on an old classic. It comes together in your Instant Pot, full of chicken, corn, green chile and beans.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Soups & Stews
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 6
    Calories 314 kcal
    Protein 32 g

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken tenderloins
    • 3 cups chicken broth
    • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
    • 1 tbsp minced garlic
    • 1 tbsp onion powder
    • 1 tbsp cumin
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • 1 tsp coriander
    • Salt & Pepper to taste
    • ½ cup roasted green chile chopped
    • 8 oz Neufchatel cheese light cream cheese
    • 1 ½ cups corn
    • 2 cans 1 ¾ cup Cannellini Beans
    •  

    Instructions
     

    • Place your chicken breast into bottom of the Instant Pot and sprinkle with taco seasoning. 
    • Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth. 
    • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to SEALING. 
    • Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 12 minutes. 
    • Press CANCEL. 
    • QUICK-RELEASE the pressure valve. 
    • Remove the lid and shred your chicken, reserving all of the broth. 
    • Press SAUTE. 
    • Add in your garlic, onion powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt & pepper and green chiles. Stir to combine. 
    • Add in the remaining chicken broth.
    • Add in the neufchatel cheese, stirring occasionally until it has fully melted. 
    • Once the cheese has melted, add in the corn and cannellini beans. 
    • Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it begins to boil turn the saute function down on the Instant Pot. 
    • Serve up with your favorite toppings!

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
    Serving Size
     
    1.5 cups
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    314
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    10
    g
    15
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    5
    g
    31
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    0
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    73
    mg
    24
    %
    Sodium
     
    620
    mg
    27
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    25
    g
    8
    %
    Fiber
     
    4
    g
    17
    %
    Sugar
     
    5
    g
    6
    %
    Protein
     
    32
    g
    64
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Keyword beans, chicken, chili, instant pot, mexican
    Have you tried this recipe? Please let us know how it was in the comments or tag us on Instagram @sweetlysplendid!
    « Taco Pie
    Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erin

      September 24, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      How much taco seasoning do you add at the beginning with the chicken and broth? I feel like that part of the instructions isn’t very clear. Thanks!

      Reply
      • kara

        September 24, 2020 at 6:41 pm

        Hi Erin! I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize that I completely forgot to list it in the ingredients list of the recipe card. Thank you for letting me know! It’s 2 tablespoons which is equivalent to 1 packet if you buy it in the envelopes at the store.

        Reply
    2. Sherry

      August 13, 2021 at 3:59 pm

      How would you do it in slow cooker mode? I'd think after you sear the chicken you'd dump and go, but I'd like your feedback. Thanks!

      Reply
      • kara

        August 26, 2021 at 1:11 pm

        Hi Sherry! That's what I would do, but omit the cream cheese and beans. I would add them in at the very end.

        Reply
    3. Sherry

      October 09, 2021 at 6:02 pm

      5 stars
      I'm back!

      I've made it and loves it so much! I'm making it again tonight.

      Reply
      • kara

        October 19, 2021 at 7:42 pm

        I love hearing that!! Thank you, Sherry!

        Reply
    4. Jenny

      November 07, 2021 at 11:34 pm

      5 stars
      Made this on a cool fall day and boy did it warm my soul!! So good and nice to see a recipe using green chile! I chose to make it in the crock pot and it turned out great. Also, I did not realize there is a low fat option for cream cheese so I'm so glad that Kara suggested this to make it a healthier meal! Will be making again!!

      Reply
      • kara

        November 08, 2021 at 2:49 pm

        Seeing this makes me want to make it myself now!

        Reply
    5. Lyndsay Krom

      February 24, 2022 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      This one is a family favorite!! So wonderfully delish!!

      Reply

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    Meet Kara

    Kara is a wife & mother living deep in the heart of Texas. She loves all things food and spending time with her family and dogs. She has a passion for cooking and loves making yummy, family-friendly recipes. Learn more about Kara...

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