Vegetarian White Chicken Chili

5 from 3 votes

Made with white beans, salsa verde, and jackfruit, this vegetarian take on chicken chili is filled with zesty flavors reminiscent of tortilla soup.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 398kcal

4 ounces Neufchâtel (low-fat) cream cheese, cubed see note #1
20 ounce can young green jackfruit or 2 14-ounce cans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion diced
2 ribs celery diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
3 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
5 cups vegetable broth
2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed, see note #2
15 ounce can supersweet golden corn drained and rinsed
4 ounce can diced green chiles with juices
4 ounces salsa verde
fresh chopped cilantro, corn chips, lime wedges, and shredded mozzarella cheese, for serving

Set the cream cheese out so that it comes to room temperature while the soup cooks. To prep the canned jackfruit, drain it and then roughly chop it so that it resembles shredded chicken. Remove any seeds or dense pieces of core.
Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the yellow onion, celery, and salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the shredded jackfruit and garlic. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the garlic is golden. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, dry oregano, and paprika. Toast for 30 seconds to bloom the spices, stirring consistently to keep from burning.
Add in the vegetable broth, cannellini beans, corn, green chiles with juices, and salsa verde. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour.
Just before serving, remove about ½ cup of broth from the chili. Whisk the cream cheese into the broth to thin it, then return the broth and cream cheese to the chili. Stir until it is well distributed into the soup.
For a creamier soup, blend 2 cups in a blender then add back into the pot or briefly blend with an immersion blender. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro, corn chips, a lime wedge, and shredded mozzarella.

Cream cheese: Work with an equal amount of regular cream cheese or vegan cream cheese. I use Tofutti if making this chili dairy-free.
Beans: Works with any variety of white beans, such as white kidney beans or great northern beans.