Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
Try this Cream Cheese Chicken Chili and prepare to fall in love with the rich flavor and creamy, thick texture. It's so cozy and satisfying!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons oil I use avocado oil
- 1 ½ cups diced onion from one medium
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp minced garlic 3 large cloves
- 5 tbsp chili powder
- 1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen
- 1 14-ozcan unsalted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 4-oz can chopped green chilies undrained
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and 1/2 tsp of the salt; cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and cook another minute, until fragrant.
- Add the black beans, corn, diced tomatoes (undrained), diced green chilies to the pot. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, then add the whole chicken breasts along with remaining salt. It will look dry, but don’t be tempted to add water (which will dilute the flavor). The chicken will release flavorful liquid as it cooks.
- Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (stirring occasionally to prevent scorching), until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the chili and transfer to a plate. Use two forks to shred it apart into small pieces, then return it to the pot.
- Add the cream cheese to the chili. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated into the chili. Continue cooking for another few minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Taste the chili and season with more salt if needed.
Video
Notes
*I tested this recipe using unsalted diced tomatoes. If using regular diced tomatoes, use a little less salt to start, and add more to taste at the end.
The chicken releases plenty of moisture as it cooks, and the cream cheese at the end melts to add more sauce as well. Trust me on the quantity of liquids, this chili is thick and satisfying and so gorgeously concentrated with flavor. If you prefer a soupier chili, add 1 cup of chicken broth with the diced tomatoes.
Leaving the chicken breasts whole ensures that they stay plump and juicy. If you cut small pieces of chicken while raw, it’ll dry out before the chili simmers long enough to be flavorful.
The chili powder called for is the North American chili powder spice blend for making chili, not Indian or other Asian red chili powder or chilli powder (with two Ls) that’s just straight-up ground cayenne pepper or kashmiri red chillies.
In the video, I added the chicken back before adding the cream cheese but I recommend adding the cream cheese first and letting it melt through. This prevents drying out the chicken or stirring it into threads.
If at the end the chili seems too thick for your liking, you can add a splash of chicken broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 1532mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2510IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg