Gluten-Free White Chicken Chili (Slow Cooker or Stovetop)

Warm up with this creamy and spicy gluten-free white chicken chili, made in the CrockPot, slow cooker, or on the stovetop. Made with shredded chicken, (can be canned chicken or rotisserie chicken), it’s an easy and healthy meal that's perfect for cold weather, game night, or football parties. It’s keto-friendly, low-carb, and packed with flavor. Save this award-winning recipe now for a simple and satisfying dinner everyone will love!

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Why this is the best gluten-free white chicken chili

This is a healthy white chicken chili recipe. It is made with whole, healthy, mostly unprocessed ingredients and nothing weird.

This is a simple recipe. It has more than 5 ingredients, but the ingredients are very common and easy to find. You probably already have them all in your pantry.

This recipe is very easy. There are a few steps, but nothing is complicated or requiring special techiniques. Sauté the onion, stir in the flour, dump everything else in (gradually), and then simmer for a few minutes. That's all there is to the stovetop version, and the slow cooker version is even easier.

This soup is a whole meal. Because it has beans, corn, tomatoes, and chicken, this soup hits enough food groups to qualify as a full meal. Plus, it's very hearty and filling, so you won't need more than one bowl. If you really wanted to add something, you could serve it with some corn bread or dinner rolls, and that would be plenty.

This recipe is allergy friendly and good for special diets. As written, this recipe is soy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and nut-free. You can easily use a non-dairy cream such as coconut milk and vegan butter or olive oil to make it dairy-free. This recipe is also low carb, high protein, and keto-friendly. As always, please check the labels on your unique ingredients to ensure they fit with your dietary needs and preferences.

What's the difference between traditional chili and white chili?

Traditional chili, like my famous bacon chili, has a tomato sauce base and then adds beef broth to make the soup. (You can get traditional chili that's made with chicken and uses chicken broth, too.) The key here is the tomato sauce that gives the chili its famous red color.

White chili starts with a butter and flour roux, and then adds chicken broth to that. My version adds heavy cream, and you can also add cream cheese or sour cream for an even thicker, creamier, whiter chili. (I've never seen white chili made with beef, but I suppose that anything is possible.)

There's even green chili! It's similar to white chili but made without cream and with salsa verde and different spices.

What you'll need to make the best white chicken chili recipe

Equipment

• Large stockpot - I recommend at least 6 quarts.
• Instant read thermometer - You will only need this if your chicken is uncooked. If you are using the CrockPot method, you can start with uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (or heck, any chicken, bone-in or boneless) and put those, raw, right in the chili in the slow cooker. Place the probe of your Temp Spike into the thickest piece of chicken and set it to 165ºF. (This is the poultry setting on the app.) Once the chicken has reached the correct temperature, the app will beep, and you can pull the chicken out of the chili, shred it, and then add it back to the soup. (This is not sponsored. I bought my Temp Spike myself with my own money, and I use it every single day.)

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Butter - I use salted butter, but salted butter has less than one teaspoon of salt per pound, so you generally won't notice a difference between salted and unsalted butter in recipes. If you need to make the chili dairy-free, you can use any neutral oil, including olive oil.
• Chopped onion - You're going to sauté this in butter. If you don't want to see onions in your finished chili (such as my onion-phobic child), then dice the onion as small as possible. If you don't mind pieces of onion, leave them bigger.
• Almond flour - This white chicken chili recipe requires a roux, which is a mixture of melted butter and flour. To make the recipe gluten-free, I suggest using almond flour. If you are not gluten-free, feel free to use all-purpose flour instead.
• Chicken broth - You can use as much chicken broth as you want, so if you like your chili to be soupier, feel free to add extra. We like our chili to be more like a thicker stew consistency, so I use even less than the recipe calls for.
• Heavy cream - This is what makes the chili white and creamy. You could use coconut milk or another non-dairy cream if you needed the chili to be dairy-free.
• Cooked chicken - Feel free to use chicken breasts or chicken thighs, as you like. If using canned chicken, use two large cans, drained and shredded with a fork. If using rotisserie chicken, shred the chicken as you pull it off the bones, and use two heaping cups of shredded chicken. If using raw chicken breasts or thighs, start with 1-1½ pounds of chicken, cook it to 165ºF using your desired method, then shred it and measure two heaping cups. If you're making this chili using the crockpot method, you could throw your chicken into the chili raw and let it cook in the slow cooker. If you do that, measure the temperature of the chicken to ensure it has reached 165ºF, and once it has, pull it out, shred it, and put the shredded chicken back in the slow cooker with the heavy cream. Mix it up, and let it cook for another 30 minutes to blend all the flavors.
• Kidney beans - You can use whatever beans you want. Some white chicken chili recipes use Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, or another white bean. This is fine. Sometimes I use black beans because my kids really like them. Any bean will work. Drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the soup.
• Sweet corn - I had a can of corn and used that for the photos, but most of the time, I use a couple handfuls of frozen corn and throw it right in the soup frozen. It will thaw and cook in no time.
• Diced tomatoes with green chiles - This can be Rotel or another brand. Feel free to use mild, medium, or hot, depending on your preference.
• Garlic powder - Normally, I use only fresh garlic and press it myself. In this recipe, it doesn't make a huge difference, and I have opted for garlic powder to make things easier. If you have fresh garlic and a press, I would absolutely use that instead of the powder. Use 1-2 medium-sized or 1 large clove.
• Ground cumin - This, along with chili powder, is the spice that makes most people think of chili.
• Chili powder - I prefer dark chili powder, but you can use whatever you have. Feel free to use more if you want a richer flavor. Always taste the chili before adjusting the spices.
• Table salt - Or kosher salt. Use what you have.
• Ground black pepper - One of my kids really likes black pepper, so sometimes I add more than what the recipe calls for. As above, taste the chili before adjusting the seasonings.

