This crowd-pleasing crockpot chicken chili with bacon is filling, creamy, and packed with flavor that’s unique and bold. Our recipe was adapted from the winning chili at my work’s annual chili cookoff back in 2019. Over the past five years, we’ve tested and tweaked our version to perfection. With our easy to follow directions and detailed step-by-step photos, you’ll be able to whip up a batch of this slow cooker chicken chili recipe with less than 10 minutes of hands-on time (and you’ll wow your family and friends too)!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
“My husband and I are literally eating this right now and I had to tell you how delicious and easy this recipe is. It’s so so flavorful, many depths of flavor. Love the fire roasted tomatoes. My husband declared this one a “keeper”. I concur. Please know that you have received the highest of accolades from my husband and he’s an extremely picky eater! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe.” – Lucy
As someone who’s developed over 60 main dish recipes for this website, including over a dozen soup and chili recipes (and counting!), I can confidently say this is one of the best recipes I’ve created. We’ve made this recipe a lot over the years because it’s always a crowd pleaser. In fact, this is my husband’s favorite recipe on the website, which is saying something (he taste tests everything, including recipes that don’t make the cut)! It’s become our go-to for football Sundays, hosting friends for dinner during the fall and winter months, and bringing to chili cookoffs (where it consistently wins or places).
What makes this recipe special is how I adapted my friend’s already winning recipe and made it even better through extensive testing. I’ve experimented with different beans, tried both full-fat and low-fat cream cheese, adjusted the spice levels to get that perfect kick without being too spicy, and shared all my best tips here for you.
We love that this cream cheese chicken chili is a fun alternative to a classic white chicken chili. Instead of white beans we’re using black beans, we add zesty Rotel diced tomatoes (while a classic white chicken chili doesn’t generally have tomatoes), and we add big flavor by using ranch seasoning and bacon too… this combo takes the whole dish to the next level and keeps people coming back for seconds (and thirds).
If you love chili as much as we do, you need to try our Easy Ground Turkey Chili too!
Why You’ll Love This White Chicken Chili Crockpot Recipe
- Amazing 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?!
- Super easy prep. Put ingredients in a crockpot, stir, and cook!
- Using the slow cooker makes your life easy! 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.
- Your friends and family will rave about it. If my husband had his way, we’d have this every week. This has been the hit of many chili cookoffs. It’s just an all-around great chili!
White Chicken Chili Recipe Crock Pot Ingredients
- Chicken Breast – use your favorite brand of chicken breast meat for this chili recipe. This is the main protein in this easy chili recipe.
- Crispy, Cooked Bacon – adding bacon to this white chicken chili recipe is not only delicious, it adds a ‘wow factor’ to your meal! We like to use oven cooked bacon for this recipe.
- Canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilis – using fire roasted tomatoes adds a great depth of flavor to your chili! I’ve found the Rotel fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis to be great in this recipe.
- Cumin Powder and Chili Powder – typical and popular spices for chili.
- Ranch Seasoning / Dressing Mix – This adds a fun and surprising pop of flavor to this chili recipe that makes it stand out. I use the packets of Hidden Valley ranch seasoning.
- Cream Cheese and Shredded Cheddar – used to make this the most decadent and creamy crockpot white chicken chili.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Helpful Equipment
A Large (6-Quart) Crockpot is what you’ll need to make this delicious crockpot white chicken chili recipe.
How to Make Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili With Bacon
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!
White Chicken Chili Crock Pot Variations
- Try different tomatoes. Can’t find (or don’t like) fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis? No problem! You can used fire roasted diced tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes too! If you’d like to add chilis, you can often buy them in small 4oz cans. Look near the canned vegetables and beans in your grocery store (just be mindful, chilis come in many heat levels! Choose wisely).
- Use canned corn instead of frozen. This is an easy swap if it’s easier for you to get or store canned corn.
- Add a little extra protein with bone broth. Simply swap the chicken broth 1-to-1 with chicken bone broth for a little added boost of nutrition.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese instead of using it for serving. This is a great idea if you’re using this recipe for a chili cookoff or bringing it with you to a tailgate party! 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.
- Skip the bacon. While the bacon is one of the things that really makes this chili stand-out (and one of the things people tend to rave about!), you can skip it if desired.
Crockpot White Chicken Chili Recipe Tips
- You can use full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese. Both will taste great! I often use one of each when making this for my family.
- 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.
- Keep the lid on the crockpot. While it’s tempting, do not lift the cover off of your slow cooker unnecessarily during the cooking process. Each time the lid is raised, the internal temperature drops, slowing down the cooking process.
Time Saving Tip
If you want to make this into more of a “set it and forget it” kind of slow cooker recipe, pre-cook your bacon the day before! Just crumble and store the cooked bacon in the fridge to put into the slow cooker with the rest of your ingredients.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
This creamy crockpot white chicken chili with bacon is great as a main dish! Serve it with one (or two!) of the below items for a nice, well-rounded meal:
- Salad. Keep it simple with the greens of your choice tossed in a vinaigrette. Add tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, and whatever other salad toppings you like if desired.
