Instant pot white chicken chili is super easy and delicious dinner that comes together in less than thirty minutes.
Fall is in full swing, and we have been eating the heck out of some soup and chili! It’s just perfect for those crisp fall evenings, and the possibilities are endless.
A couple weeks ago I started craving some white chicken chili, and I needed it to be incredibly quick and easy. Cue my eyes looking at my Instant Pot sitting on the kitchen counter.
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I can almost hear your voices now, internet friends. Marjorie! Are you ever going to shut up about the stupid Instant Pot?!
Probably not anytime soon. I have so many recipe ideas and adaptations that I want to do in my Instant Pot. I don’t even have time to cook, photograph and publish them all, but I am keeping a running list!
No worries if you don’t have (or even want) an Instant Pot, though. This is not going to become a pressure-cooking-only-blog. Pinkie promise! It’s just a fun new kitchen gadget that I am still learning how to use.
I am making a point to throw in some non-Instant Pot recipes so that I don’t lose all of you…LOL! (See my recent southern skillet corn bread, also seen in these photos.)
But this soup! Goodness gracious y’all, I literally threw everything in at once, cooked at high pressure manual for thirteen short minutes, quick release, shred my chicken…and poof! Quick, easy delicious dinner with raves from my son and husband.
#Winning
And this is what I got: this delicious, flavorful white chicken chili.
I will be adapting this for stovetop and (maybe) slow cooker eventually. But for now I am publishing it as strictly an Instant Pot recipe. It should also work in a stovetop pressure cooker. If you are doing that, check out this handy little guide from Hip Pressure Cooking, FYI.
Tools Used to Make Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
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Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe
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White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1.3 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 5 cups chicken stock homemade or store-bought
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cans can white northern beans drained and rinsed, 15-ounce cans
- 1 can diced green chilis undrained, 4 ounces
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot, and place the lid on and lock it.
- Use the manual keys to set the Instant Pot to 13 minutes manual.
- After the cooking has completed, use the quick release lever to release the pressure.
- Carefully remove the chicken thighs, and use two forks to shred the chicken.
- Return chicken to the pot, and serve immediately.
To Use Dry Beans
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Rinse and drain 3/4 pound of dry northern beans. I did not soak mine.
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Add all ingredients (except chicken) to the pot, plus an extra 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken stock.
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Cook on manual high pressure for 28 minutes, then quick release.
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Rinse the inside of the lid under cold tap water to help with re-sealing.
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Add the chicken thighs.
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Place the lid back on, lock it, and set it at 13 minutes on manual high pressure.
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Allow to naturally release (NPR) for 10 minutes, and then quick release the rest of the pressure.
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Remove the chicken, and shred with two forks; return to the pot.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Using dry beans may alter nutrition information slightly, since nutrition was calculated using the original recipe.
For frozen chicken thighs, I still use the same cook time. I just add 5 minutes of naturally pressure release (NPR), and then release quick release valve. The chicken was perfect!
See ALL of my Instant Pot recipes here.
Carolyn says
This recipe looks wonderful. How many servings does it make? THank you!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
8 servings. Enjoy Carolyn!
ksuter says
I made this with ground chicken, just browned it in the IP first. I also added 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning. It was really good, thanks for the recipe
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Happy to hear you enjoyed it.👏🏻
Darren says
I made this the other day with a couple of minor changes:
First, instead of the canned chilies, I used a diced jalapeño. Second, I added a can of green tomatillos. This added some extra liquid for the dried beans, and also added a bit of acidity, giving the whole dish a little more bite and “zing” I want from my chili, while remaining nicely balanced in flavour.
I’ll absolutely be making it again.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Sounds delicious! I am glad you enjoyed it.
Carole says
When using thawed chicken breasts, Do you mean the whole recipe only 5 minutes pressure cooking and then 5 minutes natural release?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Carole! Yes, 5 minutes pressure cook time, and five minutes natural release. Hope you enjoy!
Sarah says
you have 13 min in the recipe. Which is it? 5 or 13?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Sarah! 13 minutes for chicken thighs, and 5 minutes if you choose to substitute chicken breasts, which cook much quicker. I updated to include that cook time for chicken breasts because so many people wrote in about not wanting to use thighs.
BB says
I too am doing weight watchers and with any soup I make i remove some of the beans at the end of cook time, puree them and return them back to the soup. It thickens up the soup nicely without adding extra calories or points.
Doreen says
Just tried this as my first time using my IP.
It was tasty and the chicken tender, much more soupy than chili I am used to.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, it is definitely more of a soupy type recipe/ dish. Still glad you enjoyed it, though!
