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White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili with a creamy golden broth made by melting cream cheese into a simmering chicken-and-bean base. Loaded with white beans, corn, green chiles, and topped with pepper jack, jalapeño, cilantro, and a lime squeeze.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and beans base
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast Cooked and shredded.
  • 2 can (15 oz) white beans Drained.
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn Drained.
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
  • 1 onion Diced.
  • 4 cloves garlic Minced.
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 8 oz cream cheese Cubed.
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.25 tsp pepper To taste.
  • 1 sour cream For serving.
  • 1 pepper jack Shredded, for serving.
  • 1 jalapeño Sliced, for serving.
  • 1 cilantro Chopped, for serving.
  • 1 lime For serving.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté aromatics
  1. Sauté the onion in a large pot for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant with a warm toasted aroma.
Build the chili
  1. Add the chicken broth, white beans, corn, and diced green chiles to the pot and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture is actively bubbling, then proceed to the next step.
Make it creamy
  1. Reduce the heat and stir in the cream cheese until fully melted and the broth turns creamy. Keep stirring until no cubes remain.
Simmer and finish
  1. Add the shredded chicken and heavy cream, then simmer for 10 minutes to heat through and thicken slightly. Stir occasionally so the mixture stays smooth.
Season and serve
  1. Season the chili with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with sour cream, pepper jack, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime on top.

Notes

Pro tip: if the cream cheese doesn’t fully melt, lower the heat further and stir slowly until smooth before adding chicken. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (toppings like sour cream and cilantro should be added after reheating). For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and half-and-half instead of heavy cream.