This 5-ingredient white chicken chili recipe is super quick and easy to make, full of great flavor, and always a crowd fave!

After sharing a new recipe for easy (red) chicken chili, I thought I would circle back today to share one of my all-time favorite recipes for easy white chicken chili.

Even better — my favorite easy white chicken chili recipe that is made with just FIVE easy ingredients. ♡

This recipe is as easy as it gets. Simply stir all of the ingredients together, bring the soup to a simmer, ladle it up while it’s nice and hot, then pile on your favorite toppings and enjoy! I’ve probably made this recipe at least a hundred times over the years, and it always has a way of hitting the spot. It also freezes and reheats well if you would like to save the leftovers or make and save a big batch for easy meal prep.

I’m telling you — this recipe is always a winner. Let’s make a batch!

5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili Ingredients:

To make this white chicken chili recipe, you will need the following five ingredients (plus I highly recommend going big on  toppings):

  • Chicken: Any kind of diced or shredded chicken will do. I typically shred a rotisserie or use leftover frozen chicken from my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or Baked Chicken Breasts recipe.
  • Salsa verde: Either homemade or store-bought, whichever you prefer. I will note that store-bought brands of roasted salsa verde can vary pretty dramatically in terms of heat. So if you prefer a milder soup, I would definitely recommend finding a salsa that is on the milder side.
  • Beans: You are welcome to use whatever type of beans you love best for this chicken chili. I typically use white beans (such as Great Northerns), but pinto, garbanzo or black beans would be delicious too.
  • Chicken stock: Because this ingredient list is so short, I recommend using a good-quality brand of chicken stock or veggie stock, whichever you prefer.
  • Cumin: We will also add in a hint of cumin to the broth to helps round out the seasonings in the salsa verde.
  • Toppings: Finally, I recommend using a generous amount of whatever toppings you love best! I almost always add cilantro and fresh avocado to my soup. But a crumble of tortilla chips, diced red or green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack or a Mexican-blend), crumbled cotija cheese, and/or sliced jalapeños would also be delicious additions!

How To Make This Soup:

To make this 5-ingredient white chicken chili recipe, simply…

  1. Combine ingredients. Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large stockpot.
  2. Bring to a simmer. Cook on high heat until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer briefly for 5 minutes.
  3. Serve. Then ladle the soup up into serving bowls, garnished with your favorite toppings.

Possible Variations:

There are so many ways that you could get creative with this soup recipe! For example, feel free to…

  • Add extra veggies. If you would like to add some extra veggies to this soup, diced poblano peppers, onions and/or potatoes (feel free to use frozen hash brown potatoes as a shortcut) are some of my other favorite additions.
  • Make it in the Crock-Pot or Instant Pot. This soup really just needs to be stirred together and warmed. So feel free to let it simmer on low in the Crock-Pot or use the sauté button on your Instant Pot, if you would prefer to use one of those appliances.

More Favorite Chili Recipes:

Here are a few more of my go-to chili recipes, if you would like to give them a try!

5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili

4.87 from 115 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili Recipe
This delicious and easy white chicken chili recipe can be made with just 5 ingredients in 15 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 3 to 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans beans of your choice, rinsed and drained (I used Great Northern beans)
  • 2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde (store-bought or homemade)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • optional toppings: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped red or green onions, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, fresh jalapeño slices

Instructions

  • Combine ingredients.  Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large stockpot.
  • Bring to a simmer.  Cook on high heat until the soup reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering for 5 minutes.
  • Serve.  Serve immediately, garnished with lots of your favorite toppings.

Notes

Chicken: 4 cups shredded chicken is equivalent to approximately 2 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts.  I often shred a rotisserie chicken for this recipe, or use leftover chicken from my Baked Chicken Breasts or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipes.

Additional Info

Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

About Ali

Hi, I'm Ali Martin! I created this site in 2009 to celebrate good food and gathering around the table. I live in Kansas City with my husband and two young boys and love creating simple, reliable, delicious recipes that anyone can make!

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4.87 from 115 votes

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474 Comments

  1. Marie says:

    I love this recipe. I made it once with ground turkey instead of chicken and it was also very tasty.  Thanks for the awesome recipe!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Awesome Marie, we’re glad you like it!:D

  2. Linda Casella says:

    O my….it is so …AMAZING  & EASY, and Yes the Secret Ingredient is the :Salsa Verde…
    I can’t believe what an Amazing Great Tasting,  Chili this is….with a Little Kick…
    I absolutely Love It!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      We’re so glad you like it Linda! :)

  3. Antoinette says:

    Does someone happen to have the nutritional information for this?
    THANK YOU! 

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Hi Antoinette, unfortunately we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!

  4. Heather says:

    Made this soup tonight. Fabulous! Easy and quick, full of flavor and healthy! Will make it often in the cold months. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Yay, we’re so happy to hear that Heather, thank you for sharing! :)

  5. Esther says:

    Is there a brand of salsa verse you recommend?

    1. Ali says:

      Oooh yes, I love Herdez!

  6. Becca says:

    Salsa verde–you are brilliant! It added so much taste! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      You’re very welcome Becca, we’re glad you enjoyed this!

  7. Melissa says:

    this soup was absolutely delicious!!!!!!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thanks Melissa, we’re so glad you enjoyed it!

  8. Susie Peterson-LaLonde says:

    Chicken Chili is one of my new favorite things to eat. I had never tried it until very recently and fell in love. Fortunately you suggest using the Salsa Verde store bought because without that awesome tip I’d not be making this. I just don’t have the time or the patience to make it home made. I will try this very soon, can’t wait!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Awesome Susie, we hope you enjoy this! :)

  9. Kathy A. says:

    This was a big hit with my family. It turned out awesome and will be one of our favorite recipes. Thanks so much for sharing it.

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      You’re so welcome Kathy, we’re really happy to hear that! :D

  10. Sandy says:

    This was so delicious and easy to make! I made the crockpot version and wasn’t sure how the flavor would turn out with so few ingredients, but it was fabulous! Even my picky 6 year old daughter gobbled it up! My husband and I both had seconds! I’ll definitely be making this again!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      That’s wonderful Sandy, we’re glad to hear that!