Green Chili Chicken is a super easy weeknight dinner made in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot. It’s made with boneless skinless chicken, a jar of salsa verde, fresh onions and peppers, and some pantry staples, such as canned cannellini beans and frozen corn. It’s creamy, flavorful, perfect for game day and similar to my southwest chicken recipe, it only takes 10 minutes to prep!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This Green Chicken Chili is a true “dump dinner” with effortless prep – just place all the ingredients in a crock pot or an Instant Pot and go about your day!
- The only work you need to do is dicing onions and peppers.
- It’s a great “shelf cooking” dish. Most of the ingredients are staple pantry items, such as canned beans, jarred salsa verde, onions and spices. If you have some frozen boneless thighs and a bag of frozen corn, your dinner is all set.
- You control the amount of cream cheese – if you feel like super creamy, add ½ bar of cream cheese. If you want a lower cal version, lower the amount to ¼ bar.
- Great for busy weeknight dinners - I find this is a rare slow cooker meal my whole family will eat with no complaints!
- It’s kid-friendly and perfect for easy entertaining.
- Make sure to also check my Low-Carb Mini Pepper Nachos for another Tex Mex inspired dish or this Red Ground Chicken Chili for another chicken chili recipe.
Ingredient notes
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Chicken: I like using skinless boneless chicken thighs but chicken breasts will also work. Make sure to trim most of the visible white fat.
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Canned Cannellini Beans: you can also use canned navy, white kidney beans or great northern beans, if that’s what you have in your pantry. They are all very similar varieties of white beans.
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Salsa Verde: made with tomatillos, this green salsa is a great base for Green Chicken Chili. I like the Trader Joe’s brand.
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Green Bell Pepper: a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants.
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Corn: adds a note of sweetness! Fresh or frozen corn will work.
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Onion: yellow, white or sweet onion are all great choices. Red onion will also work.
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Jalapeño Pepper: to add some spice to the chili. Use as little or as much as you like.
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Cream Cheese: I use neufchantel cream cheese (reduced fat cream cheese) but full fat cream cheese is also fine.
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Chili Powder: to bring out classic chili flavors.
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Salt and Black Pepper: to season the chili.
How to make green chicken chili in a crockpot
- Dice onions, green bell pepper and jalapeño pepper.
- Place most of the ingredients in the slow cooker: chopped fresh veggies, canned drained cannellini beans, frozen corn, chicken and spices.
- Add salsa verde and spices.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Shred chicken using 2 forks, add cream cheese, close the lid and cook until the cheese melts, 30 minutes or so.
- Give the chili a stir and serve with your favorite toppings!
Instant Pot instructions
Cooking Green Chicken Chili in a pressure cooker is even easier than the Crock Pot method. Just place all ingredients (except cream cheese) in your Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker). Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. After you release the pressure, shred the chicken right in the pot with 2 forks, add cream cheese, set the Instant Pot to “sauté” and cook until the cheese melts, stirring from time to time.
Serving suggestions
The best part about this chili is the toppings! I love to top this off with avocado slices, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeño and a squeeze of lime juice.
Some other topping ideas include:
- Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
- Lime wedges
- A dollop of sour cream
- White diced onions
- Jalapeño slices
- Crushed tortilla chips
Storage and freezing tips
Store cooled Green Chicken Chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months (in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags). Thaw in the container in the fridge overnight.
To reheat, place in a pot on the stove and heat up until hot and bubbly or pour into a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 2 or 3 minutes. Top with your favorite garnishes and serve hot.
Substitutions and variations
This chili is highly customizable! Don’t like beans or corn? No problem, you can leave it out! As long as you have some kind of chicken in your freezer and a jar of salsa verde, you are game!
- You can make this Green Chicken Chili with bone-in chicken, just make sure to remove the skin. Place the chicken in the slow cooker or pressure cooker with all the ingredients. When it’s time to shred the meat, just remove the bones at the same time.
- If you have homemade salsa verde, feel free to use it in this recipe!
- Add a can of green chiles for even more Mexican-inspired flavor
- If you have picky eaters who don’t like beans, try blending them with a bit of water or broth before adding to the slow/pressure cooker. My middle son doesn’t like beans but whenever I blend them, he doesn’t even notice them (throwing in a mom hack here!).
- Any color bell peppers will work, but green works best to keep the chili… well, GREEN.
- Chopped cilantro really brightens the flavor of this chili but you can absolutely skip it if it’s not your thing. Chopped green onions are another great option!
Recipe FAQs
Salsa Verde, translated as “green salsa”, is tomatillo-based salsa that is made with green chili peppers. It has a nice fresh and spicy flavor! Grab a jar at the grocery store or make your own homemade version.
There are many versions of white and green chicken chili recipes on the internet! They are definitely similar and sometimes interchangeable. For me, green chicken chili is always made with salsa verde (translated as “green salsa”).
