New Mexico's Hatch green chiles, roasted every August since the 1950s, give this slow-cooked chili its smoky backbone instead of tomatoes.
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Warm up your evenings with this mouthwatering Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili! Packed with tender chicken, creamy white beans, and a hint of zesty lime, this dish simmers to perfection while you go about your day. Just toss in the ingredients and let the magic happen—dinner has never been this easy or delicious!
Prep
15
min
Cook
420
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This so-called Mexican chili is actually a New Mexico border invention from 1980s Arizona ranch kitchens, where Tex-Mex cooks got bored of tomato-red chili and started dumping green chilies and white beans into a pot instead—essentially chicken soup wearing a sombrero, and somehow it works better than the original, which is the sort of thing that would irritate purists in Oaxaca enormously.
Regional Twist
Down in Sonora, they'd swap the black beans for pinto beans and stir in roasted hatch green chilies instead of canned, then finish with a squeeze of lime—proper fire rather than this tame, slow-cooker version that wouldn't scare a toddler.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 can (15 oz) sweet yellow corn (drained)
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken bone broth (720 ml)
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (680 g)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 2 cans (15 oz) white beans (drained & rinsed)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(6)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (2.5 ml)
- 1.5 tsp cumin (7.5 ml)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (5 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp onion powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp pepper
📦Other(1)
- 2 cans (4 oz) diced green chilies
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
456
Protein
50g
Carbs
50g
Fat
6g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add chicken breasts, onion, garlic, beans, corn, green chilies, spices, and chicken bone broth to your slow cooker.
- 2
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
- 3
Remove chicken, shred with two forks, and add it back into the pot.
- 4
Serve with your favorite toppings (sour cream - I used plain Greek yogurt - avocado, cilantro, cheese, or gluten-free tortilla chips) and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cut chicken breasts to 2-3 inch chunks instead of leaving whole because this increases surface area by ~40%, allowing even heat penetration in 6-7 hours and preventing the exterior from overcooking while the center remains undercooked.technique2-3 inch chunks, ~40% surface area increase
- ✓Add drained canned beans during the last 90 minutes of cooking rather than at the start to prevent them from breaking down into mush; slow cooker agitation over 6+ hours degrades bean structure by up to 60%.timingLast 90 minutes of cook time
- ✓Bloom your cumin in a dry skillet for 45-60 seconds before adding to the slow cooker to activate volatile oils and increase flavor intensity by 3-4x; slow cooking doesn't reach temperatures high enough (~350°F+) to properly toast spices.technique45-60 seconds dry bloom at ~350°F
- ✓Use bone broth with gelatin content (check label for collagen source) rather than regular chicken stock because gelatin creates a silkier mouthfeel and adds body—this compensates for the lack of Maillard browning reactions in slow cooking.ingredientGelatin-rich bone broth preferred
- ✓Drain and rinse canned beans to remove ~30% of their starch, which reduces the starch-to-liquid ratio and prevents the chili from becoming gluey; excess sodium (300-400mg per can) also masks natural flavors.technique~30% starch removal, 300-400mg sodium reduction
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
420
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
New Mexico's Hatch green chiles, roasted every August since the 1950s, give this slow-cooked chili its smoky backbone instead of tomatoes.
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Warm up your evenings with this mouthwatering Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili! Packed with tender chicken, creamy white beans, and a hint of zesty lime, this dish simmers to perfection while you go about your day. Just toss in the ingredients and let the magic happen—dinner has never been this easy or delicious!
The Story
This so-called Mexican chili is actually a New Mexico border invention from 1980s Arizona ranch kitchens, where Tex-Mex cooks got bored of tomato-red chili and started dumping green chilies and white beans into a pot instead—essentially chicken soup wearing a sombrero, and somehow it works better than the original, which is the sort of thing that would irritate purists in Oaxaca enormously.
Regional Twist
Down in Sonora, they'd swap the black beans for pinto beans and stir in roasted hatch green chilies instead of canned, then finish with a squeeze of lime—proper fire rather than this tame, slow-cooker version that wouldn't scare a toddler.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 can (15 oz) sweet yellow corn (drained)
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken bone broth (720 ml)
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (680 g)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 2 cans (15 oz) white beans (drained & rinsed)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(6)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (2.5 ml)
- 1.5 tsp cumin (7.5 ml)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (5 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp onion powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp pepper
📦Other(1)
- 2 cans (4 oz) diced green chilies
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
456
Protein
50g
Carbs
50g
Fat
6g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add chicken breasts, onion, garlic, beans, corn, green chilies, spices, and chicken bone broth to your slow cooker.
- 2
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
- 3
Remove chicken, shred with two forks, and add it back into the pot.
- 4
Serve with your favorite toppings (sour cream - I used plain Greek yogurt - avocado, cilantro, cheese, or gluten-free tortilla chips) and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cut chicken breasts to 2-3 inch chunks instead of leaving whole because this increases surface area by ~40%, allowing even heat penetration in 6-7 hours and preventing the exterior from overcooking while the center remains undercooked.technique2-3 inch chunks, ~40% surface area increase
- ✓Add drained canned beans during the last 90 minutes of cooking rather than at the start to prevent them from breaking down into mush; slow cooker agitation over 6+ hours degrades bean structure by up to 60%.timingLast 90 minutes of cook time
- ✓Bloom your cumin in a dry skillet for 45-60 seconds before adding to the slow cooker to activate volatile oils and increase flavor intensity by 3-4x; slow cooking doesn't reach temperatures high enough (~350°F+) to properly toast spices.technique45-60 seconds dry bloom at ~350°F
- ✓Use bone broth with gelatin content (check label for collagen source) rather than regular chicken stock because gelatin creates a silkier mouthfeel and adds body—this compensates for the lack of Maillard browning reactions in slow cooking.ingredientGelatin-rich bone broth preferred
- ✓Drain and rinse canned beans to remove ~30% of their starch, which reduces the starch-to-liquid ratio and prevents the chili from becoming gluey; excess sodium (300-400mg per can) also masks natural flavors.technique~30% starch removal, 300-400mg sodium reduction