Description
Instant pot white chicken chili is lighter than most recipes. It is packed with veggies, lean protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It’s easy to make, and feeds a crowd. The leftovers are great, perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients
White Chicken Chili Base
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or other high smoke point oil
- 1 large white, or yellow onion, chopped
- Optional: 1 to 2 jalapenos, minced (you can remove seeds for less heat)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 7 ounce can green chilies, chopped
- 1 14 ounce can corn, drained (only ingredients should be corn, water, and maybe salt – no sugar)
- 2 chicken breasts (about 1 to 1.5 pounds)
- 3 to 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 15 ounce cans white kidney beans (or cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
To Stir in After Pressure Has been Released
- 1/2 cup masa harina (AKA Corn Flour) – Can sub cornmeal (see notes)
- 1 cups milk of choice – (I use plain, unsweetened almond milk)
- 1 cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt (see notes)
- 1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped (any kind of kale is fine.
- Juice of 1 to 2 limes
Optional Toppings
- cilantro, chopped
- avocado, sliced, or cubed
- shredded pepper jack cheese (or monetary jack cheese)
- crushed tortilla chips
- lime wedges, for squeezing
- sour cream
- pickled jalapeno slices
Instructions
- Prepare: Have all of your white chicken chili base ingredients ready to go as instructed above. Chop your onion, jalapenos, bell pepper, garlic, and measure out your cumin, and chicken broth. Also open your cans of green chilies, and corn. Drain and rinse your beans. This recipe goes fast once you start cooking, so having everything ready is helpful.
- Sauté: Turn your 6 QT instant pot on and select the sauté button. Once the instant pot tells you it has heated up, add your oil. Add your onions, jalapenos, and bell pepper, along with a pinch of salt. Sauté stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent, and the peppers are tender – about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cumin – cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic and cumin is fragrant. Add a splash of the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the instant pot to deglaze any stuck on bits. Stir in the remaining chicken broth, green chilies, corn, and 3 to 4 teaspoons kosher salt. Add the chicken breast – making sure they are submerged under the liquid. Add the beans, do not stir in – this ensures the beans don’t become mushy.
- Bring to pressure: Lock the lid, and set the nozzle to “sealing”. Press the “pressure cook” button and adjust the temperature to “high pressure”. Adjust the time to 3 minutes (see notes about cook time). Note: the instant pot takes about 20 minutes to come to pressure.
- Prepare remaining ingredients: While the instant pot is coming to pressure, add your masa harina, or cornmeal, to a mixing bowl, and slowly whisk in the milk so that there are no lumps – set aside. Measure out the Greek yogurt as well – set aside. Also, you can wash, stem, and chop you kale – set aside. You can also prep any of the toppings you want at this time. I like to place each topping into individual bowls so everyone can customize their own chili.
- Release the pressure: Once the instant pot is done cooking, carefully turn the nozzle to “venting” to release the steam, once it has vented, remove the lid. Use tongs to remove the chicken, and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken – it should be 150 – 160 degrees F). If it is not fully cooked, then place the lid back onto the instant pot and cook for another 2 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes.
- Thicken the chili: Turn the sauté function on high on the instant pot. Stir in the masa harina, or cornmeal, and milk mixture. Place the lid onto the instant pot and allow the soup to come to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the soup has thickened. Note: we are not bringing the instant pot up to pressure, we are simply placing the lid back on so that the soup comes to a simmer faster. Stir in the Greek yogurt.
- Shred the chicken: While we are waiting for the soup to thicken shred the chicken either using 2 forks, or place the chicken in a large mixing bowl, and use a hand mixer to carefully shred the chicken using the beaters of the hand mixer. It works like a charm.
- Finish: Add the shredded chicken back into the soup, along with the kale. Stir, and allow the kale to wilt from the heat of the soup – about 1 minute. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, and taste to adjust the salt level, or add more lime juice, if needed. I usually find the chili needs more salt, and the juice of 2 limes.
- Serve: serve immediately. Top with any of the toppings you like above. Or serve to guests with all the toppings in a bowl for them to chose from as they eat.
- Store leftovers: leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
Masa harina Vs Cornmeal – Masa harina is a fine ground corn flour that is used to make corn tortillas. I prefer to use the masa harina for the thickener for this chili since it’s finely ground. However, if you only have cornmeal, then feel free to use cornmeal. Cornmeal is used to make corn bread, it is coarsely ground. It still works great as a thickener, but with it’s courser texture, I would suggest simmering it for an extra 1 minute to soften it. I have used cornmeal plenty of times in this recipe. Both add a nice nutty flavor that makes this chili extra special.
Greek yogurt – I did not include the Greek yogurt in my original recipe. But, I found it added a nice creaminess and tang to replace cream cheese -which is more traditionally used in a white chicken chili recipe. You could either sub the Greek yogurt for sour cream, or omit the Greek yogurt all together. Just know that it won’t be as thick, or creamy with out it.
Cooking time – In my original recipe I cooked this chili on high pressure for 5 minutes. When re-testing this newer recipe I found my chicken was a little rubbery, it was overcooked. I found 3 minutes cooking time to be perfect. However, I now have a new instant pot. I think it is a little bit faster at coming to pressure/cooks a little bit hotter than my old one. So, if you have an older instant pot, you might need to cook the chili for 5 minutes, instead of 3 minutes. If you try 3 minutes of cook time, I recommend taking the internal temperature of the chicken (15o to 160 degrees F). If it isn’t fully cooked, place the lid back on and cook for the additional 2 minutes.
Toppings – The toppings are easily customizable. My fave toppings are avocado, cilantro, pepper jack cheese, and a squeeze of lime.
Stove top version – The cook time for the stovetop is about the same as the instant pot. I will say, you do have to “babysit” the stovetop version a little more than the instant pot, but it is still very easy. Here are the directions: 1) Prepare the ingredients the same as listed above. Heat a large dutch oven, or other large stew pot over medium high heat. 2) Once the pot is hot add the 1 tablespoon of oil. Then, add the onions, green pepper, and jalapeno if using. Sauté until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 1 minute. Add the cumin and sauté another 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. 3) Add the 3 cups of chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add the green chilies, corn, and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Add the chicken breasts, making sure they are mostly submerged under the liquid. Note: leave out the beans for now. 4) Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. At this time remove the chicken and take it’s internal temperature, using a meat thermometer, if it’s under 155 to 160 degrees F, place it back into the broth for another 5 minutes. At this time stir in the beans, and simmer for 10 minutes. Once the chicken has reached 155 to 160 degrees F, remove the chicken and set it aside to cool for a few minutes. From here, the directions are the same as above for thickening the chili, shredding the chicken, and finishing the recipe.
