This is the ultimate white chicken chili recipe! Made in your slow cooker, this white chicken chili with bacon is comforting, creamy, and packed with flavor. A real winner!
I love my slow cooker. There, I said it. It makes my life easy. It’s convenient. And I can make so many delicious things in it, like this white chicken chili recipe. Cozy and satisfying, this white chicken chili is a true comfort food.
This recipe was adapted from my friend’s champion chili recipe and is not your average white chicken chili. The secret? Ranch seasoning and bacon!
TELL ME ABOUT THIS White Chicken Chili with Bacon RECIPE
Level of difficulty: Easy. Put ingredients in a crockpot, stir, and cook!
Flavor: Creamy chicken chili with a steady Southwestern spice profile and bursts of bacon flavor. Who knew you could take white chicken chili to the next level?!
Time: It will take you just over 4 hours to make your white chicken chili with bacon. This assumes that you’re cooking your bacon while the rest of your chili is in the slow cooker.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Chicken Breast
Yellow Onion
Frozen Corn
Canned Black Beans
Canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilis (I use Rotel)
Chicken Broth
Crispy, Cooked Bacon
Packet Ranch Seasoning / Dressing Mix (I use Hidden Valley)
Cumin Powder
Chili Powder
Cream Cheese
Shredded Cheddar
OVERVIEW: HOW TO MAKE THIS CROCKPOT CHICKEN CHILI RECIPE
- Place ingredients into a large slow cooker. Place chicken into the crockpot first to sit at the bottom during cooking. Then add onion, beans, corn, tomatoes and their juices, spices, broth, and cream cheese into the pot and give it a stir.
- Cook for 4-hours on high. Stir 1 or 2 times throughout the cooking process if you can.
- While the chili is cooking, cook the bacon. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the bacon strips onto 2 baking sheets, doing your best to not overlap the pieces. Cook for 20 minutes (or until crispy). Remove from the oven and place onto a plate in layers of paper towel to help remove the grease.
- Place cooked bacon into the slower cooker. Once cooled, break the bacon strips into bite-sized pieces and place into the slow cooker with the other chili ingredients.
- When 4-hours has passed, temp your chicken to ensure it’s cooked, then shred. Using an instant read thermometer, check that your chicken breasts have reached 165°F then remove from the slow cooker and shred. You can do this by using 2 forks or by placing it into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium (my new favorite method!). Put shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and stir to distribute.
- Serve with a generous portion of shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
See a short story series on this awesome white chicken chili recipe here!
TOPPINGS FOR WHITE CHICKEN CHILI with bacon
Load your white chicken chili up with all of your favorite chili toppings, like:
- Additional cheese
- Oyster Crackers
- Cilantro
- Green Onions
- Jalapenos
- Avocado
- Sour Cream
- Tortilla Chips or Tortilla Strips
EXPERT TIPS
You can use full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese. Both will taste great!
You have the option to pre-cook the bacon. Is it easier for your schedule to cook the bacon the day before you want to make your chili? Go ahead! Just store the cooked bacon in the fridge to put into the slow cooker with the rest of your ingredients.
If you are cooking the bacon while the chili is on, your goal is to get it cooked and into the slow cooker with at least an hour to go. This will allow the flavors to meld together before serving.
Can’t find (or don’t like) fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis? Replace them with the same amount of canned fire roasted tomatoes + 2, 4oz cans of mild green chilis. If green chilis aren’t your thing, use the same amount of canned fire roasted tomatoes or standard diced tomatoes instead.
Prefer to add the shredded cheddar to the pot of chili vs. topping with cheddar? Go for it! If you’d prefer to do this, add 2 cups of shredded cheddar to the slow cooker when you place the shredded chicken back into the pot and stir to combine and melt.
Want to add more protein into this chili recipe? Use bone broth! Chicken bone broth tastes great in this recipe, and adds protein, collagen, and a whole bunch of nutrients. If using, just replace the standard chicken broth with the same quantity of chicken bone broth.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
LOVE THIS WHITE CHICKEN CHILI WITH BACON RECIPE? YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breast
- 1, medium yellow onion
- 1, 16 oz bag of frozen corn
- 2, 15 oz cans of black beans
- 2, 10 oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis*
- 4 C chicken broth
- 1, 12 oz package of bacon
- 2 packets of ranch seasoning / dressing mix
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2, 8 oz blocks of cream cheese*
- Shredded cheddar for topping*
Instructions
- Place ingredients into a large slow cooker. Place the chicken in first to sit at the bottom during cooking. Then add onion, beans, corn, tomatoes and their juices, spices, broth, and cream cheese into the pot and give it a stir.
- Cook for 4-hours on high. Stir 1 or 2 times throughout the cooking process if you can.
- While the chili is cooking, cook the bacon. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the bacon strips onto 2 baking sheets, doing your best to not overlap the pieces. Cook for 20 minutes (or until crispy). Remove from the oven and place onto a plate in layers of paper towel to help remove the grease.
- Once bacon has cooled, break the strips into bite-sized pieces and place into the slow cooker with the other chili ingredients.
- When 4-hours has passed, use an instant read thermometer to verify the chicken breasts have reached 165°F then remove from the slow cooker and shred. Put shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and stir to distribute.*
- Serve with a generous portion of shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy!*
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
This was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend for a chilly day. Excited to make again!
Jess, so glad to hear you guys loved this recipe!! Glad you’re looking forward to making this one again too!
This white chicken chili is amazing. I’ve made it a bunch and love it.
so glad to hear that you love it too! And that you’ve made it a bunch – hooray!
Way too hot!!!!!!! Too much chili powder. Lord. I had to add some brown sugar to lessen the heat. Also doesn’t get very thick Would Not make again
Dianne, I’m sorry to hear this recipe was too hot for you. Generally the 2 blocks of cream cheese + shredded cheddar tame it to just the perfect level of heat for most people.
Can you make this in an Insta Pot? It looks so good, but I’d like to make this quicker than slow cooker
Hi Theresa, I know you can because one of our best friends did this for her family (but I don’t have the specific directions) – I will ask her how she did it and work to post some details on how to! Thanks for the question.
Hi Theresa, here are the tips I got from my friend re: making this chili in an InstaPot:
– chop up the bacon and cook it on the sauté function of the InstaPot, drain most of the fat
– add in the onions and sauté until cooked
– then add in everything else EXCEPT the cream cheese and frozen corn
– seal & pressure cook it for 15 minutes
– add in the cream cheese and corn and allow to melt / thaw (about 10-minutes)
– while your cream cheese & corn are doing their thing, take the chicken breasts out, shred, and return to the InstaPot
– add cheese, and enjoy!
Hope this was helpful!
How about coming up with a new name for your dishes? They sound delicious, but CHILI they aren’t!
Hi Jo, I’m not exactly sure what you mean here, but thank you for taking the time to make my recipe.
This recipe was perfect for meal prep and so delicious! Subbed in 1/3 less fat cream cheese and center cut bacon. Yum!
I’m so glad to hear you loved it!! Great sub in with the 1/3 less fat cream cheese too! Thanks for making my recipe.
This recipe was so easy to follow and it was so delicious! I will definitely making this one again
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it Jill! Thank you for making my recipe.