White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese
White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese is a hearty, delicious meal that will feed an army and satisfy them at the same time. It’s full of delicious flavors and extra creamy thanks to the cream cheese it’s made with.
We love making chili, especially during the winter months. From traditional beef chili to white chili, we’re all about that chili life. This one, in particular, has a special place in our hearts because it’s extra rich AND so easy to make.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses simple ingredients that you can find easily at the store.
- It’s hearty, rich, and so full of flavor.
- It’s the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.
🛒Ingredients
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You’ll find everything you need for this recipe easily at your grocery store. The main ingredients are listed here, but you’ll find the complete list of ingredients along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Great northern beans
- Frozen corn
- Chicken broth
- Chopped green chiles
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Cream cheese, cubed
- Heavy whipping cream
🔪 How to Make White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese
Making this chili is incredibly easy. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps.
Step 1: Cube the Chicken
Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch chunks and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the Chicken
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Then, add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Next, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Step 3: Add Beans, Seasonings, and Liquid
Add the great northern beans, frozen corn, chicken broth, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Add Cream Cheese and Heavy Whipping Cream
Add the cream chees and let it melt in the soup. Then, add the heavy whipping cream and stir well. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and adjust the chili thickness with more chicken broth if desired.
Step 5: Serve
Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, crushed tortilla chips, or chopped jalapenos.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Keto – Omit the beans and corn for a keto-friendly white chili.
- Chicken Breast – You can use chopped rotisserie chicken in place of the chicken breast.
- Great Northern Beans – You can use pinto beans instead if you like.
If you love chicken chili and soups like this, then check out this easy lemon chicken orzo soup.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Large pot
- Wooden spoon
🥫 Storage
Store this for up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months in an air-tight container.
💭 Tips
- We recommend having an extra can of chicken broth on hand so you can thin out the chili if needed.
- Be sure that you don’t cook the added garlic for longer than a minute. If the garlic browns it will become bitter.
- If you opt to use rotisserie chicken, add it at the very end so it warms through rather than cooking even more.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Regular chili has a base of red chiles or chili powder and tomatoes. White chili, on the other hand usually has a base of broth mixed with cream and uses green chiles.
It can be, depending on how it’s made. If the creamy texture is achieved with Greek yogurt or another such option rather than sour cream, it can be a very healthy dish.
No one knows exactly who first made it, but the general consensus is that it was first made sometime in the late 1980s in the southwest USA.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy chili? Then try these delicious recipes:
📌 PIN IT!!
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese
Equipment
- knife and cutting board
- dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 14.5 ounce great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn optional
- 14.5 ounces chicken broth chicken broth
- 4 ounces green chilies
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white or black pepper
- 8 ounces cream cheese cubed
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Topping of choice shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, crush corn tortilla chips, chopped jalapenos, etc.
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch chunks; set aside.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot, then add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add the minced garlic and cook altogether for 1 minute.
- To the large pot, add the great northern beans, frozen corn, chicken broth, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Add additional chicken broth if needed.
- Add the cream cheese and allow to melt in the soup. Add the heavy whipping cream; stir well. If desired, add additional salt to taste or chicken broth to adjust consistency.
- Serve hot with topping of your choice.
Notes
- This chili could be made more keto/low carb friendly by leaving out the beans and corn.
- The recipe calls for 2 cans of chicken broth, but I do recommend readers have an extra can on hand. This way, they can adjust the thickness of the chili to their preference.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
