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
Anne
0Just made this and it is delicious. I used 1.5 lbs raw chicken and followed the directions for that and it came out perfect. What a winner! Thanks, Maya!
Tammy
0Is that 2 cups of chicken weight raw?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Tammy, 2.5 cups of cooked and shredded chicken.
Amy
0Can you do this in a crock pot?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Amy, I think a slow cooker would work well. Saute the onions & garlic first, and then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Make sure to stir often.
Susan Zale
0Wonderful recipe! My whole family loved it. We added sliced jalapeños for some extra heat. Soo good 😋
Shanea Wilson
0Fixed this for supper tonight, it’s every bit as good as the regular kind I’ve always made, it’s delicious, so thick, cheesy and creamy!
Kelli
0Super easy! So creamy and delicious!
Brian
0Made this for dinner this evening and it was a hit with the whole family. I expected leftovers for lunch tomorrow but there were none left. Needless to say, this is going to be one recipe to keep. Amazing Flavor and very filling.
Kristian connley
0I made this recipe for a camping trip with my sisters. It was rainy and cold the day I served this dish. It was warm, creamy, delicious and comforting. It was the most loved and talked about of all the meals we had. Thank you so much for helping me be a Rockstar for my sister’s! 🥰
Robin P.
0Very delicious. Have also made using beef broth and shredded beef roast in place of chicken broth and shredded chicken in the recipe and was also yummy!
Barb
0Delicious – my husband (doing Keto) and me (not doing Keto) loved it.
Barbara
0This is a great way to use leftover roast chicken. I made a couple of changes. For the peppers, I used a giant jalapeño that I sautéed with the onion and garlic. And during the simmering phase, I added a small amount of xanthan gum to thicken it. It was great.
Laurie
0Hubby didn’t like this so much, but I think it is delicious! So creamy and flavorful
Beth Jackson
0This recipe is on repeat at my house, my husband and I absolutely love it! Thick creamy goodness with a lil kick! So good! I’ve got a batch on the stove right now, so excited for dinner tonight!
Linda
0I made this last night and it was AWESOME!!! I cooked the chicken in the broth and spices like you said in the notes and added the chicken back in at the end. I write your notes on my printed sheet (I keep a binder of recipes) with a “family rating system” – we all loved it! Thank you! ❤
Mona Lee
0This was so so good. It had so much flavor!! I used a rotisserie chicken and half of a serrano pepper. I also only used half the cream cheese because it was already pretty thick!
Sharon
0Can you freeze this chili?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sharon, Yes, you can. Storage instructions are in the post above.
Connie Barnett
0If I subbed ground chicken how much should I use?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Connie, I have never used ground chicken in this recipe but I think 1 to 1.5 pounds would work.
Brandie
0This one is a winner in our house! I followed the recipe just as it is and it turned out so very creamy, full of flavor and really filling. Thank you!
Allison
0Awesome recipe! Very delicious and easy to make. The only critique I have is that this is more like a chicken tortilla soup than a chili but still very delicious 😋
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Allison, I have a chicken tortilla soup recipe if you would like to compare the two 😉
Keely Guthery
0This is absolutely 💯 delicious. I made a few changes, using a chopped and sauteed sweet bell instead of green chilis, taking out the cayenne and using chipotle powder instead, subbing low fat cream cheese and no heavy cream. It will go into our permanent rotation. So glad for a chili recipe to use chicken and NO beans. Thank you!!!
Patricia A Boyles
0Delicious and so easy to make! I used a can of diced jalapeno peppers since I didn’t have fresh. Will definitely be making again.
K McD
0This is a family favorite, and having a large family with different tastes and some eating healthy and some not concerned about it, that’s saying something! Thanks!
Pamela Meadows
0Could this be made in a slow cooker or instant pot?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Pamela, I think a slow cooker would work well. Saute the onions & garlic first and then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker.
Sherry Redlawski
0I LOVE this recipe. Warms my heart.
CK
0Very flavorful and quite delicious!
Edna Marie Womack
0Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is a chock full of flavor and deliciously creamy.
Anastasia Brown
0The picture shows some green leaves. Is that cilantro? It’s not included in the recipe
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Anastasia, Yes, I added cilantro just for garnish. It’s not required for the recipe, but feel free to add it if you like.
