Description
This Mexican Street Corn White Chicken Chili is a one-pot wonder packed with flavor. With tender chicken, sweet corn, and a touch of spice, it’s perfect for a quick dinner or a comforting meal any night of the week.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
- 3 ears corn on the cob husked (or 2½ cups corn kernels)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3–4 cloves garlic minced
- 2–3 jalapeños diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (cannellini or great northern), drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (plus more for serving)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup mexican crema (or ½ cup crema + ½ cup sour cream)
- 1 (4-ounce block) pepper jack cheese shredded (about 1 cup)
- Juice of 1 lime
- Crumbled Cotija cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Extra grilled corn kernels reserved from above
- Sliced or diced jalapeños
- Lime wedges
- Sprinkle of Tajín seasoning
- Drizzle of adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers in adobo)
- Additional chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika
- Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Brush chicken breasts and corn cobs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over medium-high heat, cooking for 5-7 minutes per side, and grill corn until charred, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool, then dice or shred chicken and cut kernels off the cobs, reserving some corn for topping.
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat remaining olive oil. Add diced onion and jalapeños; cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper to the pot. Cook for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
- Add the grilled chicken, most of the grilled corn, white beans, and chicken broth. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat. Stir in Mexican crema, shredded Pepper Jack cheese, and lime juice until the cheese has melted and the chili is creamy.
- Taste the chili and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lime juice as necessary. To enhance the smoky flavor, swirl in some adobo sauce or sprinkle with Tajín.
- Ladle the chili into bowls. Top with reserved corn, Cotija cheese, cilantro, jalapeños, lime wedges, Tajín, a drizzle of adobo sauce, and tortilla chips.
Notes
This chili is perfect for meal prep; it reheats beautifully!
Feel free to customize the toppings according to your taste.
For a vegetarian version, substitute chicken with mushrooms or extra beans.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 75mg