Katie says
This turned out incredible! I’m happy with thick or thin chili and liked that this was more soupy. I also follow weight watchers, and this recipe is very filling and satisfying! I used two frozen chicken breasts instead of thighs and cooked for 14 minutes with 5 minutes NR. Everything else is the same and full of flavor! Thank you for sharing!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Katie!
Kim Papenhausen says
We love this recipes. I use the dry beans always a hit with my family.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad you enjoy it Kim!💖 Thank you for taking the time to leave that feedback.🙏🏻
Kim Papenhausen says
No problem. THANK YOU!
Jodi says
This looks so yummy! Could I freeze the leftovers for later?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Jodi! Yes, this should freeze well. I haven’t done it myself. But I have with similar soups, and I imagine this would be the same.
V Joanne Heyob says
Could I cook my thighs with the bone in and remove bonds when I read up the chicken, would it change the cook time?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
You could definitely use bone-in ones. They may need an extra minute or so of cook time.
Lola says
Hi! Can I use chicken breasts instead? Would I need to change cook time?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Lola! Yes, and using chicken breasts it would only need to cook about 5 minutes on high pressure. I would let is naturally release for 5 additional minutes, then quick release the rest.
Gina says
Hello!
How much time would you cook frozen chicken breasts for this recipe?
Thanks!
Carole says
When using raw chicken breast how much time do you pressure cook and how much time do you natural release?
Christine says
I felt it was lacking in veggies thoigh so i added a small tub of arugala (142 grams) and four little (2 normal) diced zucchinis. I also tripled the garlic, cause garlic <3 turned out soooo good. My only complaint (and you cant even tell while eating it) is the beans came out of their… husks? while cooking and made thesd weird little empty ghost beans…. overall super tasty. I like the seasoning a lot. I might experiment with adding a touch of lime next time…
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. Lime would be delicious. Not sure what was up with the beans though. Sounds like they overcooked…maybe you got a can that was already well-done or something.
Timothy Power says
I have a mini IP. If I halve this recipe, do I halve the cooking time? Thanks!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I would guess it would need about the same cook time
Timothy Power says
Thanks, Marjorie!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Glad you enjoyed it!🤗
Randy Barning says
Hi,
Is 5 cups chicken stock right? sounds like a lot.
Thanks!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
It is right, but if you don’t like too much broth in your soup, you could reduce that a little, say down to like 4 cups.
OW says
I just made this recipe and 5 cups, to me, is way too much for something with the consistency of chili (which I don’t associate with being soupy at all. More like a thick stew). I think 3 cups, max, would be more than sufficient.
Rachael says
I would love to make this tonight. Do you think the cooking time would be the same with chicken breast rather than theighs? Thanks!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
You’ve probably already made this by now 😬, but it would be less time for using chicken breasts. Probably like 5 minutes plus full NPR.
Tricia says
Sounds like a great recipe. I’m thinking of trying it today but I have already cooked chicken from a whole chicken that I did in the IP the other day. I wonder how using already cooked chicken would alter the cooking time? Any suggestions?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Great question. Here are the modifications I would make: I would sauté the onions for about 5 minutes in a little bit of oil or cooking spray. In the last minute of that, I would add the garlic to cook for one minute. Then pour in everything else, including the cooked chicken. Cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release. Note: I have not tested this, but I think it should work out alright! My best guess anyway. 👍🏻
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
You technically could do that, but it may taste a little bland. Some of the flavor of the soup comes from those chiles, so feel free to add any extra seasonings (to taste). I would not increase the broth, unless you want really thin soup (mostly broth). Good luck!
Emily says
Made this last night with your Southern Skillet Cornbread, and it was a hit! Made a few adjustments…used the Sauté function to sauté the onion with 2 fresh jalapeños before adding other ingredients, used 2 Tbsp chili powder and 2 tsp cumin. Thanks for the dry bean instructions and cooking times. I’m new to the instant pot and this was my first time cooking dry beans. Worked great!!!
Lea Avroch says
is the 2 ounce can of northern beans a typo?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
It is! I changed recipe plugins this weekend, and I have been migrating everything over. It messed up some of the formatting/wording on some of my recipes. Anyway! I missed this, so thank you for pointing it out! It has been updated now, but it is supposed to say two 15-ounce cans.
FYI: I am also trying this tonight with dry beans. I will post an update here if that turns out well.
Jenni says
I have a 6qt IP. And, a IP novice. If I make a batch and a half, would this fit/cook safely?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hey Jenni! Great question, and I am so glad you asked first. 🙂 I would not recommend a batch and a half, since this would push the capacity past 2/3 full. This article from Hip Pressure Cooking explains why: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-capacity-faq-if-it-fits-cook-it/