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Instant Pot White Chicken Chili is one of the easiest, coziest chili recipes! Made with tender chicken, white beans, green chiles, and a creamy broth, this family-favorite comes together with minimal effort!
Looking for more favorite cozy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes? Don't miss Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings, and Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.
When the temperatures begin to dip and the sun sets earlier in the day, I find myself turning to my collection of chili recipes for a cozy, warming dinner.
And while I love chili of all varieties, Instant Pot White Chicken Chili ranks high on my (and my family's) list of favorites. From the mild heat of green chiles to the warm notes of cumin and the creamy broth, this white bean chili delivers a rich, hearty taste without being too spicy.
Best of all? With the help of the Instant Pot, this chili recipe is one of the FASTEST & EASIEST ways to deliver a comforting meal. And everyone loves it!
A Few Helpful Tips Before We Get Cooking
- Chicken Options: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- No Need to Thaw Chicken. Unlike the slow cooker, it is safe to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot.
- Don't Use Fat-Free Cream Cheese. Fat-free cream cheese does not blend well into the chili and can produce an unpleasant texture.
- Use a Blender. Blending softened cream cheese into a bit of cooking liquid will ensure a smooth creamy broth.
- Don't Forget Toppings. While delicious served plain, topping with diced avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, and/or lime juice is always a great idea!
How to Make the Best Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Sauté the Onions and Spices. Starting this white chicken chili by sauteing the onion, chilies, garlic, and spices in a bit of oil, you build layers of flavor to this chili with just a few extra minutes of hands-on prep.
2. Deglaze the Inner Pot. Any time you sauté anything in the instant pot, you want to deglaze the inner pot with a bit of thin liquid to prevent a burn notice. For this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili recipe, add in a small amount of chicken stock and scrape off browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
3. Let Pressure Release Naturally. After pressure cooking the white chicken chili, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes. This will ensure the chicken stays tender, not to mention prevent hot liquid from spewing out the vent knob.
4. Add Cream Cheese. To make this chili creamy and have the texture that white chicken chili is known for, blend a bit of the broth with cream cheese. Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature BEFORE adding the chili so that it will become super creamy, not lumpy or gritty.
5. Serve. Top this chili with shredded cheese, diced avocado, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, and corn chips or a side of Homemade Cornbread. I personally love to add in a squeeze of fresh lime juice which really brightens up the flavors.
Recipe Modifications
- Dairy-free: Omit the cream cheese from the recipe. I promise the white chicken chili will still be delicious, just not as thick and creamy.
- No Instant Pot? Use my recipe for the Crockpot White Chicken Chili.
- Spice it Up: For more heat, increase cayenne pepper or use medium, not mild green chiles.
- Start with Dried Beans. Instead of using canned beans, start this recipe by adding 1 cup of rinsed great northern beans and 4 cups of water to the pressure cooker. Cook on HIGH pressure for 25 minutes with a natural pressure release. Drain the cooking liquid from the cooked beans, and set the cooked beans to the side to add to the chili. Proceed with the recipe for white chicken chili.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Once the white chicken chili has cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Due to the addition of the cream cheese, I don't recommend freezing this chili, as may separate when thawed due to the addition of cream cheese.
- Reheat: Reheat individual servings in a heat-safe bowl, covered with a damp paper towel, in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
More Cozy Instant Pot Recipes
- Classic Instant Pot Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Chili
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
If you enjoyed this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili, I would love for you to leave a comment or review below.
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, mild heat level
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 (15.5 oz) can cooked great northern beans, rinsed and drained, see recipe notes on using dried beans
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, fresh or frozen
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
Instructions
- Turn the sauté function on the Instant Pot, add in 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil and let heat briefly. Once heated, add in 1 small yellow onion (diced) and 2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion has is softened. Add 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano and sauté for 1 minute longer. Turn the Instant Pot OFF by hitting cancel.
- Pour in ½ cup of the 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock and scrape off any browned bits on the bottom of Instant Pot. Add the remaining broth to the inner pot. *Adding a small amount makes it so you don't splash yourself when deglazing the inner pot.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 (15.5 oz) can cooked great northern beans, rinsed and drained. Nestle 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs into the liquid.
- Close the Instant Pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Using the manual or pressure cook button, set it to cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes if the chicken is thawed and 20 minutes if the chicken is frozen.
