I am obsessed with this white chicken chili made in the Instant Pot! It’s so hearty and filling without weighing you down. I love how this healthy white bean chicken chili is so creamy without needing a lot of fat. And thanks to the cream cheese and sour cream, this chicken chili has such a delicious tangy flavor to it.
It’s perfect for a cold winter day, and thanks to the pressure cooker, you don’t have to spend ages stirring and simmering this chicken chili on the stovetop. An Instant Pot cuts down on the cooking time and is hands-off, so there’s no need to stir throughout. Try my Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup if you’re in the mood for another soup recipe.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Chili powder — Make sure to use American chili powder and not chile powder which is made of pure ground dried chile peppers.
- Chicken breasts — I love using boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this white chili. However, if you only have chicken thighs, you’re welcome to use that as well.
- Beans — I use a combination of black beans and cannellini white beans to make this recipe hearty and filling. Be sure to drain and rinse the beans before using.
- Chicken broth — Chicken broth adds much more to the chili than using water as the base.
- Sour cream — This adds a delicious tangy flavor to the chicken chili. You can use a lower fat version if you prefer.
- Cream cheese — Just like sour cream, you can use a low-fat version if you prefer.
How to Make Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Step 1: Select the SAUTE setting on your Instant Pot and add some oil into the pot. Add the onion and garlic into the pot and cook for 2 minutes or until the onion has softened.
Step 2: Add the chili powder and cumin into the pot and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Step 3: Add the chicken breast, black beans, white beans, corn, chicken broth, green chiles, and salt into the pot and stir it.
Step 4: Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes and hit START. After the timer has finished, do a quick pressure release.
Step 5: Remove the chicken from the pot with a pair of tongs and shred with two forks.
Step 6: Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the sour cream and cream cheese. Mix to combine thoroughly. Garnish with your favorite topping.
Tips For This Recipe
- If you already have shredded chicken in your fridge, you can skip cooking the breasts with the soup and stir in your cooked shredded chicken at the end, along with the cream cheese and sour cream.
- To prevent a burn notice when making white chicken chili in the Instant Pot, make sure there isn't anything stuck to the bottom of the liner before you pressure cook. If needed, deglaze the bottom of the pot with some chicken broth after you sauté the onions and garlic.
- When quick releasing the steam from the pressure cooker, make sure it is facing away from you.
- Dairy will scorch under pressure, so do not try to add it before cooking the chili.
- The easiest way to shred chicken breasts is by using two forks. However, you can also use a paddle attachment on a mixer if you prefer not to shred by hand.
- If you double the recipe, make sure the ingredients do not go past the max fill line. The time it takes to pressure up will increase naturally, so there’s no need to adjust the timing.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the joys of using a pressure cooker is that you can cook food from frozen! If the chicken breasts you have are frozen, you can increase the cooking time by a couple of minutes. However, if your chicken breasts are frozen together in a block, the parts stuck together will not cook evenly. I suggest using thawed breasts for the best results or making sure your frozen breasts are not stuck together.
Once the chicken chili has cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container without any toppings. It’ll last in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you would like to freeze this, again, skip adding any toppings and transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. My favorite way to freeze this is by transferring it in a bag, making sure to squeeze out any air, and then lay it flat, so it freezes flat. Doing so saves you a ton of freezer space, and it thaws much faster.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make this chili in a slow cooker. Instead of pressure cooking, cook it on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours before shredding the chicken and adding the cream cheese and sour cream.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can cannellini white beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups corn fresh or frozen
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 oz canned diced green chiles
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 oz cream cheese
Optional Garnish:
- chopped cilantro
- avocado
- tortilla chips
- limes
Instructions
- Select the SAUTE setting on your Instant Pot and add some oil into the pot. Add the onion and garlic into the pot and cook for 2 minutes or until the onion has softened.
- Add the chili powder and cumin into the pot and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the chicken breast, black beans, white beans, corn, chicken broth, green chiles, and salt into the pot and give it a stir. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes and hit START.
- After the timer has finished, do a quick pressure release.
- Remove the chicken from the pot with a pair of tongs and shred with two forks. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the sour cream and cream cheese. Mix to combine thoroughly.
- Garnish with your favorite topping: chopped cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, and limes.
Video
Notes
- If you already have shredded chicken in your fridge, you can skip cooking the breasts with the soup and stir in your cooked shredded chicken at the end, along with the cream cheese and sour cream.
- To prevent a burn notice, make sure there isn't anything stuck to the bottom of the liner before you pressure cook. If needed, deglaze the bottom of the pot with some chicken broth after you sauté the onions and garlic.
- When quick releasing the steam from the pressure cooker, make sure it is facing away from you.
- Dairy will scorch under pressure, so do not try to add it before cooking the chili.
- The easiest way to shred chicken breasts is by using two forks. However, you can also use a paddle attachment on a mixer if you prefer not to shred by hand.
- If you double the recipe, make sure the ingredients do not go past the max fill line. The time it takes to pressure up will increase naturally, so there’s no need to adjust the timing.
Made this on the stove top and it turned out so delicious. Super flavorful and easy to make which are my top two requirements! ?
Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know Julie!