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This low carb and keto friendly Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe has two kinds of cheese and a little kick from jalapenos! It’s a great way to use rotisserie chicken, and it comes together in less than 30 minutes. You can make it on the stovetop or in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
If you’re a chili purist, don’t avert your eyes! Yes, this Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe has chicken…and no beans…and neither a tomato product nor chili powder in sight, lol. But I promise it’s pretty fantastic!
Delicious is a given, but it’s also easy to make, fun to top with whatever suits your fancy, and a real crowd-pleaser. If it makes you feel any better, think of a it as a cheesy chicken chowder or something.
Because it’s so quick and easy to make, this Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe makes a perfect weeknight meal. Or serve it with a toppings bar on game day or at your next party, and people won’t even realize you’re feeding them healthy!
This is a great recipe for meal prep! I freeze it in individual portions so it’s easy to thaw one serving.
What is White Chili?
White Chili is a flavorful, creamy soup. It’s typically made from chicken stock, white beans, chicken, green chiles, onion, garlic, and a few other spices.
It’s quite a contrast in flavor and color compared to a classic chili with a tomato-based sauce containing chili powder and beef.
What Are the Ingredients for White Chicken Chili?
Unlike regular White Chicken Chili, which usually has white beans and a clear broth, I wanted a low carb and keto friendly version, so I made a couple easy changes.
I omitted the beans and added two kinds of cheese (cream cheese and white cheddar) and heavy cream for a rich, creamy texture.
Ingredients in This Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe:
- Unsalted butter
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeno
- Chicken bone broth
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cream cheese
- White cheddar
- Chicken
- Heavy cream
What Spices Are in White Chicken Chili?
White Chicken Chili usually has salt, black pepper, and cumin. I also use onion and garlic for aromatics, and I also usually include herbs (here I used dried oregano).
How Do You Make White Chicken Chili Spicier?
The spicy heat in my Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe comes from jalapenos! If you want it more spicy-hot, you can add more jalapenos as desired.
Alternatively, for a milder flavor, reduce the amount of jalapenos.
As the recipe is with two jalapenos, it’s about a mild spice level because the cream cheese, heavy cream, and cheese offset the jalapenos’ heat.
How Do You Make White Chili?
Chili in general is very easy to make! If you’re pressed for time or don’t care about layering flavors, you can just toss everything into a pot, cook it until the meat is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender, and call it a day.
However, if you want to take a little extra time and effort to get deeper flavor, I recommend sautéing the aromatics, such as onion, garlic, etc. as the first step. I also brown the meat at this stage if I’m starting with raw meat. (However, when I use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken I add it at the end.)
Then I add the liquid (here I used chicken stock) along with herbs and spices, and bring it to a boil to help the flavors blend.
Once the flavors have blended a little, I add my cheeses and heavy cream.
Lastly, because I used leftover chicken for this recipe, I stirred it in at the end.
What Kind of Chicken Can I Use for This?
How to Use Leftover Chicken or Rotisserie Chicken to Make This Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe:
- Make the chili recipe, and once cooked, stir in the cooked, cubed chicken at the end.
- Continue cooking just until the chicken is warm, stirring constantly.
How to Use Raw Chicken Breasts to Make White Chicken Chili:
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the chicken breasts along with the onion and celery, but instead of cooking 5 to 7 minutes, cook until the chicken is fully cooked (not pink in the center), about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Continue on with the rest of the recipe.
How to Use Raw Ground Chicken to Make White Chicken Chili:
- Cook the ground chicken along with the onion and celery, but instead of cooking 5 to 7 minutes, cook until the chicken is fully cooked (no longer pink), about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Continue on with the rest of the recipe.
How to Make This Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe in a Slow Cooker
If you’re using raw chicken (raw chopped chicken breasts or raw ground chicken):
- Sauté the chicken in a skillet on the stovetop. Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker.
- To the same skillet that you cooked the chicken in, cook the onion and celery, and then add the garlic and jalapeno. (Complete Steps 1 and 2 from the recipe below.)
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to the slow cooker along with everything in Steps 3 and 4 from the recipe below; stir.
- Cook on LOW heat in the slow cooker for 4 hours.
- Whisk in the shredded cheddar until smooth, and then stir in the cream.
- Serve.
If you’re using cooked chicken (leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken):
- Use a skillet on the stovetop to complete Steps 1 and 2 from the recipe below.
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a slow cooker along with everything in Steps 3 and 4 from the recipe below; stir.
- Cook on LOW heat in the slow cooker for 4 hours.
- Whisk in the shredded cheddar until smooth, and then stir in the chicken and cream.
- Serve.
