
White Chili
By white chili, I mainly mean that the chili is made with white beans (in this case northern white beans) and poultry, rather than the more traditional red bean chili with beef. We had been making a stove-top version for years, based on a Taste of Home recipe, and this recipe is inspired by that. Even for people that don’t tend to care for traditional red chili, they have been won over by the amazing flavors and creaminess of Instant Pot Creamy White Chili (and it’s stove-top counter part).
Family Favorite
Most days in our house, we prefer white chili more than red, especially the creamy kind. We love the richness and creaminess, combined with the flavors (green chiles, cumin, oregano, poultry). I especially love having a great bread to dip or chips to scoop into. While this gets made more in the cooler months, we will make this year around, as it is a crowd favorite.
Potluck Tips
Sometimes if I am preparing this for a potluck, I will cook it up to the adding dairy step (sour cream and heavy cream), then I will add it when I heat the chili to serve (the saute function worked great for this). If you have an 8 quart model of Instant Pot, then you can double this recipe for creamy white chili. This recipe was prepared with the 6 quart model.
Dried Beans
Instant Pot (and other similar multi-function/pressure cookers) do an amazing job at cooking dried beans, quickly, without soaking. In this recipe, I take advantage of the fact this fact by having it cook the beans in chicken stock and seasonings. Having an Instant Pot, it just makes sense to use dried beans over canned whenever possible.

We love the richness and creaminess, combined with the flavors (green chiles, cumin, oregano, poultry). I especially love having a great bread to dip or chips to scoop into this Instant Pot Creamy White Chili. While this gets made more in the cooler months, we will make this year around, as it is a crowd favorite.
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 cup northern white beans dried
- 6 cups chicken stock or use broth
- 1 cup water
- 8 ounces canned green chiles chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- Tortilla chips optional
- shredded cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese optional
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Using saute function of the Instant Pot (or similar multi-function cooker), brown ground turkey or chicken in oil. Once browned, remove meat from inner pot to a bowl and set aside.
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Add onion, celery and seasonings to inner pot. Saute, stirring frequently, to allow vegetables to start tenderizing and smell fragrant.
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Pour in chicken stock and water, stir in dried northern white beans. Secure/lock lid, cook using Bean/Chili function for 35 minutes. Once cooking program has run, wait 20 more minutes before releasing remaining pressure.
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Stir in sour cream and heavy cream. Serve with chips and cheese (optional), and enjoy!
Tips for preparing ahead of time: You can prepare this up until the dairy (sour cream and heavy cream are added), then chill. Once you ready to serve, heat thoroughly then add dairy.
I make my own very tart and thick yogurt, and will sometimes use it in place of sour cream. Check out Making Yogurt in the Instant Pot for more information my yogurt process.
Want to try the red chili recipe? Check out Instant Pot Red Chili (from dry beans)
Are you interested in other Instant Pot recipes? Check out my page KFO Electric Pressure Cooker/Multi-Function cooker Obsession and Recipe page