Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free
This healthy white chili is a lighter vegetable filled alternative to traditional chili. Tender bites of chicken, creamy pinto and white beans, fire roasted tomatoes and a touch of sweet heat from green chiles and poblanos make up this hearty, flavor packed bowl of chili. Plus, it can also be made in a slow cooker/crock pot or on the stove top!

Why I Love This Recipe
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili is a more nutritious alternative to conventional chili recipes. It's packed with low fat protein from chicken breasts, pinto beans and great northern beans. Smoky fire-roasted tomatoes, tangy green chiles, mildly spicy poblanos, and sweet onions provide a vegetable boost to this dish.
Then, it all comes together with a smoky and savory blend of fresh garlic and spices that's simmered in chicken stock and finished with creamy coconut milk for a silky, creamy bite. Don't worry you won't notice coconut flavor!
While typical 'red' chili recipes are flavored heavily with chili powder, earthy cumin takes the starring role in this white chili. Cumin's flavor is rounded out by citrusy coriander, bitter, herby oregano, and of course smoky chili powder. These spices are toasted with fresh minced garlic and provide the warm, smoky flavor of this savory dish.
Cooking Tips
Crushing the dried oregano leaves before adding them to the soup helps to release the oils and consequently the flavor.
Allowing the Instant Pot to naturally release allows the meat to relax and keeps it tender.
Guess what?! You can use frozen chicken breasts in this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili recipe and they will still come out tender and delicious! For 2lbs of frozen chicken breasts, cook for 30 minutes on high pressure. Yay for all of us who chronically forget to take our meat out to thaw!
Stovetop Directions:
- First, add oil to a large soup pot and set over MEDIUM heat. Dice chicken into bite sized pieces. Place chicken in one layer leaving room between each piece to allow meat to brown. Cook 1-2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Chicken will still have some pink, that’s ok as it will continue cooking in the soup.
- Keeping heat at MEDIUM add diced onions, poblano peppers and 2-3 pinches of salt. Sauté stirring often until tender and onions are starting to become translucent about 5-6 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, cumin, salt, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently to toast spices until fragrant about 30 seconds.
- Next, add corn, green chiles, diced tomatoes, chicken and accumulated juices and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to LOW, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Then, add pinto beans and great northern beans. Simmer uncovered an additional 15 minutes.
- Finally, stir in coconut milk. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Directions:
- First, add oil to a medium skillet and set over MEDIUM heat when skillet is very warm add diced onions, poblano peppers and 2-3 pinches of salt. Sauté stirring often until tender and onions are starting to become translucent about 5-6 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, cumin, salt, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently to toast spices until fragrant about 30 seconds.
- Add this mixture to a large slow cooker.
- Then, add corn, green chiles, diced tomatoes to the slow cooker. Reduce chicken broth to to 1 ¾ cup and add. Since the liquid in a slow cooker doesn’t evaporate, starting with less broth helps prevent a thin, watery soup. Stir to combine.
- Next place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Feel free to dice them into bite sized pieces. Or, you can put them in whole and shred or dice after cooking.
- Then, cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours.
- During the last 10-20 minutes of cooking time stir in pinto and great northern beans.
- Finally, if you cooked the chicken breasts whole, remove to a cutting board and shred or dice. Add back into slow cooker. Add coconut milk and serve warm with your favorite toppings.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili {Gluten Free, Dairy Free}
Equipment
- 1 8 quart Instant Pot
- 1 Large wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- forks or a knife
- 1 colander
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 medium onion small diced
- ½ poblano pepper small diced
- 2-3 pinches salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano crushed in fingers to release oils
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 15oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15oz can great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15oz can corn drained
- 1 4oz can mild green chiles
- 1 15oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2½ cups chicken stock or broth enough to cover
- 2 lbs chicken breasts whole
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Select the Instant Pot SAUTE function and add neutral oil.
- When Instant Pot reads HOT add diced onions, poblano peppers and 2-3 pinches of salt. Sauté stirring often until tender and onions are starting to become translucent about 5-6 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, cumin, salt, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently to toast spices until fragrant about 30 seconds.
- Turn off the SAUTE function. Add in pinto beans, great northern beans, corn, green chiles, diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Nestle in whole chicken breasts.
- Close the Instant Pot making sure to seal the pressure valve. Cook on HIGH pressure 14 minutes. Allow steam to naturally release at least 14 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
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