This No Bean White Chicken Chili is a cozy dish ideal for cold weather. Made with bacon, chili spices, chicken breast, cream cheese, and milk, this yummy recipe is equal parts flavorful, hearty, and delicious. Serve it with a side of crusty bread or cornbread for an even cozier meal.
Skip the high carbs in regular chili by making this no-bean white chicken chili! It features a delicious creamy base and hearty ingredients that help create a filling entrée. This elevated chicken chili (no beans) is great for cooks of all skill levels, as it requires minimal kitchen tools.
Try these other chili recipes to stay warm as the temperatures change: No Bean Turkey & Vegetable Chili, Dutch Oven Chili, and Instant Pot Chili (No Beans).
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Low carb – You can create a yummy, low-carb keto chicken chili by leaving the beans out of this white chili recipe.
- Flavorful – Each bite of this no-bean white chicken chili has a delicious, bold flavor from the seasoning, bacon, salsa, and green chilies.
- Bacon – Bacon adds a delightful decadence (and flavor) to the recipe.
- Creamy – You can expect a creamy, rich chili base by including milk and cream cheese.
- Hearty – This chili is still hearty and filling even though it doesn’t have beans.
- Simple – This easy no-bean white chicken chili requires only a few kitchen tools/appliances.
- Perfect for cold weather – With its hearty ingredients and creamy base, this is the perfect dish for gloomy or chilly weather.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bell Pepper: If you prefer a spicier, no-bean white chicken chili, use a poblano pepper. Use a bell pepper for a milder taste (and less heat).
- Salsa: This ingredient adds lots of flavor. If you’re sensitive to heat, use a mild salsa. If you prefer a spicier recipe, use a medium or hot salsa.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make No Bean White Chicken Chili
Quick Overview
- Sauté bacon.
- Sear the chicken.
- Sauté the onion, pepper, and seasoning.
- Add broth and boil.
- Add remaining ingredients.
Step by Step Instructions
Do not skip browning the bacon, as it adds flavor to the recipe.
Step 1: In a large pot or dutch oven, sauté the bacon over medium low heat until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon is brown.
Step 2: Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high. Sear the chicken breasts for about 4 minutes per side in the bacon grease. The chicken does not need to be cooked through completely.
Step 3: Remove the chicken and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium. Leave about 1-1.5 Tablespoons of the bacon grease and discard the rest. Add the onion and poblano. Sauté for 6-7 minutes.
Step 4: Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Deglaze the pan with 3 cups of the chicken broth, scraping all of the brown bits off the pot of the bottom. Add the chicken breasts and bacon into the broth.
Step 6: Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 30 minutes.
Taste the chili before seasoning to ensure it is not over-salted.
Step 7: Remove the chicken. Stir in the corn, salsa, green chiles, hot sauce, and milk.
Step 8: Shred the chicken and add it back into the soup.
Step 9: Add the cream cheese and stir until it is completely melted. Add more salt if needed and broth if needed.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Garnish the chili with a dollop of sour cream, a few slices of jalapeño, and fresh cilantro.
I love serving chili with bread so you can soak up as much of the broth as possible. Here are a few ideas:
Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Instructions
If you prefer, you can also turn this recipe into a no-bean white chicken chili slow cooker dish by following the below steps.
- Sauté the bacon in the crock pot on the sear function (or in a pan).
- Sear the chicken in the crock pot or a pan in the bacon grease until browned. Remove from the pot.
- Add the onions/poblano and sauté for about six minutes with 1 tbs of bacon grease.
- Add the ingredients for the no-bean white chicken chili crockpot recipe (starting with the chicken) into the slow cooker. Skip the cream and cream cheese for now.
- Cook on low for about 8 hours. Or, cook on high for about four hours.
- Stir in the cream cheese/milk and cook on high for another 15 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Expert Tips
- Sear the chicken. Searing the chicken first helps create a delicious golden-brown color and seals the moisture into each chicken chunk. This step also adds tons of flavor to che no bean white chicken chili.
- Sauté the bacon. By sauteing the bacon first, you’re adding flavor to the recipe as you’ll be using the grease to cook the chicken and some of the veg.
