White Chicken Chili (Creamy Comforting Slow Cooker, 6 Hr)

I make this whenever it gets cold and rainy. Creamy slow-cooker chili with shredded chicken, white beans, green chiles, corn, and a finishing splash of cream cheese to make it rich. Lime, cilantro, melted cheese, crispy tortilla chips on top. It’s not technically “chili” by Texas standards but I don’t care, it’s perfect.

Six hours in the slow cooker, fifteen minutes of actual work.

What you need

Two pounds of boneless chicken breast (whole — you’ll shred it later), seasoned with a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of chili powder, half a teaspoon of black pepper.

One large yellow onion diced, four cloves of garlic minced, two 4-oz cans of diced green chiles, one jalapeño seeded and diced if you want a little kick.

Two 15-oz cans of white cannellini beans, drained (mash one of them — this thickens everything). One 15-oz can of great northern beans, drained. Two cups of corn kernels, frozen or fresh.

Four cups of chicken broth. A tablespoon of cumin (yes, more), two teaspoons of dried oregano, a teaspoon of smoked paprika, half a teaspoon of cayenne, a teaspoon of salt, a bay leaf.

To finish — 8 ounces of cream cheese cut into cubes, half a cup of heavy cream, a third of a cup of chopped cilantro, the juice of one lime.

For the bowls — shredded Monterey Jack, sour cream, more cilantro, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado.

How I make it

Season the chicken and put it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with the onion, garlic, green chiles, jalapeño, all the beans (including the mashed one), and the corn.

Pour the broth over. Sprinkle in the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and toss in the bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for six hours (or high for three).

When the chicken is fork-tender, pull it out onto a plate and shred it with two forks. Put it back in the pot. Stir in the cubed cream cheese until it melts in completely. Pour in the heavy cream. Let it heat on high for about 15 minutes to thicken. Pull out the bay leaf.

Stir in the cilantro and the lime juice. Taste — it might need more salt or another squeeze of lime.

Ladle into bowls. Top with cheese (it’ll melt into the hot chili), a dollop of sour cream, more cilantro, jalapeño slices, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado. Lime wedge on the side.

A few notes

Add the cream cheese in cubes — adding it whole makes it clump.

If you’re using a stovetop, simmer everything for 45 minutes after browning the aromatics, then shred and finish.

Rotisserie chicken works too — skip the cooking step and just stir shredded chicken in at the end with the cream cheese.

Leftovers get even better the second day. Freezes for three months.