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Toppings, as desired

• Shredded cheddar cheese - This is the old standard for chili toppings, and what most people use.
• Shredded pepper jack cheese - Pepper jack gives a mild heat to the chili that some people really love.
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt - This is another old standard. Most people put sour cream in their chili, myself included. Sour cream in this recipe makes the chili even creamier, which I find to be very nice.
• Fresh or pickled jalapenos - For some heat.
• Avocado slices - Who doesn't love avocado? I think all chili begs for avocado.
• Gluten-free tortilla chips or corn chips - My daughter will not eat chili without tortilla chips. And when I say she eats them together, what I really mean is that she fills her bowl with tortilla chips, crunches them down a bit, and then pours the chili over the top. Then she adds more cheese than I think is appropriate and mixes it all up and devours it.
• Fresh cilantro - Some people love cilantro, and some hate it. If you're a lover, it would be great as a garnish on your chili.

How to make gluten-free white chicken chili

Stovetop instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. 
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2. Add the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender.
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3. Add the almond flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, whisking broth to keep it from getting lumpy. 
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4. Add the heavy cream and shredded chicken; stir for 3 minutes.
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5. Add beans, corn, and tomatoes, mix well, and cook for 5 minutes.
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6. Add cooked onions, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Simmer for as long as possible, up to 45 minutes. Stir often. 
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7. Serve chili with toppings of your choice, such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, or corn chips.
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CrockPot White Chicken Chili instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Add the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender.
2. Add the almond flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, whisking broth to keep it from getting lumpy. 
3. Pour the broth mixture into the CrockPot and add all remaining ingredients except for heavy cream. Mix well.
4. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.
5. A half-hour before serving, add the heavy cream and mix well. Heat on high for 30 minutes or until heated through.
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6. Serve chili with toppings of your choice, such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, or corn chips.
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Cook's tips for the best white chicken chili

The first thing you will do (after you sauté the onions) is to make a roux for your soup. A roux is a necessary step to make a rich, creamy soup. A traditional roux would use a fat (butter) with all-purpose flour to make a thick paste. To make it gluten-free, I suggest using almond flour which behaves similarly enough to wheat flour to work in this recipe.

In either case, you will whisk the flour into the melted butter, and heat it while stirring constantly. Once it has started to turn golden, you will very very gradually, whisk the broth into the roux to make the base of the soup. Start with a few tablespoons of broth, whisk it in, then add a few more. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two to add all the broth, but you have to do it slowly or else the roux will make clumps - and clumps of buttery flour are not pleasant in anyone's chili.

Variations & substitutions

If you want your white chicken chili to be even creamier, you could add a block of softened cream cheese or 8 ounces of sour cream. In either set of directions, add the dairy all at the same time (in other words, add it when you add the heavy cream).

If you want your soup to be dairy-free, you can use either vegan butter or olive oil to cook the onions, then use a non-dairy or vegan cream to thicken the soup.

If you're not gluten-free, feel free to use all-purpose flour in place of almond flour.

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You can adjust the heat in the recipe by choosing hot or medium diced tomatoes. I know Rotel has several heat levels, and some store brands may have options as well.

If you want to make the chili hotter, you could add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or dice a jalapeño (or a different variety of hot pepper) and cook that with the onions in the first step. If you want some heat but not too much, remove and discard the inner membrane and seeds and just use the flesh of the pepper. Use caution when working with hot peppers as the oil will burn whatever skin in comes in contact with. (For example, if the oil gets on your fingers and then transfers to your eyes and nose, it will hurt like heck. Ask me how I know.) I recommend you always use disposable gloves when chopping hot peppers.

You can add additional vegetables to make the soup heartier. Chopped green or red bell peppers would be especially tasty. I would pre-cook them with the onions. You could also add additional beans, either the same kind or a different kind.

I like to squeeze fresh lime juice over this chili when I serve it. Cut lime wedges and allow your diners to use them or not, as they desire.

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Storing leftover white chicken chili

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave.

I do not recommend freezing this chili. Creamy soups such as this one typically separate when you take them out of the freezer.

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Try these other delicious soup recipes:

• Taste of Home Cheeseburger Soup - This is the stovetop recipe.
• Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup - This is the same recipe as above, but adapted to the CrockPot.
• Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
• World's Best Chili with Bacon
• Cheesy Vegetable Soup
• Slow Cooker Potato Soup
• Crockpot Corn Chowder
• Simple & Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
• Hot and Sour Soup - Uses ingredients found in a traditional grocery store
• Crockpot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
• Easy Black Bean Chili
• Gluten-Free White Chicken Chili - Stovetop and CrockPot instructions included
• Green Chili Chicken Soup
• Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

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