There's just something so cozy and delicious about a chili simmering in the crockpot. Making chili is such an easy and healthy meal to make any time of year, but especially when them temps drop.
I guarantee you this hearty and healthy crockpot white bean chicken chili will warm you up from head to toe, and packs just enough spice from added hatch chiles, you'll love having this over and over again!
My most favorite thing about making a chili in the slow cooker, or crockpot, is that it's really a one and done meal. You add it all together in one pot, let it cook for a few hours, and when you return to it, it's all ready to go!
This chili in particular boasts tender and juicy rotisserie chicken breast, cannellini beans, a jar of hatch chile salsa, and traditional chili seasonings like cumin and paprika. Your mouth will water the instant you get a whiff of what's cooking.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this chili recipe
- What ingredients are needed to make this white bean chicken chili recipe?
- Swaps and Substitutions
- How do I prepare this healthy white bean chicken chili?
- Ways to vary this recipe
- How do I make this meal prep friendly?
- Serving and Pairing Suggestions
- Storage and Freezer Information
- Hungry for more?
- Did you like this recipe? Share it!
- Hearty and Healthy Crockpot White Bean Chicken Chili
Why you'll love this chili recipe
- A one and done meal with everything cooking together in the slow cooker or crockpot.
- This white bean chicken chili acts as a perfect weeknight dinner.
- Making a crockpot meal is great for meal prepping or having a ready made dinner in the freezer for a night where you just don't feel like cooking.
What ingredients are needed to make this white bean chicken chili recipe?
- Chicken Breast - you can either use bone in chicken or boneless chicken breast. Don't add the bones to the chili though.
- Cannellini Beans - they're a meatier kind of bean and absorb all of the delicious flavor while it stews and cooks in the chili.
- Crushed Tomatoes - crushed tomatoes (in my opinion) have a lot more flavor, and help keep chili thick.
- Hatch Chile Salsa - this is entirely optional, but I like when chili has a spicier flavor, and this hatch chile salsa is the perfect amount of spice and flavor.
- Seasonings - we use paprika, cumin, and chili powder, all staple seasonings when making a homemade chili.
- Vegetable Stock - to balance out the acid of the crushed tomatoes and help this chili not be super thick, we add in some broth.
See the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
Swaps and Substitutions
- Beans: I like to use Cannellini beans, but if you can't find them, Great Northern beans work really well.
- Chicken: You can swap out the type of chicken you want to use, so if you'd rather use ground chicken or the dark meat from the chicken, go for it.
- Tomatoes: I like using a crushed tomato for chili as it gives a chunkier texture, but regular tomato sauce or even diced tomatoes are great in this chili too.
How do I prepare this healthy white bean chicken chili?
Step 1: Shred cooked chicken breast and set aside.
Step 2: To the crockpot, pour in the crushed tomatoes and drained cannellini beans.
Step 3: Add in half the jar of the hatch chile salsa and stir to combine.
Step 4: Stir in the shredded chicken and top with seasoning. Stir again to combine all the ingredients. Set the slow cooker to cook on LOW for 6 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).
Ways to vary this recipe
- Add a little more heat to this with sliced jalapeño, serrano, or habañero peppers.
- Make this a creamier chili with ¼ cup cream or half and half.
- Add in other vegetables like carrots, onion, celery, more beans, or even some squash like pumpkin or butternut.
- Not a crockpot fan? No problem! If you have a dutch oven or a braiser, you can make this entire dish on the stove. Just be sure to set it on a medium to medium low setting for the duration of the cooking.
How do I make this meal prep friendly?
Believe it or not, most recipes can be easily made into "meal prep friendly" meals that you can prep ahead of time, or prep in stages.
- As this is a crockpot or slow cooker recipe, you can make this entire meal the day before you want to eat it.
- You could also make this white bean chicken chili ahead of time and let cool, then store in the freezer for another day.
- For those of you trying to get ahead of time game for dinnertime:
- Prep the chicken then store separately.
- Gather all of your spices and seasonings in a smaller bowl.
- Drain and measure out the cannellini beans and measure out the salsa.
- Once you want to make the meal, everything is at reach and good to go.
Serving and Pairing Suggestions
- Make this yummy and cozy dinner with a side of oven roasted squash or a simple green salad.
- Serve as an entrée as a potluck along with other comforting recipes like slow cooker meatballs or a turkey chili.
- Thinking about game day decisions? Make this chili AND a taco dip, spinach dip, or pot roast sliders. Your guests will definitely not go hungry!
Storage and Freezer Information
To Store: Put the remaining chili in an airtight container and let sit in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: Add the entire chicken chili to a large airtight container and store it in the fridge. Consume in 2-3 months. You can thaw in the fridge overnight or set at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then into the fridge for the remaining time.
To Reheat: You can simply use the microwave to warm it up, or you can add to a pot on the stove and turn it to medium low to warm up.
Hungry for more?
Try these other comforting and cozy recipes!
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Hearty and Healthy Crockpot White Bean Chicken Chili
Equipment
- crockpot or slow cooker
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken skin off; bone in or boneless is optional
- 28oz crushed tomatoes
- ¾ cup vegetable stock
- 1 can cannellini beans drained
- ½ jar hatch chile salsa optional
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Shred cooked chicken breast and set aside.
- To the crockpot, pour in the crushed tomatoes and drained cannellini beans.
- Add in half the jar of the hatch chile salsa and stir to combine.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and top with seasoning. Stir again to combine all the ingredients. Set the slow cooker to cook on LOW for 6 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).
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