Yes. This Green Chicken Chili recipe is very thick but can still be eaten in a bowl, like a thick stew. If you would like it to be more soup-like, just add 2 cups of chicken broth (or chicken stock) with all other chili ingredients at the beginning.
Yes. If you don't have boneless thighs or breasts but you do have ground chicken, brown it in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker or sautee it in your Instant Pot prior to adding all remaining ingredients and pressure cooking.
More boneless chicken ideas
- Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Ricotta and Feta Cheese
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders (No Breading)
- Buffalo Chicken Thighs (Air Fryer or Oven)
- Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Stuffed Chicken (Air Fryer or Oven)
- Caprese Chicken Sheet Pan
- Chicken Salad Without Mayo
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Recipe
Creamy Green Chicken Chili (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 12 oz salsa verde I like Trader Joe’s
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- ½ jalapeno pepper diced, seeds removed
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 can cannellini beans drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese increase to 4 oz for creamier chili
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional toppings: chopped cilantro avocado slices
Instructions
- Place cannellini beans, frozen corn, diced onion, green bell pepper and jalapeno pepper in the slow cooker or pressure cooker (Instant Pot).
- Remove any visible fat from the boneless skinless chicken thighs, then nestle the thighs in the vegetable mixture.
- Pour a jar of salsa verde over the chicken and vegetables and add all seasonings: chili powder, salt and pepper.
Slow Cooker Method
- Slow cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Open the lid and shred the chicken with 2 forks – the meat will be falling apart easily. Add cream cheese so it’s completely submerged, close the lid and cook on high until cream cheese dissolves, about 30 minutes more. Give the chili a stir and serve.
Pressure Cooker Method
- Close the lid of your pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then use manual release to get rid of remaining pressure. Open the lid, wait a minute or so and then shred the chicken with two forks – the meat will be falling apart easily. Set the pressure cooker to low “sauté” and add the cream cheese. Allow the cheese to dissolve, stirring often. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Jere Cassidy says
I love salsa verdes and this soup sounds delish. I like that it is more creamy than brothy.
nancy says
making this easy weeknight meal tonight! can't wait to try it
Mykenzie Krueger says
Love this recipe! So simple, easy, affordable, and DELICIOUS!
Julie says
All about a creamy recipe yum!! Super excited about this one!
Jerika says
This is an awesome comfort food for me. Thank you!:)
Alexandra says
Delicious and flavoursome - I love it!
Julie says
What a wonderful and tasty recipe. I love the tip about blending beans for fussy eaters.
Addie says
So hearty and flavorful! Yum
Jamie says
Such a delicious chili, perfect for the cold weather!
Mary says
It is a great chili. Nice to come home to a cooked meal in the Crockpot!
Helen at the lazy gastronome says
I love crock pot cooking. And this recipe is amazing.
Kylie says
This is so delicious!
swathi says
This creamy green chicken chili looks delicious ulitmate comfort food.
Stine Mari says
I've always wanted to try green chili, and this one looks so comforting and delicious!
Megan Ellam says
SO tasty and easy!
Emilie says
Came out better than I could have imagined, even though I forgot the onion. I also added extra chili powder and a charred chili lime seasoning. So delicious, I’ll be making this again and again.
Agnieszka says
I'm glad you liked it, Emilie!
Emily Lineback says
I made this for the first time to bring to my work’s chili cookoff. Since I had never tried it before submitting it to the contest, I was really nervous, but I ended up winning! Such a complex and flavorful recipe. I paired it with homemade cheddar jalapeño cornbread.
Agnieszka says
Oh wow! That's so amazing. Glad you liked the recipe!
Patty says
Made this tonight for my very picky mom and she loved it!
Agnieszka says
Glad your mom liked it, Patty!
Don McDonald says
The recipe calls for 2 4oz packages of cream cheese. They are sold in 8oz packages. Do you mean a total of 8oz?
Agnieszka says
Hi Don. It's 2 to 4 ounces of cream cheese (not 2 4-oz packages). I've updated the instructions to make it more clear.
Pru says
I made this tonight for the first time.
This recipe is amazing; so delicious and full of flavor. The best chili I have ever had. Definitely making this again and again!
Agnieszka says
Aww, thanks Pru! We love this chili, too.
Laura Feijolo says
It sounds great! However we are trying to avoid fat and dairy...any substitutions for the cream cheese? Also, any other ideas in place of corn and peppers? Would any veggies work?
Agnieszka says
Hi Laura. Yes, you can skip the cream cheese completely or just serve the chili with a dollop of low fat Greek yogurt. Regarding corn and peppers, I haven't tried this recipe without them but you could try diced zucchini.
Bogusława says
Great recipe.😋
This was amazing!
Kathy says
Delicious! We make it on repeat!
Agnieszka says
Awesome news, Kathy! Thanks for making my recipe.