You will love Salsa Verde Chicken Chili, a mildly spicy white chicken chili made with chicken, white beans, green salsa verde, and a few pantry ingredients: a simple dump-and-go crock pot or fast stovetop recipe.
You will love this simple chili recipe. It has minimal preparation time, uses common ingredients, is healthy, and has excellent taste. Make a batch today.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken—shredded precooked chicken like a rotisserie chicken.
Salsa Verde
White Beans—precooked Great Northern, Cannellini, or Navy beans
Onion
Green chiles—for green chili flavor
Chicken broth—low sodium
Other pantry ingredients—cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper
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Featured comment from Wendy:
"It is a wonderful filling bean dish with plenty of chicken and is just what I have been looking for."
Everybody loves a good bowl of chili, and one that is healthy will make you smile. This high-protein and low-fat chili will fit most diets with about 250 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving. It fits a Healthy and Low Fat diets.
I have many other chili recipes, but this one is special. It has a little heat, a nice sharpness, and great flavor. Add in that it is crockpot easy; this chili is a winner in every way.
👨🍳How to Make Salsa Verde Chili
- Chop one medium onion. Drain and rinse the beans.
- For a crock pot, use 4 quarts or a larger slow cooker. Add all ingredients and cook on low for 4 hours or 2 hours on high.
- For the stovetop, use a Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, saute onions in oil until clearing some. Add all the other ingredients, bring to a light boil, cover, and turn down to simmer for at least 15 minutes, but longer is better.
This is a summary of the steps and ingredients. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for complete instructions.
Variations and options
- Any precooked chicken will work. A pound of shredded chicken is 3-4 cups. To use raw chicken, you can precook in the oven and shred or add to the crock pot and remove after 3 hours, shred, and place back into the crock pot.
- While this is a white bean chili, you may use other beans like red kidney, pinto, or black beans to replace part or all of the white beans.
- Optional additions—corn and chopped bell pepper
- You can increase the amount of diced green chiles for more green chili flavor. Also, other chiles may be added.
- Adjust the thickness. I have given a range for chicken broth amount; the lower will be thick chili, and the top will be standard thickness.
- To adjust the heat of the chili, you can use a hotter salsa, a chopped jalapeno, or some cayenne pepper.
- This is chili, so adjust the amount of chicken or beans to your taste.
⬆️Crock pot size and changing the recipe
The full recipe makes about 5 cups of 4 servings. Perfect for our "for two" household for two meals. You can easily cook this amount in a 2-quart mini crock pot, but a 3-4 quart small crock pot works well also.
A double recipe will make about 10 cups (8 servings) and needs a 3 ¼ quart or larger crock pot. A triple recipe makes 15 cups (about 12 servings) in a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings the amount servings.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- The full recipe will fit in a 2-quart mini crock pot for 4 servings.
- A double recipe fits in a 3 ¼ quart or larger crock pot for 8 servings.
- A triple recipe fits a 6-quart or larger crock pot for 12 servings.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
Note: A crock pot should not be over 75% full to cook well. If it won't quite fit, hold any broth until the end of cooking for more space.
🐓Other Chicken Chili Recipes
While this Salsa Verde Chili is simple, don't miss my favorite, which is even easier with fewer ingredients: Ultra Simple Crock Pot White Chicken Chili. For other chicken chile recipes, White Bean Chicken Chili and Healthy Crock Pot White Chicken Chili.
🍴Serving suggestions
Serve with tortilla chips, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, lime juice, slices of jalapenos, some sour cream, or shredded cheese.
Storage of leftovers
Chili can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days. It can also be stored sealed in an airtight container in the freezer for 3-4 months.
❓FAQ
Salsa verde is a type of spicy green sauce in Mexican cuisine. It is based on Mexican green tomato or tomatillo and chili pepper. I never have a good source of tomatilloes, so we have jars of Salsa Verde.
Rotisserie chicken is excellent here, but I frequently toss a couple of chicken breasts or thighs in a 350° oven until done (about 30 minutes, give or take a little). 1 pound will yield about 3 cups. But get your chicken any way you want.
If using a crock pot, add raw chicken with the other ingredients. Cook on low for about 3 hours or high for 1 ½ hours, then remove and shred. Then, place back into the crock pot to finish cooking.