- Once the cooking time elapses, let the pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
- Once the pressure has been released, remove the chicken from the inner pot to a cutting board and let rest for a few minutes, before shredding with 2 forks or chopping into bite-sized pieces.
- Remove about 2 cups of the cooking liquid (it is okay if there are beans in the liquid) from the inner pot and place it into a blender. Add the 4 ounces cream cheese (softened) to the blender. Blend until well combined, being sure to leave the vent on the blender lid partially open to let the steam escape while blending.
- Pour the blended liquid back into the inner pot, along with the shredded chicken, and stir everything together.
- Serve as desired with any toppings you like, such as sour cream, shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, diced avocado, fresh lime juice, and/or cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We loved this meal! I was in a pinch and needed something easy but yummy and this did the trick. The directions were right on. Thank you!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed Lisa! Thanks for sharing!
I made this meal tonight and didn’t see the part about rinsing the beans until I read another review. It Is still good but too much liquid. I’ll know next time.
Hi Regina! I am sorry that you missed the step to rinse/drain the beans. I am glad you still enjoyed the chili, but I do believe you will enjoy even more with less liquid 🙂
My family loves this and I love how simple and easy it is. Being able to add frozen chicken breasts is a big time saver! For us, I doubled the chilies to add more flavor. Next time I will add corn or hominy, reduce the broth and add more beans for a heartier chili.
This came out a little bit bland as written so next time I will definitely add more spices but otherwise this is great! The only changes I made were to use turkey stock instead of chicken stock (i made and froze it after thanksgiving, trying to use it up now) and about 50% more green chile's because that's the only size can my grocery store had. I especially love the chicken in this, which came out juicy and tender. I've never before had luck with chicken in the IP.
Thanks for sharing Meg! I will say Turkey broth always seems to lack a bit of flavor in my opinion, this could have been part of the issue--or you may just like things with more punch 🙂
Came out a little more like a soup, but the chicken was wonderfully flavorful and tender. My husband’s feet did make a groove in the kitchen floor from repeated trips to the instant pot to replenish his portion. I’m trying to increase my leafy green intake, so I’ll toss in a few chopped fresh kale leaves to soften before serving. If I have enough leftover to reheat, I make sure that there’s no kale on the portion I’m saving. Kale overcooks with reheating. To keep the kale fresh tasting, I’ll microwave my portion of chili one minute, add a handful of kale, and heat another half minute. Yum! Next time, I may add some corn or diced carrots. What can I say, love my veggies.
I have this in my IP right now. I used Trader Joe's Green salsa verde in place of the seasonings and chilis. I had shredded chicken already from your other recipe. This only took me 5 minutes from start to finish. Thank you.
Is this a super spicy dish since it uses chilies?
These are mild green chilies, so the spice level is quite low. Just be sure to look for mild canned chilies.
This soup was very good, my husband had a second serving. I used mild chiles, so not spicy at all. I wasn't sure about the cream cheese, but it was good. I think next time I will add another can of beans.
So glad you enjoyed DB!
Wow. This was so quick and easy! Prep only took about 5 minutes and then it was totally hands off and I was able to knock out some dirty dishes while it cooked. Perfect recipe for busy nights.
Didn't have green chilies on hand so I used some hot cayenne which was tasty. I would have liked more beans but my husband loved how brothy it ended up being.
So happy to hear you enjoyed Kelsey!
Tastes great, but it’s more the consistency of soup than chili. This is totally picky and doesn’t detract from the flavor but more of a personal expectation when I hear something called chili.
Wow, YUM this was sooo tasty! I added some frozen corn and a teaspoon of chili powder. I also blended the cream cheese with some of the hot broth at the end before adding it to the pot. Delicious!
I made this for my husband last night and he loved it! We will definitely be adding this white chicken chili to our meal rotation! He took a bowl for his lunch today and he said it was just as good and maybe better today. Thank you si much for sharing this recipe with us!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. I love hearing you enjoyed this Chili so much....it is a favorite here as well.
Just made this for the first time and it was a hit! I added cilantro and substituted salsa verde for the chopped chilis. My only hiccup was that the cream cheese didn't blend into the broth very well. It melted into tiny globs that didn't melt completely. Next time I'll pull a few cups of broth out and blend the cream cheese in using the stick blender. But it still was yummy!
Hi Anne! I am glad you enjoyed the flavor! I find that if the cream cheese is softened, it incorporates easily, but I love your solution as well.