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White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili with a creamy golden broth, tender shredded chicken, and white beans simmered until velvety. Stir in cream cheese for a thick, smooth texture, then finish with bright jalapeño, cilantro, lime, and pepper jack.
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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 breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded
White beans
  • 2 can (15 oz) white beans, drained
Corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
Diced green chiles
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
Chicken broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
Cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
Heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Cumin
  • 2 tsp cumin
Chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Oregano
  • 1 tsp oregano
Smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Sour cream
  • 1 sour cream for serving
Pepper jack
  • 1 pepper jack for serving
Jalapeño
  • 1 jalapeño for serving
Cilantro
  • 1 cilantro for serving
Lime
  • 1 lime for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté aromatics and toast spices
  1. Sauté the onion in a large pot for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly translucent (visual cue: shiny, softened onions).
  2. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika, then cook for 2 minutes while stirring until fragrant (visual cue: spices darken slightly and smell toasted).
Simmer the chili base
  1. Add the chicken broth, white beans, corn, and diced green chiles, then bring to a boil (visual cue: large bubbles across the surface).
  2. Reduce the heat and stir in the cubed cream cheese until melted and smooth (visual cue: no visible cream cheese pieces, broth turns creamy golden).
Finish and serve
  1. Add the shredded chicken and heavy cream, then simmer for 10 minutes (visual cue: chili thickens slightly and steams evenly).
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve with sour cream, pepper jack, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime (visual cue: toppings sit on top and look fresh).

Notes

Pro tip: use hot broth when adding the cream cheese so it melts faster and stays lump-free. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove until warmed through. Freezing is yes—freeze without the toppings and thaw in the fridge, then reheat and stir to recombine. For a dairy-light option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and light heavy cream (texture will be slightly thinner).