Sarah’s White Chicken Chili
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4.8 out of 5 stars
(49)
Ingredients
6 servings
- 4–5 strips of bacon
- 1–2 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed
- half of a yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 cups chicken broth
- two 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (with juices!)
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (you can also use chicken breasts – I like it both ways)
- one 14-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- one 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces cream cheese
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Preparation
Step 1
Food processor prep: Pulse the bacon through the food processor until it looks like a chunky paste. Remove bacon and do the same with the onion, garlic, and jalapeño.
Step 2
Cook bacon and veggies: Add the bacon to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the bacon starts heating up, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño mix so it all cooks together.
Step 3
Build the soup: Add spices, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
Step 4
Cook chicken: Add chicken. Bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove, cool, and shred.
Step 5
Tie it all up: Stir in the shredded chicken, beans, and cream cheese. The chili will be THICK, especially as it cools. It’s almost like a dip because, yes, we are monsters. Thin it out with water as you like!
Step 6
Top and serve: Serve with every good thing under the sun, but mostly tortilla chips, cilantro, green onion, and cheese.
Step 7
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Chef's notes
There is some amount of adjusting you can do here – pick the type of beans you like, pick the type of chicken (breasts or thighs) that you like, etc. – but I really do not recommend messing with the bacon or the cream cheese. Both are super essential for the creamy, smoky, Tex-Mex queso type vibe that you’re going to get with this soup.
The number of bowls of this white chicken chili that I’ve eaten on the couch, in front of the TV, loaded with chips and cheese and green onions, after a long day, really just living my best life? It’s too many to count. High and still rising.
I think we all owe Sarah a big virtual hug.
