Creamy Green Chicken Chili (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)

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 and only takes 10 minutes to prep!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• This Green Chicken Chili is a true “dump dinner” – 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.
• Eat it as a soup or as a dip with tortilla chips!
• 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.

INGREDIENT NOTES

Chicken: I like using skinless boneless thighs but chicken breasts will also work. Make sure to trim most of the visible white fat.

Canned Cannellini Beans: you can also use canned navy or great northern beans, if that’s what you have in your pantry. They are all very similar varieties of white beans.

Salsa Verde: made with tomatillos, this green salsa is a great base for Green Chicken Chili. I like the Trader Joe’s brand.

Green Bell Pepper: a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Corn: adds a note of sweetness! Fresh or frozen corn will work.

Onion: yellow, white or sweet onion are all great choices.

Jalapeño Pepper: to add some spice to the chili. Use as little or as much as you like.

Cream Cheese: I use neufchantel cream cheese (reduced fat cream cheese) but full fat cream cheese is also fine.

Chili Powder: to bring out classic chili flavors.

Salt and Pepper: to season the chili.

HOW TO MAKE GREEN CHICKEN CHILI IN A CROCK POT

Step 1: Dice onions, green bell pepper and jalapeño pepper.

Step 2: Place most of the ingredients in the slow cooker: chopped fresh veggies, canned drained cannellini beans, frozen corn, chicken and spices.

Step 3: Add salsa verde and spices.

Step 4: Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Step 5: Shred the chicken using 2 forks, add cream cheese, close the lid and cook until the cheese melts, 30 minutes or so.

Step 6: Give the chili a stir and serve with your favorite toppings!

INSTANT POT (PRESSURE COOKER) 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 cilantro, sliced jalapeño and a squeeze of lime juice.

Some other topping ideas include:

• Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• Lime wedges
• White diced onions
• Jalapeño slices
• Crushed tortilla chips 

STORAGE & 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. 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!
• 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 pepper 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!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is salsa verde?

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.

Is green chicken chili the same as white chicken chili?

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”).

Can I turn this chili into a soup?

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 with all other chili ingredients at the beginning.

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

If you try this Green Chili Chicken, be sure to leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and see how it turned out for you! You can also share and tag me on Instagram!

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Creamy Green Chicken Chili (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)

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★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Agnieszka
• Total Time: 25 minute
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

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.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 12 oz jar of salsa verde (I like Trader Joe’s)
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ jalapeno pepper, diced, seeds removed
1 medium onion, diced
1 can of cannellini beans, drained
1 cup of frozen corn
1 tsp chili powder
¼ - ½ of 8oz bar of reduced fat cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, avocado slices

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Instructions

1. Place cannellini beans, frozen corn, diced onion, green bell pepper and jalapeno pepper in the slow cooker or pressure cooker (Instant Pot).
2. Remove any visible fat from the boneless skinless chicken thighs, then nestle the thighs in the vegetable mixture.
3. Pour a jar of salsa verde over the chicken and vegetables and add all seasonings: chili powder, salt and pepper.
4. 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.
5. 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

This chili comes out quite thick. My family likes it this way and my kids scoop it out with tortilla chips like a dip. If you prefer more soup-like consistency, just add 2 cups of chicken broth at the beginning.

You can swap cannellini beans for canned Great Northern or navy beans.

If you don't like cilantro, swap it with sliced green onions.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes - 8 hours
• Category: lunch, dinner
• Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex

Keywords: green chicken chili, slow cooker green chicken chili, instant pot green chicken chili, white chicken chili