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!
Hey, I was wondering what brand of Salsa Verde you like you use when you don’t make your own? We’re stocking up the freezer for our November baby right now, and this is one of the “new” recipes I’m trying, to mix things up. There are always SO MANY brands to choose from at the store. Thank you!
P.S. I make your 5-ingredient soup with the chicken, quinoa, and pesto all the time, and even my picky toddler loves it. So I know this will be delicious too.
I really love Herdez’s salsa verde, but just about any will do. :) And congrats on the upcoming arrival of your little one! This soup is awesome for freezing — I make at least once a month to freeze for easy lunches. (So glad you liked the pesto soup too!)
Throw some crushed corn chips to thicken to a stoup! Yummy!
Thank you for this recipe! My family has loved it from the very first time we tried it and it has been a staple in our meal plan for a little while. Love the flavors and ease of preparing!
You’re very welcome, Amanda — we’re so glad you and your family enjoy it! :)
How long does this keep in the fridge? I made it tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I would love to eat it over the week at least.
We’re so glad you liked it, Tiffany! This should keep in the fridge for about five days or so.
Hi! Love your site. Question – do you think this would freeze well, if I made it in the slow cooker? Thinking about making it for a co-worker who is going through some medical issues.
Thanks!
MJ
Can you use chicken thighs instead? Happen to have some in fridge!
Hi Deb! We haven’t tried this with chicken thighs, so we can’t say for sure. However, we think it should likely work — definitely let us know how it turns out if you give it a try!
I made this tonight and I wish I made it sooooo much sooner. My husband and I loved it. He loved it so much, he ate 3 bowls. Super easy and super quick to make. Definitely on my comfort food list.
I did run out of time so I made it extra easy by using rotisserie chicken from the store and Bobby Salazar’s chile verde salsa. One of the 2 salsas I will actually buy at the store.
We’re so happy you and your husband loved it, Esmeralda! :)
Just found your site. Very nice! I LOVE how easy it is to navigate, to jump to the recipe, print what I want. Not to mention the recipes themselves! Well done! Great web design!
Thanks, Jeffrey — we appreciate your feedback! :)
I’m trying this recipe today in my crockpot, I have one question… Does the chicken need to be thawed first?? Thanks
Hi Carmen! Yes, it definitely needs to be thawed first. We hope you enjoy!
I’m a teacher, and a parent made this chili for me and several other teachers for teacher appreciation week. Not only did she supply us with the chili, but she gave each of us a container of sour cream, a bag of tortilla chips, two avocados, shredded cheese and graham crackers for dessert. She had been a teacher, and I guess knew how much teachers would appreciate not having to figure out what’s for dinner when they got home. Anyway, the chili was so delicious, that I requested the recipe, which led me to your great site.
Hey Melissa! Thanks for sharing this with us (how sweet of that parent)! And we’re so glad you enjoyed the chili! :)