Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Bacon

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

1. 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.
2. Cook for 4-hours on high. Stir 1 or 2 times throughout the cooking process if you can.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Serve with a generous portion of shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy!
7. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

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

• A Large Crockpot

LOVE THIS RECIPE? YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY

• Cheesy Potato Soup
• Vegetarian 3-Bean Chili

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Bacon

Cozy and satisfying, this white chicken chili is the perfect fall and winter comfort food. Ranch seasoning and bacon makes this easy chili recipe extra special and takes take this white chicken chili to the next level!

4.5 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 5 mins

Course Mains, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 810 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 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.

Notes

*If you cannot find fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis, replace them with one of the following options: the same quantity 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.

*You can use either full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese in this recipe.

*How to shred chicken: You can shred the chicken by using 2 forks and pulling in opposite directions or by placing it into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium (my new favorite method!).

* If you’d prefer to add the shredded cheddar to the chili instead of serving with cheddar, 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 810kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 35gFat: 57gSaturated Fat: 25gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 1252mgPotassium: 876mgFiber: 10gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1492IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 178mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!