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…
- 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. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer briefly for 5 minutes.
- 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
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
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Thought it was very bland.
We’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for this Alexis, we hope you can add more seasoning to taste, or that you’re able to find another recipe that you like!
Hi, I made the 5 ingredient white chicken chili last night and it was terrific! I agree it could be more of a soup but it was terrific and so quick to make because I cook tons of chicken, shred and then vacuum seal them in 1 lbs bags! The only extra I added was Jalapeno strips for a topping but I could see the possibilities with this one! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing Jeanette, we’re happy you enjoyed it! :)
How many does white bean chicken soup feed? Five ingredients?
Hi Lucy, the recipe will yield 2-4 servings. We hope you enjoy!
I just wanted to chime in to say that you can absolutely use frozen meat in the crockpot- I do it all the time and see it recommended on several cooking websites. I find that using frozen chicken breasts to start keep the texture better than if you start with fresh ones which often get mushy with prolonged simmering. The temp in the crockpot will eventually reach boiling killing any bacteria anyway.
Hi Sara, that’s good to know you’ve had good results with using frozen meat in the crockpot. We have done it before too, and it definitely works, but it’s a safety issue. After doing much research on crockpot cooking, just about every source we read says it’s a big “no no.” Again, not because it doesn’t work, but because it’s riskier safety-wise. Harmful bacteria can contaminate the meat before it reaches a safe temperature. There are still a number of recipes out there that call for it, we just personally don’t recommend it.
For the crockpot should I use dried beans, not canned?
Hi Diana — nope, canned beans work just fine! We hope you enjoy!
These soups looks so good! I will be making the White Chicken Chili today for a last minute family gathering. I needed something easy, delicious and super fast! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Christy, we hope you and your family enjoy it! :)
For slowcooker recipe, can chicken be frozen to start?
Hi Heather, unfortunately no. It’s really dangerous to use frozen ingredients in a slow cooker/crockpot – especially meats. You can use frozen chicken, but it must be thawed properly first. Putting frozen meat in directly will keep your meat in the danger zone (40°F – 140°F) for too long, encouraging harmful bacteria.
These soups look amazing. I can’t wait to try them!!!!!
Thanks, we hope you like it! :)
Wow! Super tasty and very easy.
Thanks Kelly, we’re glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve got the 5 ingredient white chicken chili simmering now. Super easy and super smart to use that salsa verde in there! I LOVE salsa verde! This tastes super yummy, thank you!
Awesome Kathy, we’re so glad you like it! :)