This keto white chicken chili is thick, creamy, and unbelievably satisfying. It’s delicious low carb chili recipe that my whole family loves, and yours will too. Guaranteed!
You know those comfort food recipes where you take one bite and think to yourself “Dang, I should have made a double batch!”? This Keto White Chicken Chili is one of those recipes.
And because my whole family loves it, I’ve made it a habit to double the recipe every time. Because then I can guarantee that there is at least a bowl or two leftover for lunch the next day.
Hearty keto chicken chili is just what the doctor ordered to soothe our winter-battered souls. It’s thick and full of flavor, with just enough kick to warm you right down to your toes.
Best of all, it’s insanely easy to make. Just pop the ingredients in your slow cooker and in a few short hours, dinner is done.
Check out more of my Keto Slow Cooker Recipes for easy dinner ideas.
Why you will love this recipe
This keto white chicken chili recipe is from my popular cookbook, Easy Keto Dinners. My husband and I were casting around for an easy meal we could freeze and take on a ski trip. He mentioned chili and I knew this would be perfect.
This is an ideal recipe for your slow cooker (or an Instant Pot). I call it a “dump-and-run recipe”. You simply put all the ingredients in your pot, turn it on, and walk away. It practically cooks itself. All you need to do is shred the chicken and blend the soup at the end. Dinner is done!
And Keto White Chicken Chili is a fantastic one-pot meal. The creaminess and thickness in this recipe comes from cauliflower so you are getting your meat and veggies all in one hearty soup. No need to prep any extra sides.
Did I mention it also freezes like a dream? You can make a big batch and divvy it up for future meals. It’s a great way to get ahead on your meal prep!
Reader Reviews
“I have made this 3 times in 3 weeks, doubling the recipe each time. I have used boneless skinless thighs, bone-in, skin on thighs, 2 jalapenos without seeds, 3 jalapenos with seeds, half coconut oil/half bacon grease, full amount of coconut oil….it comes out AMAZING every single time!” — Kristin
“This is so good! I mean seriously good! So easy and very tasty! My family doesn’t know that the base is cauliflower. They think it is blended northern beans, and it tastes that creamy and rich.” — Alisa
“I made this yesterday and reheated it for dinner tonight. It was delicious! I didn’t have any jalapeños but had a small can of green chilies. It was sooo good. My husband asked for a second bowl. Thank you Carolyn for another great recipe!” — Doris
Ingredients you need
- Chicken: I like to use chicken thighs for a bit more flavor but chicken breasts will work as well.
- Cauliflower: Cauliflower thickens the chili and adds creaminess. It also means you can make it completely dairy-free if you like!
- Green chilies: I like to add a few ounces of fire-roasted mild green chilies. It adds a depth of flavor to the chili that really takes it over the top.
- Jalapeno: This isn’t a very spicy chili as is but you can adjust to your own taste. Leave the jalapeño seeds in for more heat or remove them for less heat.
- Cumin: Ground cumin is a classic chili spice.
- Kitchen staples: Chicken broth, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Step by Step Directions
1. Place all of the ingredients except the cilantro in a large slow cooker (4 to 6 quarts). Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.
2. Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is mostly creamy. Return the chicken to the pot and mix well.
3. Serve with chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, and avocado, if desired.
Expert Tips
This recipe is so easy that I don’t have too many extra tips for you. But here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Fresh cauliflower works just as well as frozen. I just find frozen faster since I don’t have to cut it into florets.
- You can also make this in an Instant Pot, but I recommend reducing the broth by about a cup. Pressure cookers force a lot of liquid out of vegetables and meat, so it will end up thinner if you don’t reduce the broth.
- This is a dairy-free recipe but you can make it richer and creamier by adding half a cup of heavy cream at the end. You could also use coconut cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conventional white chicken chili typically contains white beans, corn, and other high carb ingredients. And it can have 35g of carbs or more per serving. But this Keto White Chicken Chili recipe has only 8.1g total carbs and 2.6g fiber per serving. So it has only 5.5g net carbs per bowl!
A great way to thicken white chicken chili without adding carbs is to add cauliflower. You can use fresh or frozen cauliflower, and simply blend it up with the rest of the ingredients. I use this same trick in my Buffalo Chicken Soup and it turns these soups into full one-pot meals!
Store this soup in a covered container in the fridge in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for several months.
More hearty keto soups
Keto White Chicken Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb (680.39 g) chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 3 cups (709.76 ml) chicken broth
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) frozen cauliflower florets
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) fire roasted canned green chilies, (optional, adds great flavor!)
- 1/4 cup (40 g) chopped onion
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, or avocado oil
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped, (leave seeds in for extra heat)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients except the cilantro in a large slow cooker (4 to 6 quarts). Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is mostly creamy. Return the chicken to the pot and mix well.
