Description
Street Corn Chicken Chili is a hearty and flavorful main course combining tender chicken, fire-roasted corn, white beans, and diced tomatoes with green chiles. This Mexican-American inspired dish is creamy and slightly spicy, enhanced with sour cream, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. Perfect for a cozy dinner, this chili offers a delicious twist on traditional chili with street corn flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted corn, drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 3 cups chicken broth
Finishing Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
- Cook Chicken and Season: Add the bite-sized chicken pieces to the pot and cook until no longer pink on the outside, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir well to evenly coat the chicken with the spices.
- Add Vegetables and Broth: Stir in the diced green chiles, fire-roasted corn, white beans, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and pour in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer Chili: Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and the flavors have melded together.
- Incorporate Creaminess: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the sour cream and half of the crumbled cotija cheese until the chili becomes creamy and well blended.
- Add Fresh Finishers: Stir in the fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed.
- Serve: Serve the chili hot, topped with the remaining cotija cheese and extra cilantro if desired for garnish.
Notes
- For extra heat, add a diced jalapeño along with the onion or include a pinch of cayenne pepper with the spices.
- Frozen corn can be substituted for canned corn if preferred.
- For a quicker version, shredded rotisserie chicken can be used instead of cooking raw chicken.
