Instant Pot White Chicken Chili (2024)

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With the crazy success of myBlue Ribbon Chiliwhich has won my viewers countless amounts of competitions, I felt it was time to focus on its lighter, yet just as flavorful cousin –

White Chicken Chili!White Chicken Chili gets its name because, well, it’s just that – mostly white in color due to using white beans, chicken and no tomatoes. It’s also one of the most satisfying and beautiful chilis you’ll set your eyes and mouths on. Think of it as the heartiest, thickest chicken stew you’ll ever have!

You can make this in yourInstant PotorNinja Foodi!

Here’s How I Made It! (scroll down for the fully-written recipe):

Begin with one large Spanish onion…

…and dice it up.

Then take some chicken…

…and cut it into bite-sized chunks.

You put da lime in da juice squeeza…

…and collect da juice.

Now take a large poblano pepper (or two)…

…and dice it up.

Now to really bring out the flavor, let’s roast the pepper. Add it to the Ninja Foodi Pot (or a baking tray if you’ll use an oven)….

…and drizzle some olive oil over it.

After roasting, it will look like this with the skin of the pepper nice and blistered.

Now give the pot some heat (and add the peppers to the Instant Pot if you roasted in the oven instead of in the Ninja Foodi) and add some butter…

Once the butter’s melted…

…add in the onion and sauté for a few minutes.

See Also

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Don’t stir them in, but rather just smooth them out so they’re just below the broth’s surface and rest on top of everything else in the pot. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.

After the pressure cook cycle and once the lid comes off, it’ll look like this and a bit on the thinner side. That’ll all change soon.

Bring the pot to a bubble.

And create the cornstarch slurry by adding equal parts cornstarch…

…and water…

…and then mixing together until nice and smooth.

Stir in the slurry and you’ll see the chili thicken almost immediately. Allow to bubble for a moment and then kill the heat and set to keep warm.

Now to really set on some flavor. Add in some sour cream…

…Monterey Jack cheese…

…and frozen corn (the heat of the chili will thaw and heat it through within a minute of stirring).

Give it all a good stir!

And lastly, for a final and optional flavor boost, feel free to add in someChili Better Than Bouillon!

(This stuff is seriously magic)…

Give that chili one final stir…

…ladle into bowls…

…and top with some fresh cilantro and more cheese, if desired.

Can we please all take a moment to admire how gorgeous and hearty this White Chicken Chili is?

Feed it to a friend or loved one…

Friend: Did you make this?!You: Why, yes. Yes I did.

Thumbs up, happy pup!

Serve over some rice and enjoy!

At the time of this post, Pressure Luck exclusively used Better Than Bouillon/Southeastern Mills for all soup bases and bouillon

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Yield: 6

The lighter and whiter cousin of my classic Blue Ribbon Chili, White Chicken Chili is just as rich in flavor, but with more of a Tex-Mex flair given the salsa verde and no tomatoes. One slurp and you'll see why this is a very popular recipe of mine.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time31 minutes

Total Time36 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 large poblano pepper, diced and de-seeded (you can use two if you wish – it’s not spicy)
4 tbsp of salted butter, divided in half
1 large Spanish onion, diced
1 tbsp of crushed garlic
2-3 lbs of chicken tenders, breasts or thighs (I used tenders), cut into bite-sized pieces
7 oz can of roasted green chiles (these aren’t spicy)
1 cup of salsa verde (green salsa that’s usually mild in spice. I like the Goya brand for this)
Juice of 1 lime
4 cups of chicken broth (I use 4 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 4 cups of water)
1 tsp of seasoned salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
Two 15.5 oz cans of white beans of your choice (Cannellini, Great Northern or Navy work well), drained and rinsed
3 tbsp of cornstarch + 3 tbsp of water, mixed together to form a cornstarch slurry
1/4 cup of sour cream

Optional for a richer chili:

10 oz package of frozen corn
1-2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1-2 tbsp of Chili Better Than Bouillon
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

If using aNinja Foodi, place thethe diced poblano pepper in the pot and drizzle the olive oil over it. Lower the TenderCrisp lid and hit “Broil” for 12 minutes.If using anInstant Potand you wish to roast the peppers first, place the diced poblano peppers on a baking sheet, drizzle in oil and place in the oven on broil for 12-15 minutes (NOTE:you can also skip the roasting step altogether if you wish BUT it really brings out the flavor in the peppers which impacts the end-result flavor of the Chili)
Hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Add 2 tbsp of the butter to the pot. Once melted and bubbling, add the onion (and poblano pepper and olive oil if you roasted the peppers in the oven or skipped Step 1). Sauté for 3 minutes and then add the garlic and sauté for another minute
Now, add in the chicken and the other 2 tbsp of butter and sauté, constantly stirring for another 3-4 minutes until the chicken becomes pinkish-white in color (it should not be fully cooked by now – just seared)
With the exception of the sour cream, cornstarch slurry and optional ingredients (these come after pressure cooking), add everything else and stir. Just make sure to add the beans on top at the end and, rather than stirring them in, lightly smooth them out so they’re just below the broth
Secure the lid, hit “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” for 5 minutes at high pressure. Quick release when done
Hit “Sauté” and one it begins to bubble, stir in the cornstarch slurry for a minute and then hit “Keep Warm”
Stir in the sour cream and add any desired optional ingredients and let set/meld for another 2 minutes
Serve over rice and top with Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro and sour cream, if desired
Enjoy!

Jeffrey's Tips

You can also skip the roasting step altogether if you wish BUT it really brings out the flavor in the peppers which impacts the end-result flavor of the Chili

As always, Chili is always better the next day once refrigerated and the flavors come together and congeal, so feel free to make it ahead of time!

If you want a thicker Chili, simply double the cornstarch slurry.

“No tomatoes in this Chili?!” Nope! That’s part of what differentiates this White Chili from a traditional Red Chili! But you can always feel free to add some if you wish!

Try my mega-popular, award-winningBlue Ribbon Chilias well!

If you have leftovers and want to turn it into a spectacular dip, simply reheat and stir in more shredded cheese until thickened into a dip-like consistency. Serve with tortilla chips.