- Serve with chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, and avocado, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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My husband declared that this is a keeper!! We will be making this again!
My husband doesn’t like “white” chili recipes. HE LOVES THIS ONE! This has been added to our favorites! Thanks so much for giving easy to follow directions for a perfect batch the first time!! Awesome!
I love hearing that!
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for all the excellent keto meals and desserts.
Just made the Keto White Chicken Chili following the recipe. Wow it was delicious!!
I will be making this again soon a double batch. .
I doubled the recipe, omitted 2 cups of broth as you suggested for Instant Pot use, left out the fire-roasted green chilies because I didn’t have any, and everyone loved it. This will be on rotation for sure!
Great to hear!
I have two questions before I try this recipe. Could I use rotisserie or canned chicken? Also, I don’t see the mention of bacon grease in the ingredient list. Where does that come in?
This sounds delicious and I’m anxious to give it a try. I really enjoy all of your recipes that I’ve tried.
So if you are using pre-cooked chicken, you really just want to add it in at the very end. The bacon grease was an alternative to butter or oil.
Wonderful! So tasty, filling and comforting as it gets cooler here. I didn’t have any bacon grease, but that smoky taste sounded amazing, so I used butter and a bit of liquid smoke hoping it would mimic that flavor. Happy to report it was successful!
Delicious! Will definitely make again. Im just wondering, mine turned out more brothy, not thick/creamy like i expected from other commenters. what would be the reason for that? And I doubled, too, would you cut back on doubling broth? Did you thaw chicken first? Thank you!
Did you double the cauliflower in it as well? Perhaps it got mismeasured a bit? That’s what makes it thick.
I did double it but maybe could have added a bit more. Not sure!
I made this and it was delicious. Why is it necessary to put bacon grease or coconut oil in it? I may omit next time. Your thoughts?
Fat, flavor, and satiety.
I can’t tolerate much heat. What would you use to make it much less spicy??
Just leave out the jalapeno and use mild green chilies.
Lime!! You left out the lime. I love lime in my chilis and Mexican soups.
I have made this 3 times in 3 weeks, doubling the recipe each time. I have used boneless skinless thighs, bone-in, skin on thighs, 2 jalapenos without seeds, 3 jalapenos with seeds, half coconut oil/half bacon grease, full amount of coconut oil….it comes out AMAZING every single time!
Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe, I have shared it with everyone I know who loves a good slow cooker recipe 🙂
Yay! It’s a fave in our house too.
I’ve made this twice now and it is delish. It also freezes nicely. Well done Caroline, you make my life so much easier. (The bacon fat in the recipe is genius!)
This is so good! I mean seriously good! So easy and very tasty! My family doesn’t know that the base is cauliflower. They think it is blended northern beans, and it tastes that creamy and rich. I began wondering if something similar to this recipe could be adapted to a ham bone and bean soup, using the cauliflower as the beans. We have a ham bone with some meat on it in the freezer, but haven’t used it because of the beans. Would you create a recipe like that?
Thanks!
I think you could do that easily!
Yum!
I made this yesterday and reheated it for dinner tonight. It was delicious! I didn’t have any jalapeños but had a small can of green chilies. It was sooo good. My husband asked for a second bowl. Thank you Carolyn for another great recipe!
I made this yesterday and am currently enjoying nextday left overs, this soup is fantastic and sooo easy to make! I did use less jalapeno and it came out very mild… I’ll do the full amount next time. I did find this recipe because I was looking for recipes to freeze, this won’t make it to the freezer. I’ll be doubling it next go around.
Really enjoyed this = super easy to make with the frozen cauliflower. Reminds me somewhat of bean soup.
This soup looks delicious. I’m making this soup tonight and have a question.
I’m looking for good quality cookware, starting with a Dutch oven. I really like the Le Creuset brand. Are there other brands that are comparable to this brand? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Melissa E
Le Creuset is obviously top of the line. Many knock offs exist but aren’t nearly as good. Maybe check out Williams Sonoma?
How can I make this on the stove?
Get a pot and dump everything in! Bring to a simmer, simmer for at least 15 min, remove chicken, and proceed.
I just made this two days ago. It is really delicious and so simple the cauliflower makes a great base that doesn’t separate. I can always count on you for a winning recipe!
The recipe in your book includes 1 4.5-ounce can of mild green chilies which you omitted here. Also, the nutritional information differs from that in the book. Is this intentional?
Yep! I didn’t have any chilies when I made this again for my family so I skipped it. But the nutritional info in the books seems to be incorrect as it is…even with the chilies, it should be lower. I am not quite sure where the discrepancy is but when I re-ran the numbers with ALL the same ingredients, it was lower. I have a note into my publisher to adjust in the next printing.
My software pulls from the USDA database and every so often they adjust the numbers for various foods in the database. That may be what happened, I can’t say for sure.