{Brasilian} White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/2-inch pieces {We suggest using a lemon pepper rotisserie chicken to cut down prep time}
- 1 small yellow onion, diced {we used a garden fresh walla walla sweet}
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (8 oz) pkg Neufchatel cheese, cut into 12 slices {aka light cream cheese}
- 1 1/4 cup fresh corn {frozen works too}
- 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice {or lime wedges}
- chopped fresh cilantro, for serving
- shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, for serving {we used Tillamook pepperjack cheese}
- tortilla chips, for serving (optional)
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a 6 quart enameled dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add chicken and diced onion and saute until chicken is no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Add chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
- Add Neufchatel cheese and stir until nearly melted (it will break down in little bits and will appear to look like separated cheese but it will eventually melt). Stir in corn, and 1 can of Cannellini beans, then process 3/4 of the remaining beans along with 1/4 cup broth from the soup in a food processor until pureed, add bean mixture to soup along with remaining 1/4 can of beans {you can skip the pureeing step and just add the beans directly to soup, the soup just won't be quite as creamy, we also added a little cornstarch to thicken things up}. Simmer about 15 minutes longer. Mix in fresh lime juice and serve with Monterrey Jack cheese, chopped cilantro and tortilla chips for dipping if desired.