Additions & Variations
- Add vegetables – Make this no-bean white chicken chili more filling by adding other veggies. Kale, spinach, and mushrooms all work well in this keto white chicken chili recipe, though you can add nearly any vegetable to this dish.
- Top with shredded cheese – You can create a more decadent recipe by adding freshly shredded cheese to the chili. It provides an ooey-gooey element to each bite.
- Vegetarian – This recipe is easy to turn into a vegetarian dish. Skip the bacon and chicken breast, or use a meat-free alternative for each. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock; you’ll have a vegetarian recipe in no time.
Recipe FAQs
Quite a few ingredients work with no-bean white chicken chili (or another type of no-bean chili). For example, you can add veggies like cauliflower, carrots, or zucchini. You can also add various proteins, like bacon or chicken.
You can make a slurry with cornstarch or flour and water if you prefer thicker chili. Mix it into the chili, which should thicken as the chili cooks.
One primary reason why your Mexican white chicken chili may be too thin is due to adding too much water or broth. Ensure you follow a recipe when making chili for the first time to avoid this. Or, use the above tip to thicken white chicken chili.
While you can use water as a soup base for chili, broth is ideal because it boosts the dish’s flavor. Chicken or vegetable broth works well in white chili.
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No Bean White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 4-5 pieces bacon, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 poblano or green bell pepper, diced*
- 6-7 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon EACH chili powder, oregano, & smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt*
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 3-4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 15-ounce can sweet corn, drained
- 1 cup mild salsa verde*
- 1 4-ounce can mild green chiles
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce, optional*
- 3/4 cup milk or cream
- 4 ounces full fat brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, sauté the bacon over medium low heat until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon is brown.4-5 pieces bacon, diced
- Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high. Sear the chicken breasts for about 4 minutes per side in the bacon grease. The chicken does not need to be cooked through completely.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Remove the chicken and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium. Leave about 1-1.5 Tablespoons of the bacon grease and discard the rest. Add the onion and poblano. Sauté for 6-7 minutes.1 yellow onion, diced, 1 poblano or green bell pepper, diced*
- Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.6-7 cloves garlic, pressed, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon EACH chili powder, oregano, & smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt*, fresh cracked black pepper
- Deglaze the pan with 3 cups of the chicken broth, scraping all of the brown bits off the pot of the bottom. Add the chicken breasts and bacon into the broth.3-4 cups chicken broth or stock
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken. Stir in the corn, salsa, green chiles, hot sauce, and milk.1 15-ounce can sweet corn, drained, 1 cup mild salsa verde*, 1 4-ounce can mild green chiles, 1 Tablespoon hot sauce, optional*, 3/4 cup milk or cream
- Shred the chicken and add it back into the soup.
- Add the cream cheese and stir until it is completely melted. Add more salt if needed and broth if needed.4 ounces full fat brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
Notes
- Bell Pepper: If you prefer a spicier, no-bean white chicken chili, use a poblano pepper. Use a bell pepper for a milder taste (and less heat).
- Salsa: This ingredient adds lots of flavor. If you’re sensitive to heat, use a mild salsa. If you prefer a spicier recipe, use a medium or hot salsa.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Sear the chicken. Searing the chicken first helps create a delicious golden-brown color and seals the moisture into each chicken chunk. This step also adds tons of flavor to che no bean white chicken chili.
- Sauté the bacon. By sauteing the bacon first, you’re adding flavor to the recipe as you’ll be using the grease to cook the chicken and some of the veg.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hey there! Do you have instructions for this recipe if we are using an instant pot? Thanks 🙂
Hey there! Thanks for this recipe. Never been a huge chili person cause I’m not a fan of beans so this one was great. My son wanted to make something for the chili cookoff so we made yours and…we won 1st place! Everyone loved it! Thanks so much!
That is awesome!!! Thank you so much.
I can not have cream cheese, is there a dairy free alternative to this?
I’m not sure!
My family loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Katie! 🙂
what is one serving size?
1/6 of the recipe! See the top of the recipe card. I am not sure how many cups, etc. as tracking nutrition is not our focus.