Crockpot Creamy White Chicken Chili

This Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili with cream cheese, Sriracha and lime is a cozy soup with a kick! Less than 15 minutes of prep for this comforting and easy soup that is a hearty meal the family will love!

This post was originally published December 2017 and updated December 2020.

I am a firm believer in the power of cream cheese. It instantly makes pretty much any food taste 100 times better.

This Creamy Chicken Chili in the crockpot is just that–100 times better than your average chicken chili! (well, at least the chilis without cream cheese!)

Other favorite crock pot recipes like this creamy crock pot chicken pasta recipe , slow cooker honey mustard chicken or this crockpot chicken and wild rice soup are also great options!

If you are looking for a tomato based chicken chili, try this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup!

Why You Will Love This Creamy White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot:

1. Minimal effort: if you are new around here, you will find that to be my trend. You barely have to do anything but dump all the ingredients and go, always a favorite kind of slow cooker recipe!
2. You can make it as spicy or mild as you like. Since the kids aren’t always a fan of spicy foods–heck even the adults sometimes–you can easily leave the Sriracha out until serving for a milder flavor for those who need it (spic lovers, try these Spicy Sausage Pasta too!.)
3. It freezes well. I love freezing leftovers! A week or so later, you have a night off cooking! This creamy chicken chili easily warms back up in the crockpot as well!
4. Toppings, ALLLLL the toppings. This is the reason any chili recipe was invented, right?! Fritos, cheese, jalapeños, crackers, cilantro, tortilla chips, sour cream and even a simple mango avocado salsa if you want to really go all out! The best way to enjoy it is with all the fixin’s!

Recipe Ingredients:

• chicken: I use boneless chicken breast. The directions for this Sriracha Lime Chicken Chili with cream cheese recipe are for chicken that is thawed. I have made it using frozen chicken and just cooked it a bit longer and checking internal temperature to make sure it is 165°F.
• spices: cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. If yow would like, some smoked paprika is great to add.
• diced green chiles: I use canned most often but you could also dice your own like I did in this photo. Whichever you like. I sometimes use jalapeño even because my husband is a big fan of heat!
• chicken broth: we prefer low sodium or unsalted. Make sure to have extra on hand if you want a thinner broth for the chili.
• corn: we typically use frozen, but any should work. Grilled corn from the cob could be amazing!
• cannellini beans: white northern beans will work if you don’t have any, but our preference is the cannellini
• onion: yellow or sweet onion is our preference.
• garlic: freshly minced is ideal. If you don’t have any, about 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder is a good place to start and then add
• sriracha: I know there has been a shortage so if you cannot find it, a favorite hot sauce is a good substitute. Start light and add to taste.
• lime juice: freshly squeezed is ideal for the most flavor! If you can skip the bottled stuff, you will be happy you did in the end!
• cream cheese: full fat is ideal for this creamy white chicken chili and is the key creaminess factor in this Instant Pot Creamy Parmesan Chicken as well!
• half and half: half and half adds a touch more creaminess to the recipe but isn’t as heavy as heavy cream. You can use heavy cream if you prefer.
• cilantro: freshly chopped! And we measure cilantro with our hearts–more please!

How to make this Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili:

• Add the chicken to the bottom of the crock pot. Cover it with the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Then cover it with the beans, corn, onion, garlic, sriracha (if desired). Add in the broth and lime juice and stir to combine ingredients.
• Set the slow cooker to low for about 6-7 hours or high for about 4-5. When the chicken reaches 165°F, remove it from the slow cooker. (this is typically about an hour before the full time is reached. So at about hour 3 or 5. But it may take more or less time based on your slow cooker.
• Using two forks, shred the chicken into small, bite sized pieces. Add the chicken back into the crock pot and stir to combine.
• Add in the cream cheese and cream and stir or whisk well to combine. It may take some time to get all of the little white specks to dissolve into the chicken chili. I have found a whisk works best–you just have to get the chunks of chicken out of it in the end.
• Add the chopped cilantro and continue to cook on low until you are ready to serve. At this point, you can add extra broth if you like your cream cheese chicken chili a bit more broth based. If it is too thin, scoop out a bit of the broth and you should be good!

Other Soup and Chili Recipes:

• SLOW COOKER SWEET POTATO CHILI
• TOMATO TORTELLINI SOUP
• SIMPLE SLOW COOKER LENTIL CHILI
• INSTANT POT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
• BLACK BEAN AND RICE SOUP
• SLOW COOKER CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
• CHUNKY ITALIAN VEGETABLE SOUP

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