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White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili with a creamy golden broth made from melted cream cheese and a quick simmer. Tender shredded chicken, white beans, corn, and green chiles come together in one pot for a hearty American weeknight main.
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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: 560
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
  • 0.25 cup sour cream for serving
Pepper jack cheese
  • 0.5 cup pepper jack, shredded, for serving
Jalapeño
  • 1 jalapeño, for serving
Cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro, for serving
Lime
  • 1 lime, for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 0.5 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté and build flavor
  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and sauté the diced onion for 4 minutes, stirring often until softened and slightly translucent (visual cue: glossy, not browned).
  2. Add the minced garlic and 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
  1. Pour in the chicken broth and add the drained white beans, corn, and diced green chiles, then bring to a boil (visual cue: rapid bubbles across the surface).
  2. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cubed cream cheese until fully melted and the broth turns creamy (visual cue: smooth, no cream cheese lumps).
  3. Stir in the shredded cooked chicken and the heavy cream, then simmer for 10 minutes (visual cue: gentle bubbling and thickened texture).
Finish and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine (visual cue: broth tastes balanced and not flat).
  2. Serve hot with sour cream, shredded pepper jack, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime on top (visual cue: bright toppings on the creamy surface).

Notes

To keep the chili silky, lower the heat before adding cream cheese and stir until completely melted before simmering. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop. Freezing is not recommended because the dairy can separate when thawed and reheated. For a dairy-light option, use Neufchâtel or a cream cheese-style substitute that melts well.