Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Name: Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion (diced); 4 cloves of garlic (minced); 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts; 3 cups chicken broth; 3 cans Great Northern Beans (drained and rinsed); 1 can yellow corn (drained); 1 red bell pepper (diced); 1 can chopped green chilies ((4.5 oz)); 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp chili powder; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp cayenne pepper; 1 lime (juiced); jalapeño (sliced); sour cream; tortilla strips; queso fresco cheese crumbles; cilantro (chopped)

Quick and easy to make Instant Pot white chicken chili is full of flavor and warms you with a slight kick of spice. Made with chicken, canned beans, vegetables and spices, this chili cooks up in the pressure cooker in 15 minutes.

Jump to Recipe

Bowl of white chicken chili with tortillas strips and cheese on top.

Instant Pot white chicken chili is a hearty and satisfying soup packed with tender chicken, beans, corn and peppers. It is quick and easy to make in the Instant Pot, so you are ready to enjoy your chili in only 35 minutes.

Table of Contents

bowl of white chicken chili with a spoon in it

You can garnish this gluten free and keto friendly chicken soup with cilantro, queso fresco, jalapeños, tortilla strips and sour cream to make it even more delicious. Serve with crusty white bread or cheesy rolls for an amazing lunch or dinner.

What Is Instant Pot Chicken Chili?

White chicken chili is an easy to make chicken soup bursting with shredded chicken and vegetables like beans, corn, bell pepper and chilies. It is a hearty and flavorful soup seasoned with fresh lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. It can be prepared in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop and tastes absolutely amazing garnished with tortilla strips, jalapeños, sour cream, queso fresco and cilantro.

Why You’ll Love This

Main Ingredients: onion, garlic, chicken, chicken broth, beans, corn, bell pepper, green chilies, spices
Cooking Method: Instant Pot
Nutrients: great source of protein, 34g per serving
Cooking Time: 15 minutes (plus 10 minutes natural release time)
Pairs well with: grilled meats, fish and seafood
Diets: keto friendly, gluten free, dairy free (without sour cream or cheese garnishes)
Special Equipment Needed: Instant Pot, food processor or blender

ladle of white chili over an instant pot

two bowls of Instant Pot white chicken chili with garnishes

Ingredients

You may have all of these Instant Pot chicken soup ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts and print the recipe.

Pantry Ingredients: olive oil, chicken broth, Great Northern beans, yellow corn, chopped green chilies
Produce Ingredients: onion, garlic, red bell pepper, lime
Meat Ingredients: chicken breasts
Spices: cumin, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper
Optional garnishes: Jalapeño, sour cream, tortilla chips, queso fresco cheese crumbles, cilantro

ingredients for instant pot white chicken chili

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love making soup in the Instant Pot then you’ll love our Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.

INSTRUCTIONS

This section shows how to cook easy white chicken chili in the Instant Pot, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. You can print the recipe with or without photos.

PREPARE: First, blend one can of rinsed beans, if using. Then sauté diced onion and garlic for 5 minutes using the sauté setting of your Instant Pot. After turning off the Instant Pot, add chicken breasts, chicken broth, beans, corn, bell pepper, green chilies and spices. Stir to combine.

COOK: Lock the lid, set the release valve to closed and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 15 minutes. Afterwards allow a 10 minute natural release, before carefully opening the pressure valve to release the pressure.

all the soup ingredients in the instant pot

FINISH: Remove the chicken, shred it and return it to the soup. Finally, season with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.

GARNISH: We recommend garnishing the finished chili with tortilla strips, sour cream, jalapeño slices, queso fresco crumbles and cilantro.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love chili then you’ll love our Easy Chili recipe with beef and sausage.

Recommended Tools

Instant Pot– This recipe requires an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. Andrea has this Instant Pot. It isn’t the fanciest but we love it and it will work for most people’s needs. If you’re looking for one with all the bells and whistles, Stef has this 10-in-1 Instant Pot.

HOW TO MAKE AHEAD

Instant Pot white chicken chili can easily be made completely ahead of time. Prepare this hearty and delicious chicken chili up to two days before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. You might find that the chili tastes even better after allowing the flavors to blend for a day or two.

HOW TO COOK ON THE STOVETOP

Sauté the oil, onion, and garlic over medium heat in a dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot.
Add the chicken broth, beans, chicken breasts, corn, bell pepper, green chilies and spices. Stir.
Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and shred then return it to the pot.
Add salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste.
Garnish and serve.

HOW TO STORE

Refrigerate: Store leftover chicken chili in an airtight container or ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 3 days if you can’t eat it the next day.

Freeze: Store in an airtight, freezer safe container. If you’re storing in a zip top plastic bag, try to get as much air out as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrosting: A great way to defrost your Instant Pot chicken soup is in the refrigerator overnight.

Recipe Tips

Follow these tips to make the best easy chicken chili.

Don’t skip the sauté step. Sauteing your onions and garlic will improve the flavor and texture.
Use 3 cans of any types of beans. If you want to add kidney beans or pinto beans that works as well.
Taste the soup before you season with salt and pepper. You may want to add more lime juice or not want to add any salt, depending on the sodium content of your chicken stock.
Don’t forget to garnish. The soup is delicious on it’s own but try it with cilantro, queso fresco, jalapenos, tortilla strips and sour cream to kick it up a notch!

close up of a bowl of easy chicken chili

We love serving a simple side of crusty white bread with Instant Pot chicken soup. Crispy garlic French bread, air fryer 3 cheese bombs or easy cheesy garlic rolls are other great sides to serve with this mouthwatering soup. If you want to keep the meal low carb and keto friendly, cheesy cauliflower breadsticks are an amazing side dish choice.

Common Questions

For perfect results every time, here are answers to the most common questions about cooking Instant Pot chicken soup.

Is white chicken chili healthy?

Instant Pot chicken soup is a healthy, low calorie and low carb meal choice. Above all, it only has 404 calories per bowl but provides 34g of protein. Additionally, chicken soup is gluten free, keto friendly and dairy free if eaten without sour cream and queso fresco crumbles.

What type of bean is best for chili?

We used great northern beans for this recipe but you can choose whichever kind you prefer. You could also try using black, pinto or kidney beans, for example.

Should white chicken chili be thickened?

This type of chicken soup is usually kept at a thinner consistency. Blending one can of beans before adding it to the soup, will thicken it slightly. Additionally, if you add a little cream when the soup has finished cooking it will become creamier. It will, however, no longer be dairy free.