Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Creamy and comforting Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili (also know as White Chicken Chili) is the perfect meal any day of the week. It’s family friendly and loaded with fresh flavor. This recipe cooks in the slow cooker but stovetop instructions are included.

Homemade white chicken chili with cream cheese is warm, comforting and delicious. This recipe comes together relatively easily with chicken, beans, cream cheese and a few other simple ingredients.

Soup is great for meal prep and tastes delicious as leftovers. It’s especially comforting during the fall months of October, November and December when the weather is cooling down.

Creamy chicken chili is great to serve any day of the week. It’s also a good choice for potlucks or holiday parties too. And works great as a freezer meal.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Everything cooks in the slow cooker. Just dump and go!
• Kids and adults love this creamy slow cooker chicken chili.
• The recipe requires only 10 minutes of prep.
• You can easily adapt the chili to fit your taste.

Ingredients You Need

All of the ingredients you need for this crockpot cream cheese chicken chili recipe are below. You can make adjustments to fit your taste, if desired.

• Chicken – Fresh boneless skinless chicken thighs or fresh chicken breasts work great for this recipe. Chicken thighs have a little more flavor but chicken breasts taste great too. If you use frozen chicken breasts, thaw them in the refrigerator before using.
• Chicken Broth – This is the base of the soup. Do not substitute with water as it will change the flavor of the dish.
• Beans – This recipe uses Great Northern Beans or cannellini beans. You can also substitute with black beans, if desired.
• Corn – Use any type of corn kernels for this recipe. They can be frozen or thawed.
• Onion – Yellow or sweet onion works best.
• Jalapeños – These peppers add flavor and a kick of spice if you use the seeds. You can use 1 or 2 jalapeños for this recipe or none, if desired.
• Spices – You will need fresh garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt and pepper. You can also add a small amount of chili powder if you want more of a kick.
• Cream Cheese – You can use full fat or reduced fat cream cheese. The cream cheese should be cubed before adding to the crockpot.
• Cilantro – Adds fresh flavor to the soup. You can omit if you do not like cilantro.
• Lime Juice – A must for fresh flavor. Use more or less lime juice, as desired.
• TOPPINGS: Use any of your favorite toppings including tortilla chips, sliced avocado, diced red onion, diced tomatoes, sliced green chiles, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges, hot sauce.

How to Make Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

1. Place the chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker.
2. Pour the chicken broth, beans, corn kernels, onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin and oregano on top. Season with salt and pepper. Then place the cubed cream cheese on top.
3. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally to help melt the cream cheese.

4. Move the cooked chicken to a bowl and use two forks to shred it. Return it to the crock pot and add the cilantro and lime juice. Stir well.
5. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Serve the soup with your favorite toppings like tortilla chips, sliced avocado, diced red onion, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges and hot sauce.

Stovetop Instructions

To make this recipe on the stove top, heat some olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pan. Saute the onions until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, then add the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.

Next, add the chicken, chicken broth, beans, jalapeno and corn to the pot. Heat on high until everything comes to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

One the chicken is fully cooked (it should register 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer), turn heat to low and move the cooked chicken to a bowl. Shred chicken with two forks, then add the chicken back to the pot with the cubed cream cheese, cilantro and lime juice. The cream cheese should be softened to room temperature before adding to the pot. Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir to melt the cream cheese.

Serve with your favorite toppings, as desired.

Expert Tips

• Don’t forget to stir. While the soup is cooking, occasionally stir to melt the cream cheese. Once every one-to-two hours should work fine. If you forget to stir, there may be small chunks of unmelted cream cheese remaining at the end of the cook time. If this happens, set the temperature to low and continue cooking for 10-30 minutes until the cheese is melted.
• Use different toppings to create unique flavors. If you love a spicy kick add hot sauce or freshly sliced jalapeños. If you like it cheesy, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. Or add freshly sliced avocado, diced tomatoes or fresh cilantro for more fresh flavor. The options are endless!
• Storage: Allow the soup to cool, then store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, store in a freezer safe container for up to 4 months. Thaw soup before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Cooking soup in the slow cooker makes dinner easy. Adding this crockpot cream cheese chicken chili to your dinner rotation is a great idea any time of the year. Enjoy the creamy comforting soup for dinner and then store leftovers to enjoy throughout the week.

Other Crockpot Soup Recipes

• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Carrot Soup (Slow cooker or Instant pot)

Did you make this slow cooker cream cheese chicken chili? Leave a recipe rating and review below.