Instant Pot White Chicken Chili with white beans and garbanzo beans. This easy, healthy white chili recipe is a household staple for any of those times you’re looking for a quick and hearty meal the whole family can enjoy.
If you love healthy chili recipes, also try my Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili, Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans, Nightshade-Free AIP Chili, which are my most popular chili recipes.
As soon as the weather cools off, soup, stew, and chili of all types are a cornerstone of my diet.
Can you relate?
There’s just nothing cozier than enjoying bottomless bowls of nourishing soups on the couch engulfed in a fuzzy blanket with your pet nearby.
If you need me, that’s where I’ll be from now until June. 😉
Back in 2016, I posted a recipe for Crock Pot White Chicken Chili and it took me until now to realize the world could use a pressure cooker white chicken chili recipe.
So here we are, making a rich and flavorful shredded chicken chili in a fraction of the time it normally takes to make it!
The way I see it, hearty chili recipes like this are ideal for meal prep, whipping up to feed the family, lovely for serving guests.
Let’s discuss the ingredients needed to make this chicken white bean chili!
White Chicken Chili Ingredients:
Avocado Oil or Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onion and garlic. You can also use olive oil.
Onion & Garlic: Those crucial ingredients that bring richness, savory elements and flavor to a healthy soup recipe, onion and fresh garlic cloves are real game changers for making the best white chicken chili recipe. Red onion, white onion and yellow onion all work.
Boneless Chicken Breasts: We use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to use chicken thighs, leftover chicken, or shredded rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts if you prefer.
Canned Green Chilies: Taking the place of tomatoes in regular chili recipes, canned diced green chilis brings that tang and sweetness to the white chili recipe.
Use mild green chiles to keep the recipe mild. In addition to using canned green chilis, you can also use fresh poblano peppers, jalapenos, or pasilla peppers to adjust the heat level upward.
Chicken Broth: A little liquid is imperative to make a soup recipes use chicken stock but any type of broth or stock will work in a pinch.
Beans: While you can use any type of beans you like, I use white beans and garbanzo beans for this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe.
Feel free to use black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, etc.
Cumin, Parsley, Thyme, Salt, Pepper: The seasonings we use to make this easy chicken chili recipe extra delicious. A unique blend of ingredients generates a fun and vibrant chili.
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: In order to bring some creaminess to this shredded chicken white bean chili, we add some plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or heavy cream to make the healthy soup more robust with a lovely silky creamy texture.
While this ingredient is optional, the creamy broth really makes this easy white chili recipe a true gem!
Some people use cream cheese to make white chicken chili extra rich and creamy. If you’d like to go this route, use 4 to 6 ounces of cream cheese.
This is the richest option of them all and will generate the most amount of flavor and creamy texture. It will also contain the most calories.
Optional Additions:
- Depending on what seasonings you like in chili recipes, you can add regular chili powder, cayenne powder, or salsa verde.
- Add 1 cup of sweet corn or fresh corn if you enjoy the flavor and texture.
- Chop up red bell peppers or a green bell pepper and add it in.
Toppings for Chili:
Serve this delicious white chili with tortilla chips, fresh lime wedges or lime juice, green onion, fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, grated cheese, or any of your favorite toppings.
Grated Monterey jack cheese is one of my favorites for white chili recipes.
This creamy white chicken chili tastes even better the next day! If you have the forethought, make it a day or two ahead of time the next time you’re craving chili.
Now that we’re familiar with the simple white bean chicken chili ingredients, let’s make it!
How to Make Instant Pot White Chili:
Plug in the pressure cooker, press the Sauté button and add the oil. Wait for a few minutes for the pot to heat up. Add the yellow onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the Greek yogurt) to the Instant Pot. There’s no need to chop the chicken first, as we’ll be shredding it after it has fully cooked.
Give everything a big stir, then secure the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure release valve is sealed. Pressure cook on High pressure for 20 minutes, then allow the Instant Pot to depressurize for at least 10 minutes (I do 30 minutes for more tender chicken). Release any remaining pressure, then open the pressure cooker.
Transfer the chicken breast to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it.
Transfer the shredded chicken back into the pressure cooker and stir well.
Stir in plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (use full-fat canned coconut milk for a dairy-free option).
Serve Instant Pot White Chicken Chili with sliced avocados, more yogurt (or sour cream) and chopped chives.
Store any leftover white chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you don’t own an Instant Pot or a slow cooker, you can easily prepare this recipe on the stovetop using a heavy pot, large Dutch oven, or soup pot.
The chili becomes thicker as it sits and also becomes more flavorful! For this reason, I recommend making it a day or two in advance for the best texture and best flavor.
So here we are! A quick chili recipe that is packed with fresh flavors for a healthy comforting meal.
If you’re looking for more soup, stew, or chili recipes, check out these reader favorites!
More Stew, Chili and Soup Recipes:
- Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables
- Immunity-Boosting Turmeric Chicken Soup
- Moroccan Chicken Stew
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- Instant Pot Steak and Potato Soup
- Creamy Sweet Potato and Quinoa Stew
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Dairy-Free Chicken Corn Chowder
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Rotisserie Chicken Soup
- Vegetable Coconut Curry Soup
Green chili in an instant, here we go!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 5 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, about 10 to 14 ounces*
- 2 7-oz cans green chilis*
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15-oz can white beans
- 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt**
For Serving:
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Avocado
- Chives
Instructions
- Plug in the pressure cooker, press the Sauté button and add the oil. Wait for a few minutes for the pot to heat up. Add the yellow onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the Greek yogurt) to the Instant Pot. There’s no need to chop the chicken first, as we’ll be shredding it after it has fully cooked.
- Give everything a big stir, then secure the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure release valve is sealed. Pressure cook on High pressure for 20 minutes, then allow the Instant Pot to depressurize for at least 10 minutes (I do 30 minutes for more tender chicken). Release any remaining pressure, then open the pressure cooker.
- Transfer the chicken breast to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it.
- Transfer the shredded chicken back into the pressure cooker and stir well.
- If desired, stir in plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (use full-fat canned coconut milk for a dairy-free option).
- Serve Instant Pot White Chicken Chili with sliced avocados, more yogurt (or sour cream) and chopped chives.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: you can also use the standard wire rack that comes with the pressure cooker, but an egg-specific rack will produce the best results.