Creamy White Chicken Chili

Creamy White Chicken Chili mains This delicious and simple to make creamy white chicken chili uses mild peppers, a sweet corn, mild green chilies, white beans, cream cheese and chicken for a quick and comforting chili soup Tex Mex meals, homemade chili Creamy White Chicken Chili chicken

This delicious and simple to make creamy white chicken chili uses mild peppers, sweet corn, mild green chilies, white beans, cream cheese and chicken for a quick and comforting chili soup. We love serving it with crispy tortilla chips and loaded with all the fresh fixings, chopped cilantro, avocado, sliced jalapeños and for extra creaminess even a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe Ingredients

  • BUTTER & OLIVE OIL: I like to use a bit of both to saute the chicken and the aromatics in. Feel free to use one or the other as desired though.
  • CHICKEN: You will need 1 lb of chicken either skinless boneless chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces. For a quicker version you can use cooked chicken that you shred or shredded rotisserie chicken. Just stir it in with when you add the corn.
  • ONION & GARLIC: These are the main aromatics that create the base for the soup. If you would like to add carrots and celery to the mix you definitely can for more of a mirepoix happening.
  • POBLANO PEPPERS: I use poblano peppers or cubanelle peppers that are really flavourful but you could also just use any sweet green bell peppers. They freeze well, so if you find them on sale dice them and flash freeze them for recipes like this.
  • JALAPENO: This adds a mild pop of heat to the soup and flavor.
  • SPICES: Dried Oregano, Ground Cumin, Chili powder and chili flakes or cayenne pepper for some mild heat is what I add for that earthy fragrant flavor in chili. Along with these spices we also season the chili with salt and pepper. Feel free to adjust amounts to taste
  • CANNED DICED GREEN CHILES: This is one of the key ingredients for white chicken chili. You can find inexpensive (4.5 oz) cans of green chiles in almost every grocery store.
  • CANNED WHITE BEANS: I prefer canellini beans but other white beans life Great Northern beans, navy, chickpeas, or even pinto work, too.
  • CHICKEN BROTH: Feel free to use store bought canned or cartons of chicken broth or homemade for this recipe. I like to use low sodium broth so I can control the amount of slat in the recipe.
  • SWEET CORN: I always have frozen corn on hand but feel free to use fresh corn if you’ve got it.
  • FRESH CILANTRO: Fresh cilantro stirred right into the chili and for garnishing add great flavor. If you aren’t a fan swap it out for fresh parsley.
  • CREAM CHEESE: Full fat cream cheese is what I always recommend which adds the creamy rich component to this chili. Another option is stirring through ½ cup of sour cream or heavy whipping cream.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

How To Make Creamy White Chicken Chili

  1. PREPARE white beans, drain one can and mash the other can of white beans - set aside
  2. SAUTE chicken in butter and olive oil
  3. SAUTE onion, garlic, poblano peppers, jalapeño, and spices
  4. STIR in green chilies, corn, the drained beans and mashed white bean, and broth
  5. SIMMER 5-7 minutes
  6. FINISH off by stirring in the cream cheese and test for seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed
  7. SERVE garnished with avocado, cilantro, shredded or crumbled cheese, fresh lime juice, hot sauce (optional), and crispy corn chips or whatever else you want to load up on.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 (15-oz.) cans white beans, drained, rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 poblano peppers, stems and seeds removed and chopped (or green bell peppers)
  • 1 jalapeño, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon chili flakes or cayenne pepper
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2½-3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 (4.5-oz.) cans green chiles
  • Salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 4 ounces cream cheese (½ block of Philly)
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For serving

  • Limes for squeezing
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced, for serving
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving
  • ¼ cup crushed tortilla chips, for serving
  • ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or any shredded cheddar cheese, for serving

Directions

  1. Drain and rinse one can of beans and set aside. Drain and rinse the remaining can of beans and place in a medium size bowl and smash with a fork or a masher then set aside.
  2. Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over high heat. Add chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes
  3. Add onion, poblano peppers, jalepeno garlic, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Cook until the onion is softened and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. (feel free to adjust heat or reduce slightly if nneded)
  4. Add the remaining whole beans, the mashed beans, corn, broth and chiles. Stir really well to combine.
  5. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer about 5-7 minutes until broth has reduced and thickened slightly
  6. Melt the cream cheese in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften it. Then stir the cream cheese into the soup and lightly simmer soup on low for a few more minutes until cheese is fully melted and incorporated.
  7. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. If needed, thin with additional broth. Serve with any of the desired fixings.

Recipe Notes

  • STORAGE & FREEZING: Leftover chili can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days, or frozen in an airtight container or heavy duty freezer bags for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stovetop. Leftover chili makes the perfect filling for my creamy enchiladas and my poblanos.
  • FREEZING TIP: While you technically can freeze soup with cream cheese, it’s not recommended as the dairy in the cream cheese can separate and cause a grainy texture when reheated; it’s best to either leave out the cream cheese until you’re ready to serve or only freeze the soup base without the dairy and add it back when reheating.
  • Can I use shredded rotisserie chicken? Yes for an even quicker version you can skip cooking the chicken and use shredded rotisserie chicken. Simply skip the first part of the recipe where you saute the chicken and start by sautéing the aromatics. Add the shredded chicken in when you add the corn and the remaining ingredients. You will need approx 2-3 cups shredded chicken.

Creamy White Chicken Chili