Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It Now- What Is Keto White Chicken Chili?
- Why You’ll Love This Low Carb White Chicken Chili Recipe
- Keto Chicken Chili Ingredients
- How To Make Keto White Chicken Chili
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage Instructions
- What To Serve With Low Carb Chicken Chili
- More Keto Soup Recipes
- Tools To Make Low Carb White Chicken Chili
- Keto White Chicken Chili Recipe Recipe card
- Recipe Reviews
This low carb keto white chicken chili recipe is just the thing when you need comfort food on a cold day. It’s creamy and satisfying, with just the right amount of heat. Keto chicken chili is made with simple ingredients and is ready in less than an hour, not to mention most of that time is hands-off.
And best of all? Each serving has just 4.2 grams net carbs. Serve up your low carb chicken chili with some keto cornbread for a classic meal that everyone will love.
When you’re in the mood for a more traditional red chili, don’t miss my keto chili (the most popular soup recipe on Wholesome Yum!) and whole30 chili.
What Is Keto White Chicken Chili?
Keto white chicken chili is a white and creamy chili that is made with chicken, green chiles, and plenty of cheese.
Traditional versions are made with white beans and sometimes thickened with flours or starches, but we’ve skipped those and it tastes just as good!
Why You’ll Love This Low Carb White Chicken Chili Recipe
- Cheesy flavor with a touch of heat
- Thick and creamy texture
- Simple, healthy ingredients
- Ready in less than an hour
- Just 4g net carbs per serving
Keto Chicken Chili Ingredients
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this keto chicken chili recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil will also work.
- Yellow Onion – Yellow onion is recommended, but white onion will also work.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic cloves for the best flavor, but the kind in a jar is fine, too.
- Chicken Broth – I used a store-bought here. You can also use homemade chicken broth or bone broth for a richer flavor (you may want to water it down with water if you don’t like the intensity).
- Green Chiles – The green chiles add a mild heat, but aren’t really spicy. Add more or less depending on your preferred spice level.
- Spices – Cumin, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
- Sea Salt – Or kosher salt.
- Heavy Cream – This adds rich, creamy flavor. You can substitute coconut cream if you like, but the recipe still has other dairy ingredients.
- Cream Cheese – This helps thicken and makes a creamy keto white chicken chili, without using flour, starches, or keto thickeners like xanthan gum.
- Mexican Blend Cheese – Buy a shredded cheese to save a few minutes. You can also use pepper jack cheese for some extra heat.
- Shredded Chicken – Make my easy Instant Pot shredded chicken with boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can use any method you like, such as the slow cooker. You can even use rotisserie chicken and shred it with forks.
How To Make Keto White Chicken Chili
This section shows how to make low carb chicken chili with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Saute aromatics. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion until soft, then add garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Simmer. Add chicken broth, heavy cream, green chiles, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer until the soup reduces in volume and thickens a bit. (You can set a timer for 40 minutes and walk away!)
TIP: Don’t cover with a lid. Simmering uncovered helps the soup reduce and thicken.
- Add cheese. Reduce heat. Stir in the cream cheese and shredded cheese, until smooth.
- Add chicken. Stir in shredded chicken and simmer until thick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is white chicken chili keto?
Most white chicken chili recipes are not keto friendly, as they are made with white beans and are often times thickened with flour or starches.
Is chili bad for a keto diet?
Most chilis are made with beans, which are not keto.
What can you use to thicken white chicken chili?
While many white chili recipes call for flour or cornstarch to thicken them, this recipe is thickened with cream cheese and simmering the chili. No flour thickener necessary! (If you need an alternative thickener, try this list of cornstarch substitutes.)
Can you make it with raw chicken?
Yes, you can! Here is how to do it:
- Add raw boneless skinless chicken breasts at the step when you add the broth and spices, but leave out the heavy cream.
- Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken to a bowl and shred.
- Add heavy cream to the dutch oven and continue simmering until the total time is 40 minutes.
- Continue with the recipe as written, adding the shredded chicken back in at the end.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Store this keto white chicken chili recipe in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: Soup gets better with age, so make it up to a few days in advance and store in glass containers.
- Reheat: Reheat keto white chili in a saucepan or in the microwave, until hot.
- Freeze: Let the chili cool to room temperature, then store in zip lock freezer bags, laid flat in the freezer. Once solid, you can store tham vertically if needed. This low carb white chicken chili will last 2-3 months in the freezer, which is why I love making a big batch! (Feel free to double the recipe, but it may take a bit longer to simmer.)
