Instant Pot White Chicken Chili with white beans and corn is a quick and easy dinner that's creamy, comforting and delicious! This recipe uses no cream cheese -- just sour cream!
If you want something different from your usual tomato beef chili recipe, you'll love this creamy white chicken chili. It's one of the easiest Instant Pot recipes out there, and it's simple, delicious comfort food! Plus, you can never have too many easy chicken recipes, right?!
This white bean chili recipe is made with chicken breasts, white beans, chicken broth, corn, chiles and spices. It gets its creaminess from a touch of sour cream -- no cream cheese. It's lighter than most recipes for white chicken chili -- but still crazy good!
I've made this pressure cooker chicken chili with and without corn, using either spicy or mild chiles, and either cannellini or great northern beans. It's an extremely versatile chili recipe, and it's super easy to customize.
You can even make it a dump and start recipe or saute the onions, chiles and corn first. And you know what? This Instant Pot white chicken chili is perfect every time!
How to Make Creamy White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot
Like I said, you can spend time cooking the onions, corn and green chiles on the saute mode to deepen the flavor, but you don't have to. For dump and start chicken chili, add your onions and chicken breasts to the inner Instant Pot.
Next, season the chicken with a mixture of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and smoked paprika. If you don't have smoked paprika, you could easily sub in chili powder.
You can also sub taco seasoning for the individual spices. And, to make it even easier, skip the chopped onions!
Then, just add your drained and rinsed green chiles, corn, white beans to the pot. Finally, pour in 2 cups of chicken broth, and you're ready to pressure cook the chili!
After cooking the chicken chili, take the chicken breasts out of the Instant Pot, and shred or slice them thinly. Usually, I love using my hand mixer to shred chicken, but that would turn the chili to mush -- no bueno!
Finally, stir in some sour cream. You can use cream cheese for a richer chicken chili, but I really thought the sour cream was just enough.
How to Thicken Chili
- Use the SAUTE setting to simmer reduce the liquid
- Mash the beans lightly when you add the shredded chicken in
- Stir in extra sour cream or use cream cheese
- Make a cornstarch slurry and add it in after pressure cooking
My family is crazy about this easy white chicken chili! Even my picky eaters loved it -- major win for this mama!
Add Toppings
- Shredded cheese -- Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Cheddar blend
- Diced avocado
- Cilantro
- Sour cream
- Chopped Bacon
How to Make with Frozen Chicken
To make chicken chili with frozen chicken, leave the beans out while pressure cooking. Place everything else except sour cream in the pot.
Cook the chicken for 15 minutes for thinner pieces and 20 minutes for larger, thicker chicken. Add the beans while you shred the chicken. Then, add the sour cream and chicken back into the pot.
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless about 2 pounds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 10-ounce can white shoepeg corn or 15-ounce can of white corn rinsed and drained
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles 1 small can
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans cannellini or great northern, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium or homemade
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Add the chopped onion and chicken breasts to the Instant Pot
- Season with sea salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin and pepper
- Add the corn, green chiles and white beans, then pour in the chicken broth
- Cover, make sure vent knob is set to Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 10 minutes
- Pot will take a few minutes to pressurize, then begin counting down and cook for 10 minutes. When pot beeps, allow a 10 minute natural release, then quick release remaining pressure
- When pin drops, remove chicken breasts, shred, and add back to pot. Optional -- hit CANCEL, then SAUTE to reduce and thicken chili. Lightly mashing the beans as you stir in the meat will also help thicken the chili
- Stir in sour cream until well blended, then serve
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe first published in 2019 and updated in 2020.
Stacy F. says
Wow, this recipe is simple and so delicious! Even my husband who has sometimes impossibly high standards with food said it was the best white chicken chili he's ever had. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
Dee says
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the chili!
Jim says
Love this recipe. Have made it twice already and it heats up great for leftovers.
Dee says
Thanks for letting me know! SO glad you like the chili!
Erin says
This Chicken Chili is seriously good!
B says
Such a hearty and delicious chili! My family loves it! Thank You!
Mandy says
I love this white chicken chili!
Sandra says
I seriously love this meal! So easy to make and so good!
Toni says
This recipe is SO delicious! It's easy to make and everyone loved the flavors. I used your suggestion to add some cream cheese. WOW!
Dee says
Thanks so much, Toni! I'm glad you liked the chili!
Haley Williams says
This couldn't be easier to make and it's so flavorful!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
I know for sure this chicken recipe would be a huge hit in my house!
Sara Welch says
This is everything a gourmet chili should be, and then some! Can't wait to curl up with this for dinner tonight!
Dee says
Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the chili!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
I can't wait to try this!! It sounds absolutely delicious!!
Dee says
Thanks, Katerina! I hope you get a chance to try it!
James says
Made this last night and it was another hit! Not too spicy and lots of flavor.
Dee says
Thank you so much, James! Glad you enjoyed the chili!
Catalina says
I love chili and it's perfect to make it in the Instant Pot!
Sophie Anderson says
Omg! If there is one Instant pot recipe to make this is the one! It’s so good. It’s so easy!
Amanda says
This will always be my favorite and the fact you can make it in an instant pot is a huge plus!
Dee says
So happy you like it! Thanks, Amanda.
Jacque Hastert says
I usually make something similar in the crockpot, but now I am curious about making it in the IP. I will have to give this a try, plus it comes together so much quicker.
Dee says
It's much faster in the IP! I hope you like it!
annie says
I don't use my instant pot very often, I need to break it out just for this!
Dee says
Thanks! I think you would like it!