Melissa
0Amazing!! Creamy goodness with a kick! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Barbara Goworowski
0Great recipe. Very easy, pretty quick and very, very yummy. I used the squeeze of lime just before serving (as a few mentioned in their comments) and it was excellent!
Michelle C
0I’ve never had white chicken chili before and this was absolutely delicious! Very easy to make- served with keto cornbread and it was such a treat!
I’m a bit confused about the portion size though. It says in the recipe that a portion size is 1 cup- I measured out a cup and this was a quarter of the whole dish when the recipe says it serves 8. I followed the recipe to the letter. Can you shed any light on this? Is the nutritional information based on 1 cup or 1/8th of the recipe?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Michelle, The nutritional info is based on 1/8th of the recipe. If you have more questions you can refer to my Nutritional Policy.
Shanna
0This is a great recipe! I was super happy with how this turned out. I added sour cream, avocado and a squeeze of lime on top. My family loved it! It was delicious, and filling. The fact that it was so easy made me like it that much more!
Billie
0I’m having a large smoked turkey for thanksgiving and I plan on using some of the leftovers to make this!!!
Beth
0Absolutely delicious!! My non-keto husband said “babe, this is amazing!” just before he went for seconds. I could not agree with him more! So easy to make, I cheated and used a rotisserie chicken. I also used light cream cheese, it is all I had, and it still came out thick and creamy. I highly recommend this recipe, keto or not, this is good.
T
0I loved this. I used ground chicken because that’s what I had on hand. I made some minor changes to the spice level for the kiddos and didn’t add the shredded cheese to the pot. I didn’t think it needed it after the cream cheese. We added it instead to each bowl. Yum Yum! Definitely a keeper!
Carey
0Absolutely delicious! Who needs beans?! This will definitely be in our rotation!
Melody
0I made this one time and now it’s a go too…so very good.
Jessica
0Thank you Maya for another wonderful recipe! Just made this for my picky kids and they loved it so much! I even forgot the onion and it still was quite tasty. Perfect recipe especially for these cold fall days.
Terri
0OMGOODNESS!! Such a simple recipe with simple ingredients you probably have on hand already! Your whole family will love this! Definitely a keeper! I will make this often during these cold fall/winter months!
Sabrina
0I just made this and it was amazing! I used 18% cream without an issue and half the cream cheese. I also added the chicken (grocery rotisserie chicken) after I sauteed the spices for a few minutes to let it cook into the sauce. The chicken was so tender and creamy.
Lisalia
0I normally love chili with beans in it… and this is a new favorite! Thanks for this adapted recipe that is so so good!
Chrissy
0Soooo good! I added a diced red bell pepper and 2 cups chopped spinach. It is delicious!
Katie
0I absolutely love white chicken chili! And I love that this is a great low carb option.
Amy
0This keto white chicken chili is perfection! The flavor is so creamy and hearty! Perfect Fall soup!
Natalie
0You are so right about not knowing that it’s low carb!! it’s loaded with flavor & incredibly cheesy, which makes it incredible!
Jennifer
0This is seriously SO good! You can’t even tell that it’s healthier! Loved it!
Kristyn
0I am craving all the chili lately!! It’s cold at night & chili warms us right up!! Loving this flavor!
Patricia
0I made this white chicken chili recipe and it was wonderful! I am a super lazy cook so I took a shortcut and used a rotisserie chicken from my grocery store. I shared it with my 97 year old mother who is a diabetic (so am I) and she loved it too. I garnished it with a little sour cream and could not have been happier with it. It has been a few days since I made it so I am ready to make it again. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe, fast, easy and delicious!
Toni
0This is seriously ahh-mazing! Packed full of flavors and so easy to make!
Cathy
0My favorite chili! I love having leftovers too!
Lisa
0what substitute do you use for the cream cheese and shredded cheese to make this dairy-free?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lisa, You can use coconut cream to substitute the heavy whipping cream and you can use vegan cream cheese and vegan cheese to make this dairy-free. When using vegan ingredients make sure to check the carbs to make sure they are keto friendly.
Missy
0Hi. Can you use canned green chilies?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Missy, Yes, canned green chilies will work for this recipe.
Kim
0This was delicious! Will be making it again!
Jessica
0Insanely delicious. Even my picky 3 year old loved it!