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Creamy, savory white chicken chili is even better when it’s made in the Instant Pot. With tender white beans, juicy chicken breasts, sweet corn, spicy green chiles, and a blend of spices, this nutritious one-pot meal is hearty and flavorful – exactly what you need this soup season.

Top-down view of a bowl of Instant Pot white chicken chili on a neutral tabletop with a glass of white wine and a bowl of lime wedges.

🍲 What Makes This Chili So Good

  • This white chicken chili is the perfect blend of creamy and brothy. A little cream cheese and Greek yogurt gives the soup a rich, thick consistency without overdoing it. Every spoonful is full of mouth-pleasing textures that compliment each other beautifully.
  • Thanks to the Instant Pot, you’ll get a perfect chili with juicy chicken and tender beans with minimal effort in minimal time. Clean-up is easy, too! The beauty of a one-pot meal.
  • If your Instant Pot is large enough, you could easily double this recipe so you have enough chili to eat on through the week or freeze for later. No need to adjust the cook time for the increased quantity. Also, if you plan to freeze it, I’d wait to add the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until you’re reheating it to eat.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • For additional nutrients, use a homemade bone broth instead of store-bought chicken broth. We have a FANTASTIC Instant Pot Bone Broth that you can make using chicken and/or beef bones. You only need 1 cup for Instant Pot white chicken chili, but you can save the rest of the bone broth to use in other recipes or just sip as-is!
  • Make sure to drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the Instant Pot. Canned beans usually have added sodium which can throw off the taste of the chili.
  • This is one recipe where the Instant Pot shouldn’t even think about causing a burn warning. If you do manage to get one, be sure that your vent is set to the sealing position and that the inner sealing ring doesn’t need to be replaced.
  • Forget to thaw your chicken breasts ahead of time? No worries. Frozen chicken will work fine – you may want to add an extra 3-5 minutes to the cook time to ensure they cook completely.
Angled view of a bowl of Instant Pot white chicken chili topped with avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips.

♨️ Be Sure to Check Out These Instant Pot Recipes, Too!

Recipe By: Sam Guarnieri
5 from 2 votes

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 1 hour
Creamy, savory white chicken chili is even better when it's made in the Instant Pot. With tender white beans, juicy chicken breasts, sweet corn, spicy green chiles, and a blend of spices, this nutritious one-pot meal is hearty and flavorful – exactly what you need this soup season.
6 servings

Equipment

  • 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
  • Large wooden spoon
  • Tongs
  • Cutting board
  • 2 forks

Ingredients

For the White Chicken Chili

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil olive oil, avocado oil, etc.
  • 1 medium white onion diced, approximately 2 cups
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles do not drain
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans drained, rinsed well
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2-3 chicken breasts
  • ¼ cup full-fat cream cheese at room temperature, cut into smaller pieces
  • ½ cup full-fat sour cream at room temperature, see Notes
  • salt to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • finely chopped cilantro
  • diced avocado or thinly sliced avocado
  • fresh lime juice
  • tortilla chips or tortilla chip strips
  • lime wedges

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil, covering bottom of Instant Pot insert, and warm oil until hot and shimmery.
  • When oil is hot, add 1 medium white onion (diced) and 3 cloves garlic (minced). Stir to incorporate onion and garlic into oil, then sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until ingredients are fragrant and softened.
    Diced onion and minced garlic in the bottom of an Instant Pot.
  • Add 2 cups frozen corn kernels, 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, and 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth to Instant Pot. Stir well to incorporate all ingredients, making sure to scrape up any bits of onion or garlic that may have stuck to bottom of insert.
  • Place 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Instant Pot.
    Uncooked chicken on top of a bed of ingredients for white chicken chili in the Instant Pot.
  • Secure lid on Instant Pot with vent in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure and set cook time to 20 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then 20-minute cook time will begin.
  • After cook time ends, Natural Release pressure for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, immediately Quick Release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove Instant Pot lid and set aside.
    Chicken on top of a bed of ingredients for white chicken chili in the Instant Pot.
  • Transfer chicken breasts to cutting board, then, using 2 forks, shred chicken breasts into smaller pieces. When satisfied with shredded chicken, return chicken to Instant Pot.
  • Add ¼ cup full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature) and ½ cup full-fat sour cream (at room temperature) to Instant Pot. Stir until dairy products are melted and fully incorporated into chili.
    Creamy Instant Pot white chicken chili with shredded chicken in the bottom of an Instant Pot.
  • Once cream cheese are sour cream have melted, taste chili. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper as desired and let chili rest 2 to 3 minutes.
  • When satisfied with flavor, portion chili into serving bowls. Top each serving with finely chopped cilantro, diced avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Serve chili warm with tortilla chips and lime wedges to garnish.
  • Chicken: Use chicken breasts that are the same size and thickness, so they cook evenly. If needed, pound any especially thick areas with a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or skillet to make them more uniform.
  • Sour Cream: Plain Greek yogurt will also work if you don’t want to use sour cream. Just be sure to bring the yogurt to room temperature before adding it to the chili.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 433calProtein: 32gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 304mgPotassium: 1168mgTotal Carbs: 51gFiber: 13gSugar: 3gNet Carbs: 38gVitamin A: 279IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 161mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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4 Comments

  1. This was delicious and I don’t cook much but it was very easy to make. My husband is the resident chef here but now and then I try something new. This was excellent. He loved it and if I’m not careful, I’ll be cooking every night! Thank you5 stars

    1. So glad it was a hit for both of you! But I agree, be careful LOL! Thanks so much for the great review!

  2. This recipe is amazing! We have it on our regular dinner rotation especially when the weather gets colder. It’s soo good!5 stars

    1. It really is such a great go-to for those colder nights! Thanks so much for the review, Diana. So glad you enjoyed it enough to add it to the rotation!

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