How to Make This Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe in an Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker)
If you’re using raw chicken (raw chopped chicken breasts or raw ground chicken):
- Turn the Instant Pot on, press “Sauté”, and wait 2 minutes for the pot to heat up. Add 2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil (instead of butter that the recipe calls for), the chicken, onion, and celery, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Press “Cancel” to stop sautéing.
- Add everything in Steps 3 and 4 from the recipe below to the Instant Pot; stir.
- Turn the pot on Manual, High Pressure for 2 minutes and then do a quick release.
- Whisk in the shredded cheddar until smooth, and then stir in the cream.
- Serve.
If you’re using cooked chicken (leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken):
- Turn the Instant Pot on, press “Sauté”, and wait 2 minutes for the pot to heat up. Add 2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil (instead of butter that the recipe calls for), the onion and celery, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Press “Cancel” to stop sautéing.
- Add everything in Steps 3 and 4 from the recipe below to the Instant Pot; stir.
- Turn the pot on Manual, High Pressure for 2 minutes and then do a quick release.
- Whisk in the shredded cheddar until smooth, and then stir in the chicken and cream.
- Serve.
Perfect Party Food: How to Set Up a White Chicken Chili Bar
Make a double or triple batch of this Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe. (This is a great time to pull out your slow cooker or pressure cooker to make this easy; see instructions above.) You can even make the chili up to three days in advance so it’s ready and waiting for you on the big day!
No matter what method you use to make this chili (stovetop, pressure cooker, or slow cooker), I like to put it in my slow cooker for the party and leave it on the lowest setting to keep it warm (remember to stir it occasionally). If it thickens, you can always add a splash more chicken bone broth, but this way it’s hot for whenever people want to eat!
Have the following toppings prepared and ready to go so people can pick whichever ones they want:
- Cilantro leaves
- Scallion slices
- Jalapeno slices
- Fresh lime wedges (this really brightens up the flavor!)
- Shredded white cheddar or crumbled queso fresco
- Sour cream
- Guacamole or chopped avocado (prepare right before serving to avoid browning)
More Unique Chili Recipe Ideas:
- Crock Pot Crazy Pineapple Chili from Two Healthy Kitchens
- Chili with a Spanish Flair from An Edible Mosaic
- Pizza Chili from The Girl Who Ate Everything
- Slow Cooker Black Bean, Butternut Squash, and Quinoa Chili from The Full Helping
- 30-Minute Chocolate-Espresso Beef and Black Bean Chili from An Edible Mosaic
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe (Beanless; Keto; Low Carb)
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Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large stalks celery diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 jalapenos deseeded and minced
- 3 cups chicken bone broth
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 ounces white cheddar shredded
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or cubed (great use for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Optional Toppings:
- Shredded white cheddar or crumbled queso fresco
- Cilantro leaves
- Scallion slices
- Jalapeno slices
- Fresh lime wedges
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the celery and onion and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the broth, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer 2 minutes.
- Whisk in the cream cheese 1/2 at a time until smooth.
- Whisk in the shredded cheddar 1/3 at a time until smooth.
- Stir in the chicken and cream, and cook until the chicken is warm, about 1 minute, gently stirring constantly.
- Serve with any toppings you like.
Video
Notes
- Net Carbs: 5g per serving
- Nutrition information was calculated without toppings.
- Additional Cooking Methods: Please see the post above for slow cooker and pressure cooker instructions.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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I made some additions and this recipe won me this year’s (2024) Church Chili Cook off!! Everyone said it had the best sweet to spicy flavor ratio. I loved it and will be printing it out for future use.
Side note: please don’t ask me what I added to it lol I can’t remember…. I never wrote it down!
We do not like a lot of spice, so I use poblano peppers instead of jalapeños and it’s a family favorite. Definitely a football Sunday stable!
You are AMAZING! Thank you thank you thank you so much for this. I was considering doing the same thing and you’ve just made the task a lot less daunting.
Faith, this came out soooo perfectly delicious! Made it for dinner tonight, and can’t get over how wonderful it tasted! It’s not often (like, never!) that I enjoy a recipe the first time without tweaking it a little. I had “faith” this would be worth it, and it was! I did have a bit of a problem with the cheddar “globbing” up a bit, but a half-teaspoon of sodium citrate got it all melty again. This is definitely a winner recipe, and a great use of leftover chicken. It will be a regular around here! Thanks so much for sharing!
Diane, Makes my day to hear you enjoyed this, thank you so much for letting me know! That’s a great tip with the sodium citrate, I’ll remember that one in case I need it. xoxo
I’ve heard that shredded cheese has potato starch on it, thus not melting. It said to use block cheese and shred it yourself. I have leftover rotisserie chicken so im making this recipe!