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Green Chile Chicken and Corn Pot

2 hearty bowls · Active 15 min · Total 35 min

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Fully cooked chicken, canned green chiles and sweetcorn make a small pot of supper quickly. White beans give the broth body, and a little cream cheese melts through at the end to round it out. It is a useful recipe when the fridge contains a modest amount of cooked chicken and the cupboard can supply the rest. Use chicken that has been stored safely and is still within its original refrigerated life.

Jump to ingredients

Creamy green chile chicken pot with white beans, sweetcorn and scallions.

The chicken is already cooked

This method is designed for cooked chicken, not raw pieces added at the last minute. Shred or chop the meat into bite-size portions so it heats evenly. Add it to a hot simmering base and check the finished mixture reaches 165°F/74°C. If you are using leftovers from an earlier meal, the age of that chicken still matters; a new sauce does not reset its storage period.

Melt the cream cheese gradually

Cut cream cheese into small cubes and lower the heat before stirring it in. Large cold lumps take longer to melt and encourage unnecessarily fierce boiling. Mash a spoonful of white beans into the broth if you want more body without adding extra cheese. The finished pot should be creamy enough to coat a spoon but still loose enough to eat comfortably from a bowl.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil (5 ml)
  • 1 small onion, finely diced (100 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 can chopped green chiles (4 oz/113 g), with liquid
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock (240 ml)
  • 1 can cannellini beans (15 oz/425 g), drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn (150 g)
  • 1 1/2 cups fully cooked chicken, shredded (225 g)
  • 2 oz plain cream cheese, cut into small cubes (55 g)
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice (10 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons sliced scallions

Set out

2-quart saucepan, Wooden spoon, Food thermometer

Allergens

Milk. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes until softened. Stir cumin for 30 seconds.
  2. Add green chiles, stock, beans and corn. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in cooked chicken and simmer for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture reaches 165°F/74°C throughout.
  4. Lower the heat. Stir in cream cheese a few cubes at a time until melted. Mash a spoonful of beans against the pan side if a thicker texture is wanted.
  5. Add lime juice and scallions. Serve immediately; taste before adding salt, since stock, chiles and cream cheese vary.

Use a modest cooked portion well

This pot gives a small quantity of chicken a clear role rather than hiding it in an oversized casserole. Keep the stock measure close to the recipe; a camper fridge is easier to manage when supper does not unexpectedly become four containers of soup.

A useful detail

Do not use an unmarked container of old chicken to avoid waste. Use a known date and the original storage window, or open a fresh ready-to-eat product according to its label.

Another way

  • Use fully cooked turkey in place of chicken.
  • Replace half the corn with diced zucchini, simmering it with the beans until tender.

Keep it well

Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, in a shallow covered container at 40°F/4°C or below. Use within 2 days or the original chicken’s shorter remaining safe period. Reheat to 165°F/74°C with a little water if needed.