If sodium concerns you, skip the added salts, about 140 mg per serving. Also, draining and rinsing your beans will decrease the sodium. And, of course, low sodium broth.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
This recipe is now set to 4 servings that use a 2-quart crock pot but will work well in a 3-4 quart. A double recipe uses a 3 ¼ or larger crock pot, and a triple recipe uses a 6-quart or larger crock pot. Images are a double recipe in a 6-quart crock pot.
Start with 1 ½ to 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken—Chop ½ of a medium onion.
In a 2 quart or larger crock pot, combine the shredded chicken, the chopped onion, 15 oz. of cooked Great Northern or Navy beans drained and rinsed, 1 cup of jar premade Salsa Verde, a half of a 4.5 oz can chopped chiles, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and one or two cups low sodium chicken broth. Mix well.
Cook on low for 4 hours or 2 hours on high.
For the stovetop, use a Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, saute onions in oil until clearing some. Add all the other ingredients, bring to a light boil, cover, turn down to simmer for at least 15 minutes—longer is better.
📖 Recipe
Salsa Verde Chicken Chili
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken - about ½ pound
- ½ medium onion - chopped
- 16 oz cooked beans - Great Northern preferred. Drained and rinsed.
- 1-2 cups chicken broth - low sodium preferred. Adjust for the thickness you like.
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 2 oz chopped chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Start with 1 ½ to 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken.
- Chop a half of a medium onion.
- In a 2 quart or larger crock pot, combine the shredded chicken, the chopped onion, 15 oz. of cooked Great Northern or Navy beans drained and rinsed, 1 cup of jar premade Salsa Verde, a half of a 4.5 oz can chopped chiles, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and one or two cups low sodium chicken broth. Mix well.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or 2 hours on high.
- For the stovetop, use a Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, saute onions in oil until clearing some. Add all the other ingredients, bring to a light boil, cover, turn down to simmer for at least 15 minutes—longer is better.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- As written, the crock pot size is 2 quarts but 3-4 quart crock pot will work well also.
- Use a crock pot that is 3 ¼ quart or larger for a double recipe and a 6 quart or larger crock pot for a triple recipe. Cooking time will be the same.
- Use the beans you prefer, but I suggest a white bean, like Great Northern, white kidney, or Navy beans.
- 1 pound of raw chicken will make about 3 cups of shredded chicken.
- You can use raw chicken. Add the raw chicken breasts with all the other ingredients. Cook in high for 1 ½ hours (or low for 3 hours), then remove and shred. Then add back to finish cooking.
- This is high protein and low fat, so it is an excellent fit for most diets.
- The serving size is about 1 ¼ cup serving size. It varies a bit by the options you use.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days. Good frozen for 3-4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editors Note: Originally Published October 30, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Catherine says
Outstanding recipe. My husband and I love All of Dr. Dan’s recipes I have tried. Great cook! Love pics of your Girls Aloha
KMeyers says
Excellent. Even better than I expected! Very good flavor with just enough “kick.”
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi KMeyers,
Welcome to the blog.
I was trying for a solid healthy chili with different flavor. It exceeded my exceptions, too.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Wendy Hampton says
It is cold and rainy today and Salsa Verde Chicken Chili was something I craved. I reviewed this in September and I have made it many times on the stove top since then. I just don't have the patience for a crockpot. AND it always turns out perfectly! I ran out of cumin this time so I just used oregano. And I wanted to use up some leftover brown rice, so I threw that in with some canned corn this time. It was just as wonderful as the original recipe! I always intend to freeze some, but we end up eating it in a day or so..yes, we have even had it for breakfast. Just had to thank you again for this wonderful chili. We really enjoy it!
Southern Born Class says
I tried this recipe and it was very simple, yet delicious! I added slightly more chili powder to mine though. My husband is slightly picky about some soups & chilis ad this was a winner!!!
Wendy Hampton says
I can't believe there are no reviews on this recipe! It is a wonderful filling bean dish with plenty of chicken and is just what I have been looking for. I'm gathering recipes for the cooler weather and this is a Keeper! It is great with cornbread and I enjoyed having leftovers in the fridge over several days! Thanks for posting.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the note and rating. I rewrote this recipe over the last week and when I republished it, things went a bit screwy. The outcome is that after fixing that, all the comments did not transfer from the old to the new version. I looked at them and it would be a lot of work to fix and the comments were not very useful to readers. So... you get to be first.
Dan