- Steamed, Sautéed, or Roasted Vegetables. Green beans, broccoli, bell peppers, or a mixture. Whatever veggies you and your family like is a great option. Using the frozen steamer packets is a great hack for busy weeknights!
- Cornbread. A classic chili side, we especially enjoy this with our whole wheat cornbread recipe. You can also make cornbread muffins!
- Spanish rice. Another easy and delicious side for chili. Make homemade or use your favorite boxed Spanish rice (like Zatarain’s, Ben’s Original Ready Rice, etc).
- Slices of crusty bread or crackers. You really can’t go wrong with a nice slice of bread or crackers for dipping in chili.
See this ‘What to Serve with White Chicken Chili‘ article for even more ideas!
Topping Suggestions
Load your white chicken chili up with all of your favorite chili toppings! Popular choices include:
- Additional cheese
- Oyster Crackers
- Cilantro
- Green Onions
- Jalapenos
- Avocado
- Sour Cream
- Tortilla Chips or Tortilla Strips
- Fritos
White Chicken Chili Crock Pot Storage
Store fully cooled leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop to your desired temperature. Be careful not to overheat
Storage Tip
We love to dish out our chili into individual sized portions for easy grab-and-go for lunches throughout the week!
White Chicken Chili Recipe Crock Pot FAQs
Yes, you can put raw chicken in the slow cooker! According to research conducted by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, it is safe to cook large cuts of meat and poultry in a slow cooker. It is recommended that the meat is thawed (not frozen) prior to cooking.
A slow cooker and crockpot are the same appliance. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker. They are credited with popularizing the appliance when they launched their version of this device in the 1970s.
More Recipes To Try
White Chicken Chili (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
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 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 tablespoon 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.
Jennifer says
New favorite Football Chili!!
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear this! YAY!
Catriona says
Can I use left over cooked chicken in this recipe? Then not cook so long?
Meredith says
Hi Catriona, this is a great question! I have not tried to do this, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. If I were going to do this, I would probably switch over to the stovetop, cooking my chili ingredients for 30-45 minutes, then stir in the cooked chicken and cream cheese at the end. If you give this a try, please let me know how it goes!
Josh Sanders says
Great write-up with clear direction. Final product is delicious! Definitely in the fall/winter crock pot rotation.
Meredith says
So glad to hear the recipe was easy to follow and that this chicken chili will now be part of your fall and winter rotation! Thanks for giving it a try Josh 🙂
Quinton Kuhn says
You never specified what sized crockpot you used and i cant even add both blocks of cream cheese
Meredith says
Hi Quinton, in the ‘Helpful Equipment’ section I note a large crockpot, which links to a 6-quart crockpot. I had adjusted the text to be more clear. I hope you still enjoyed your chili! Thanks.
Lucy says
My husband and I are literally eating this right now and I had to tell you how delicious and easy this recipe is. It’s so so flavorful, many depths of flavor. Love the fire roasted tomatoes. My husband declared this one a “keeper”. I concur. Please know that you have received the highest of accolades from my husband and he’s an extremely picky eater! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe.
Meredith says
I am so happy to hear this Lucy, thank you for your kind words! I’m glad your husband thinks it’s a keeper too 🙂
Terry says
I haven’t made this yet but I was fortunate to have this for lunch the other day. This was the best chili I’ve eaten in a long time. It was just the right amount of creamy and spicy and very delicious!!! I would recommend this chili to anyone!!! Thanks for making this M!
Meredith says
Glad you enjoyed it Terry!! Here’s to many more bowls of this chili in your (very near) future!
Joel says
The perfect recipe on a beautiful fall day in the Midwest. Just the right amount of spice and the bacon makes it a winner in my book. I highly recommend this recipe!
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this chili too Joel! Hope you can have another big bowl soon 🙂
Jill says
This recipe was so easy to follow and it was so delicious! I will definitely making this one again
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it Jill! Thank you for making my recipe.
Heather says
This recipe was perfect for meal prep and so delicious! Subbed in 1/3 less fat cream cheese and center cut bacon. Yum!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
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.
Theresa says
Can you make this in an Insta Pot? It looks so good, but I’d like to make this quicker than slow cooker
ourlovelanguageisfood says
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.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
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!
Dianne says
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
ourlovelanguageisfood says
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.
David says
This white chicken chili is amazing. I’ve made it a bunch and love it.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
so glad to hear that you love it too! And that you’ve made it a bunch – hooray!
Jess says
This was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend for a chilly day. Excited to make again!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
Jess, so glad to hear you guys loved this recipe!! Glad you’re looking forward to making this one again too!