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Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili is a creamy and delicious soup recipe that's both gluten free and dairy free. It's made with beans, corn, chicken, and plenty of spices, and then topped with cilantro, avocado and tortilla strips, making it incredibly filling, too.
I think I've just found my new favorite soup! White chicken chili is creamy and delicious, and even easier when prepped in the Instant Pot!
I know I've said in the past that I don't love my Instant Pot, but I think that's changing. The more I use it, the more I like it! Plus, the Instant Pot makes the chicken in this recipe both juicy and tender -- I know you're going to love it.
Speaking of chicken, my instant pot whole chicken recipe is a game-changer, along with my instant pot vegetable soup and my instant pot Spanish rice -- it makes prep work and clean up a breeze. And, if you have leftover turkey, you should absolutely make this paleo/whole30 homemade turkey soup!
Recipe features
- Loaded with plenty of chicken, and flavored with garlic, green chile's and tons of spices
- Besides chicken it's filled with great northern beans, meaning this soup is filled with protein and will keep you full all day long
- It can easily be made dairy-free, and the toppings are customizable, too!
Ingredient notes:
Beans - The recipe calls for great northern beans, but you could also sub navy beans or even chickpeas if you prefer. I recommend using canned beans; just make sure you drain and rinse them first.
Corn - I try to always have a bag of frozen corn in the refrigerator; that way, I can enjoy it any time of year and easily use it in recipes like this one.
Hatch green chiles - You can find these in the Mexican food aisle in either a 4 oz. can, or you might be able to find a larger jar of them. They're not spicy (I mean, maybe a little), but they give this soup plenty of flavor and are a key ingredient in white chicken chili.
Chicken - You can just chicken breast, thighs or a combination of both, just make sure to use boneless + skinless.
Cream cheese - I only tested this recipe using dairy-free cream cheese, but I know regular cream cheese will work. I used Kite Hill brand the first time and Daiya the second, and both were delicious.
Lime juice - Optional. Make sure to add it as a "topping" once the soup is done, rather than adding to the Instant Pot with the other soup ingredients. And the "2 tbsp" measurement is a TOTAL, so divide the soup into bowls, then add a squirt of lime juice to each one.
Method
Like most Instant Pot recipes, this one is incredibly easy. But, let's walk through how to make it!
First: Add all of the ingredients to the Instant Pot in the following order:
- Beans
- Corn
- Onion/garlic/chiles/spices
- Chicken
- Cream cheese
- Chicken broth
Second: Close the lid and make sure the valve on top is in the "seal" position. Pressure cook for 15 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, manually release the remaining pressure.
Third: Remove the chicken, place it on a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. At this point, you should also stir the chili so that the rest of the cream cheese melts (if it hasn't already).
Fourth: Add the shredded chicken back into the Instant Pot and stir everything together. Divide into bowls, add optional toppings and dig in!
Tips and tricks
-Make sure to add the cream cheese in chunks, (rather than just throwing the whole block in), which will allow it to melt better.
-Drizzle lime juice on top of the soup once it's been cooked; don't add it into the pressure cooker.
How should leftovers be stored?
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
NOTE: the beans WILL absorb a good bit of the broth in the refrigerator. So, when you go to reheat the soup, I recommend doing so over the stove, and also adding more broth (the amount you need will vary depending on how much soup you're heating up).
Can this be made in the Crockpot?
Yup! Follow the exact steps, but throw everything into your slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
More soup recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 30 oz. great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 oz. hatch green chiles
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
- ½ cup plain cream cheese regular or dairy-free
- 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
toppings:
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- cilantro, avocado, jalapeño, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Add the beans to your Instant Pot, then add the corn on top of them. Next, add the onion, garlic, green chilies, and spices, then lay the chicken on top of those. Add the cream cheese in small chunks (about 5-6 chunks), then pour the chicken broth on top.
- Close the lid, making sure the valve on top is in the "seal" position. Pressure cook for 15 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes before manually releasing. NOTE: the Instant Pot takes about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
- Remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board, then use two forks to shred it. Meanwhile, give the soup a good stir, making sure the cream cheese has completely melted. Then, add the chicken back into the Instant Pot and stir everything together.
- Add the optional toppings and enjoy!
Erica Emmerton says
Can you use frozen chicken breasts for this recipe? If so how long should I cook for?
Erin says
Yes! You may just want to add an extra 5-7 minutes or so (depending on the size of the chicken breasts) to the cook time.
Kim says
Could you make this in the crockpot? If so, how would you alter the recipe?
Erin says
Great question -- you can, but I haven't tried it myself. I'd add the chicken first, then the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cream cheese and cook it on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Then, shred the chicken, add the cream cheese and cook for maybe 15-20 more minutes until the cream cheese has melted. Let me know how it turns out!
Emilie says
We love this soup and have added it into our regular dinner rotation! We like to make ours a little spicier, so we also add in some jalapeños before pressure cooking and it gives it just a little extra kick.
Erin says
YUM that sounds so good -- I'm glad this has become a household favorite!
Amari says
Have you ever tried freezing the soup? I made too much & hate to waste it..
Erin says
Yes you can freeze it, though the cream cheese may alter the consistency a bit just FYI.
Shelbie says
Do you have to double the cook time to double the recipe?
Erin says
Nope!
Susan says
Delicious!! Great flavor and very easy to make!! Made grilled cheeses to go along with it! Perfect Soup and Sammy kind of meal!!
Lucinda says
Very good!! Yum
Ray says
Do the beans have to be cooked? Or you can just rent the dry beans and place those in there?
Erin says
They have to be cooked! Otherwise, the beans will take much longer to cook than the chicken, so the cook time won't be correct.