What To Serve With Low Carb Chicken Chili
First of all, toppings are listed as optional here to keep the ingredient list short, but I say they are a must:
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges (for a squeeze of fresh lime juice!)
- Avocado
- Fresh cilantro
Then, all this low carb creamy white chicken chili needs is a simple side. Here are a few ideas:
- Vegetables – Vegetable sides like oven roasted vegetables, keto fries, or air fryer eggplant all pair well with low carb white chili.
- Salad – Try salad recipes like cucumber tomato salad, chopped Italian salad, or kale and brussels sprouts salad.
- Bread – Keto breads like fathead dinner rolls, almond flour bread, and keto white bread are perfect on the side or for dipping.
- Dessert – Don’t forget dessert. Make some delicious keto peanut butter cookies.
More Keto Soup Recipes
If you like this low carb white chili recipe, you might also like some of my other low carb soups:
Tools To Make Low Carb White Chicken Chili
- Dutch Oven – Cook up your low carb white chicken chili in the dutch oven and take it right to the table.
- Soup Cubes – Freeze any keto chili recipe leftovers in these silicone cubes for easy storage.
Keto White Chicken Chili Recipe
An EASY keto white chicken chili recipe that's creamy, cheesy, and flavorful! No one will guess this is low carb chicken chili, with just 4g net carbs per serving.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5-7 minutes, until soft.
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Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
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Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, green chiles, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 40 minutes, until soup has reduced and thickened a bit.
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Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cream cheese and shredded cheese, until the cheese has melted and the chicken chili is smooth.
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Stir in shredded chicken and simmer for 5 minutes, until thick and creamy.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
158 Comments
Billie
1It’s really difficult to rate something you have not tried…. Since I have to rate the recipe to know how to finish the chili. But so far it looks great
Becki
0This soup is soooo good! I use a few less green chiles, and when we’re not being super strict to Keto I add a couple scoops of corn. When this is for dinner there are never leftovers.
Jackie
0The white chili Chicken is an absolute favourite of ours. I stumbled across it by happy accident. It freezes well as is too much for just the 2 of us.
Sandra Gabriel
0I have made this several times now and it’s a family favorite for sure! It’s super easy and delicious! The first time i made I didn’t have green chili/jalapeños on hand but I did have a green salsa that I used instead and it still turned out great. Other times I’ve made it I did use jalapeños and it’s delicious and adds a bit of a kick. I love that I can use leftover chicken, or buy a rotisserie chicken at the store already made to make this on a weeknight even easier. I love adding cilantro right at the end and mixing it in and then topping it with a little fresh cilantro as well. Sometimes I sprinkle a tiny bit of Parmesan or a small dollop of sour cream on top. Pro tip… This also makes an excellent dip if you make it a little thicker by adding a little extra chicken and simmering it down even further.
Karen
0This sounds wonderful but I don’t have a dutch oven. Can this be made in a crock pot? I have tried other receipes and love them.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Karen, Yes, you could use a crock pot.
Kelly
0I literally just finished a bowl of this chili and all I can say is WOW! I made this just as written, using two large cans of chicken and jarred diced garlic. It was so easy! The only labor was dicing the onion. Absolutely delicious, and I wouldn’t change a thing! This is going to be a regular meal for me!! Thank you!
Paula Rushford
0This recipe is very yummy. But how do you figure how much a serving size is is it a half a cup or what? It just says it makes eight servings. Next time I’m gonna make a double batch.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Paula, The serving size is 1 cup.
Frank
0This chili is the bomb. I made it for the Superbowl and took my part out and added a can of navy beans every one loved it. My only mistake was I should have doubled the recipe. Also added a jalapeno pepper. It goes in the keeper recipe file. Thanks much.
Julie Bobo-Shisler
0I was looking for a Keto recipe to take to our once a month school soup lunch. I made this and what a hit! People talked about it all day long and I had multiple requests for the recipe. I loved it so much I had to make it twice again and ate it a lot for a few weeks. It’s been a month and I am going to make it again today. It is delicious! I do use low fat cream cheese and whatever cheese I have around. I have also added corn a few times! So yummy.
melissa S
0So easy, so delicious!
Sandy B
0Very very good! Have already made it a second time! My husband (which is an award winning chili maker) absolutely loved this!!
Lindsay
0Can you make in crockpot? Or make ahead and reheat in crockpot?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lindsay, Both of those options should work for you.
Nancy
0This recipe is simple and oh so flavorful! Will definitely make again! 👍🏼
Lisa Kalinski
0It’s currently 2 degrees her in Michigan so I was looking for a soup recipe and found this White Chicken Chili recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand, it was super simple and delicious!
Thanks for a great recipe.