Onion and garlic softened in oil, then two cans of cannellini beans with a small can of green chiles, four cups of broth, cumin and oregano.
About a cup of the beans is mashed to thicken it, then cooked chicken, cream cheese and corn go in, and lime, tortilla strips and coriander finish it.
Why This Recipe Works
- The chilli thickens itself. Mashing a cup of the beans releases enough starch to give it body without flour or cream — which is also why the cream cheese can be a modest four ounces rather than a whole block.
- No tomato anywhere. That is what makes it a white chilli: cannellini beans and green chiles carry the flavour, and a tomato base would turn it into a different dish entirely.
- The chicken goes in already cooked. Three cups of shredded chicken added at step 4 needs eight to ten minutes to heat through; simmered from raw for an hour it would be stringy.
- Gentle heat once the cream cheese is in. Four ounces of cream cheese in four cups of broth will split at a rolling boil, and step 4 says simmer gently for exactly that reason.
- Lime at the very end. It is the only acid in a rich, pale bowl, and it needs to go in after the heat rather than cook away under it.
Six Steps, Three Phases
There is no flour, no roux and no cornstarch in this chilli. It is thickened by its own beans, which is why the order of the six steps matters more than it looks.
Stage 1 of 3
The base
Steps 1–2 of 6
Onion softened five minutes, garlic for thirty seconds, then both cans of cannellini beans with green chiles, broth, cumin, oregano and salt for fifteen minutes. Nothing rich has arrived yet — this is a clean bean and chilli broth.
- Soften the aromaticsHeat the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Build the bean baseAdd the beans, green chiles, broth, cumin, oregano and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Stage 2 of 3
The thickening
Steps 3–3 of 6
About a cup of the beans mashed against the side of the pot. That releases their starch into the broth and is the entire thickening mechanism; it also leaves the other bean and a half whole, which is what you want to find in the bowl.
- Mash to thickenMash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the chili.
Stage 3 of 3
The enrichment
Steps 4–6 of 6
Cooked chicken, four ounces of cream cheese and a cup of frozen corn, simmered gently eight to ten minutes. Gently is the operative word — a hard boil would split the cream cheese. Lime off the heat, strips and coriander on top.
- Chicken, cream cheese, cornStir in the cooked chicken, cream cheese and corn and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until creamy and hot.
- LimeStir in the lime juice.
- Top and serveServe topped with crispy tortilla strips and cilantro.
Ingredient Notes
- Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Two 15-ounce cans, and both words matter — the canning liquid would cloud a broth this pale. About a cup of them gets mashed.
- Diced green chiles
- One 4-ounce can. Mild, and the defining flavour of a white chilli; this is not a substitute for fresh chilli heat.
- Cooked shredded chicken
- Three cups, already cooked. Poached breast, leftover roast or rotisserie all work.
- Cream cheese, softened
- Four ounces, softened so it disperses. It enriches rather than thickens — the beans do the thickening.
- Crispy tortilla strips
- Two cups, on the bowl rather than in the pot. Their crunch against a creamy chilli is the point of them.
How to Make It
Soften the aromatics
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
Build the bean base
Add the beans, green chiles, broth, cumin, oregano and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Mash to thicken
Mash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the chili.
Chicken, cream cheese, corn
Stir in the cooked chicken, cream cheese and corn and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until creamy and hot.
Lime
Stir in the lime juice.
Top and serve
Serve topped with crispy tortilla strips and cilantro.
Success Tips
- Rinse the beans until the water runs clear.
- Mash roughly a cup — enough to see the broth thicken, not so much that it turns to purée.
- Soften the cream cheese first so it melts in without lumps.
- Keep it at a gentle simmer once the cream cheese is in.
- Put the tortilla strips out separately so they stay crisp.
Serving Ideas
Soured cream, grated Monterey Jack, sliced jalapeño and extra lime. It is built to be finished at the table.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate the chilli for up to 4 days and keep the tortilla strips sealed at room temperature. Never store them together.
Freeze
Freeze the chilli alone for up to 3 months. Cream cheese chillies thaw better than cream-based ones because the beans hold the texture.
Reheat
Reheat gently until steaming throughout, then add fresh strips and coriander.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add tomatoes?
That would make it a different chilli. The white-bean and green-chile profile with no tomato base is what defines this one.
Can I stir the tortilla strips in?
They dissolve and thicken the chilli within minutes. They are listed as a topping because the contrast is the whole idea.
The chilli looked grainy.
It boiled after the cream cheese went in. Step 4 says simmer gently — cream cheese splits at a rolling boil.
How do I make it thicker?
Mash more of the beans. That is the recipe's own thickener and it costs nothing; flour or cornstarch would dull the clean bean flavour.
