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Light & Creamy White Chicken Chili 15-Minute Instant Pot

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This Light & Creamy White Chicken Chili is a quick, healthy-ish, and delicious 15-minute Instant Pot recipe that tastes like you spent hours on it. It’s the perfect busy weeknight dinner that’s light yet satisfying, using simple ingredients and a clever blending technique for incredible creaminess without heavy cream.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 medium breasts)
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 jar (16 oz) salsa verde
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%)
  • 2 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
  • Avocado, diced (for garnish)
  • Tortilla chips or strips (for garnish)
  • Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (for garnish)
  • Lime wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Prep your ingredients: Dice the onion, mince the garlic, drain and rinse the beans. Cut the chicken breast into 2-3 large chunks.
  2. Turn your Instant Pot to the ‘Sauté’ function and let it heat up for about a minute. Add a drizzle of olive oil or a spritz of cooking spray. Toss in the diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften and turn translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Sprinkle the cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using) over the onions and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds until the spices are toasted and smell amazing.
  4. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and use your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  5. Add the rest of the chicken broth, the salsa verde, one can of the drained beans, and the chicken breast chunks. Do not stir yet—just layer everything in.
  6. Close the lid and set the valve to ‘Sealing.’ Select ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ on High for 8 minutes. The pot will take about 5-7 minutes to come to pressure.
  7. When the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Then carefully turn the valve to ‘Venting’ to release any remaining steam.
  8. Open the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken right in the pot.
  9. Using an immersion blender, blend about half of the chili directly in the pot. You want some chunky bits left for texture. If using a standard blender, carefully transfer about 2 cups of the chili (mostly liquid and beans) to the blender, blend until smooth, and stir it back into the pot.
  10. In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt and softened cream cheese until smooth. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot chili into the bowl and stir to temper the mixture. Pour the tempered mixture into the chili and stir well.
  11. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lime juice as needed. If the chili is too thick, add a splash more broth. If it’s too thin, let it simmer on the Sauté function for a few minutes to reduce.
  12. Ladle into bowls and top with your favorite garnishes.

Notes

Don’t skip the deglazing step to avoid the ‘BURN’ warning. Natural release for 5 minutes keeps chicken tender. Temper dairy to prevent curdling. Blend strategically for texture. Chili thickens as it cools and stores beautifully for up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Keywords: white chicken chili, instant pot chili, quick chili, creamy chicken chili, healthy chili, 15 minute chili, white chili recipe

Find it online: https://oracooks.com/light-and-creamy-white-chicken-chili-15-minute-instant-pot/