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Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili can be made on the stove or in the Instant Pot, and it’s a perfect bowl of cheesy comforting chili! And this tasty chili has a lot of chicken so it’s not too terribly high in carbs for a chili with beans.
PIN Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili to make it later!
My sister-in-law Amy gave me this recipe for Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili quite a few years ago, and it’s been a huge hit on the blog. A few years ago I decided to update that recipe with Instant Pot instructions and better photos, and the white chicken chili was delicious when we used the Instant Pot to infuse flavor into the beans and the broth.
So now there are two ways to make this delicious White Chicken Chili; take your pick and make it on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot! And Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili is such a favorite among my family and friends that I’m featuring it as my Friday Favorites pick for this week. if you try the recipe I bet your family will love it too!
What ingredients do you need?
Instant Pot or Stovetop for this recipe?
It’s really not much quicker to make this white chicken chili in the Instant Pot, but we did love the way pressure cooking the beans, spices, broth, and chiles on low pressure infused the broth and beans with flavor. Take your choice; it will be delicious either way you make it!
Love Your Instant Pot?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot for all my Instant Pot Recipes. You can use Instant Pot Recipes to see all the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker recipes on my blog I also have lots more ideas for Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker Recipes on my other site, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker.
Can you make this white chicken chili with leftover chicken or turkey?
You can definitely make Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili with leftover cooked chicken or turkey. Be sure to not cook the chili too long after you add the cooked chicken or turkey so it doesn’t completely shred apart into strings!
What kind of white beans can you use for this chili?
I’d love this chicken chili made with canned pinto beans. But any kind of white bean such as navy beans will be fine, and you could even use Cannellini beans if you’re a fan of those larger beans.
Can you make a version of white chicken chili that’s lower in carbs?
This white chicken chili recipe is relatively low in net carbs for a chili recipe with beans, but just use less beans and more chicken or turkey if you want a version with fewer carbs.
How to make Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili:
(Scroll down for complete recipe, including stovetop instructions and nutritional information.)
- Heat oil in in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, MEDIUM, then cook onions about 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook about 1 minute more, then add ground cumin, oregano, ground cayenne pepper, and diced green chiles and cook a couple minutes more.
- Add chicken stock, 2 cans white beans, and chicken flavor base (if using).
- Lock lid on Instant Pot and set to MANUAL, LOW PRESSURE for 20 minutes.
- Then NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes and release the rest of the pressure with quick release.
- While bean/broth mixture cooks, trim fat and undesirable parts from chicken breasts and cut into 2 or 3 lengthwise strips.
- Heat oil in a heavy non-stick pan, add chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through and starting to brown.
- Remove from pan and let cool, then shred chicken apart into chunks.
- After pressure has released, add shredded chicken and cook using SAUTE, LOW for 10-15 minutes more.
- Chop cilantro (if using) while the chili simmers.
- After 10-15 minutes, taste chili to see if you want to add salt or pepper or Green Tabasco Sauce.
- Stir in chopped cilantro and serve hot, with grated cheese to add at the table if desired.
- And as you can tell, I love Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili with a generous amount of melted cheese on top.
Want more tasty chili recipes?
Check out Healthy Chili Recipes Your Family Will Love! for more delicious chili recipes like this one. Or if you’d prefer chili made without beans, check out my Amazing Low-Carb and Keto Chili Recipes.
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 4 tsp. vegetable or olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. minced garlic (or more)
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. dried oregano (Use Mexican oregano if you have it!)
- 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicey)
- 2 4 oz. cans diced green chiles with juice
- 2 14 oz. cans chicken stock (see notes)
- 2 14.5 oz cans white beans (not drained)
- 1 tsp. chicken soup base (optional, but good)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Or use about 4 cups diced leftover chicken or turkey if you prefer.)
- Optional: 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 – 3/4 cup chopped cilantro)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- grated cheese for serving (optional, not included in nutritional info)
- Green Tabasco Sauce for serving (see notes)
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, MEDIUM, then cook onions until they’re softened and just starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook about 1 minute more, then add the ground cumin, oregano, ground cayenne pepper, and diced green chiles and cook a couple minutes more.
- Add chicken stock, 2 cans white beans, and chicken flavor base (if using).
- Lock lid on Instant Pot and set to MANUAL, LOW PRESSURE for 20 minutes.
- Then let it NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes and release the rest of the pressure with quick release.
- While the bean/broth mixture cooks, trim all visible fat and tendons from the chicken breasts and cut each one into 2 or 3 lengthwise strips.
- Heat 2 tsp. oil in a heavy non-stick pan, add chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through and starting to brown.
- Remove from pan and let cool, then shred chicken apart into chunks.
- After the Instant Pot has released all pressure, add the shredded chicken and cook using SAUTE, LOW temperature for 10-15 minutes more.
- Chop cilantro (if using) while the chili simmers.
- After 10-15 minutes, taste chili to see if you want to add salt or pepper or Green Tabasco Sauce.
- Stir in chopped cilantro and serve hot, with grated cheese to add at the table if desired.
- The Cilantro, Lime, and Avocado Salsa that is part of my recipe for Black Bean and Beef Chili would also taste great on this.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Trim all visible fat and tendons from the chicken breasts, then heat 2 tsp. oil in a heavy non-stick pan, add chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through and barely starting to brown. Remove from pan and let cool.
- While chicken is cooking, heat the other 2 teaspoons of oil in a heavy soup pot, then cook onions until they’re softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook about 1 minute more, then add the ground cumin, oregano, and ground cayenne pepper and cook a couple minutes more.
- Add canned diced green Anaheim chilis, 2 cans white beans, 4 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth, and chicken flavor base (if using).
- Turn to low simmer and let cook for 30 minutes.
- While the chili simmers, use your fingers or a fork to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. (Don’t cut, because cut chicken pieces will shred apart into strings in the chili when they cook.)
- After the chili has simmered for 30 minutes, add the chicken and simmer 10-15 minutes more.
- If using cilantro, chop it while the chili simmers the last 10-15 minutes with the chicken added.
- Then add the chopped cilantro and simmer about 5 minutes more. Serve hot.
Notes
Two cans of broth is 3 1/2 cups, add another 1/2 cup for stovetop cooking. I’d definitely serve this with Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) for people who want a bit more heat!
I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Amy Denny in 2010 and it’s been a hit on my blog ever since that time; thanks Amy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 262Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 547mgCarbohydrates: 19.5gFiber: 4gSugar: 12gProtein: 26g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili is a great main dish for any low-glycemic eating plan, including any phase of the original South Beach Diet. This chili is relatively low in net carbs for a chili recipe with beans, but for stricter low-carb diets just use less beans and more chicken or turkey if you want a version with fewer carbs.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Chili Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
My sister-in-law Amy Denny first gave me this recipe in 2010! The recipe was updated with better photos and an option to make it in the Instant Pot in 2017 and it was last updated with more information in 2022.
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