Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili
We’ve combined two of our recent dinner time favorites – Chicken Enchiladas and Chili – into this new recipe for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili. Tender chunks of chicken, black beans, diced tomatoes, and corn simmer in a creamy, cheesy, enchilada flavored chili base for a creative take on a bowl of chili.
A big thank you to BUSH’s slow-simmered chili beans and Hunt’s vine ripened tomatoes for sponsoring this post.
My childhood Halloweens were met with big, hot bowls of chili and cornbread prior to going out to trick-or-treat.
Before my kids came around, I started making chili for dinner on Halloween.
After years of this tradition at my childhood dinner table, it just made sense to me.
Chili was the perfect, hearty dinner to welcome a cool fall evening.
I’m ready to get back to savoring our fall chili season again!
Last year is the first year that I can remember that I didn’t make chili for dinner on Halloween.
We had just closed on our new house and were swamped in all things moving.
I can’t believe that a year has flown by so quickly.
I can’t remember what we ate last year, or even if we slept in our new house that first night or not.
Creating this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili
To mix things up this year, I’ve created this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili, inspired by 2 things that our kids love:
Chicken Enchiladas and Chili.
This Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili is something hearty and simple to prepare that I can make earlier in the day and reheat.
Or, I can keep it warm in the crockpot, while I focus on our Halloween evening preparations.
Plus, anything that is left over makes a great lunch for me the next day!
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili Ingredients
A great chili recipe begins with 2 simple ingredients:
Hunt’s vine ripened tomatoes and BUSH’s slow-simmered chili beans.
I have quite the collection of Black Bean Recipes.
I love all beans and I think they’re a great pantry staple.
But, if I had to choose just one bean to keep in my pantry it would probably be black beans, which is why I’ve chosen to feature them in this recipe.
I love BUSH’s Chili Beans.
They add great flavor to the recipe thanks to the Southwestern chili sauce flavored from mild chili peppers, sweet tomatoes and onion that add just the right kick to any recipe featuring black beans.
Adding diced tomatoes, such as Hunt’s diced tomatoes, creates a balance in flavors as well as adding nice chunky tomatoes to each bite.
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili
This recipe for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili is simple.
First, you’ll brown chunks of chicken breast seasoned with chili spices.
Then, you’ll sauté onion and garlic, toast up some corn kernels, and combine all of that with chicken broth, BUSH’s Black Chili Beans, Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes, your favorite enchilada sauce, cream cheese, and some shredded Mexican cheese.
The result is a cheesy, thick, and creamy chicken chili that tastes just like your favorite enchilada recipe.
The kids all LOVED this recipe.
It is definitely going to be in the rotation for the rest of the fall and winter season, and will probably be gracing our Halloween dinner table.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
More Chili Recipes
I hope you have something yummy planned for Halloween next week. If not, here is some more inspiration.
Our go-to classic, meaty chili is this recipe for Beefy Kidney Bean Chili. It is great served over baked potatoes for a chili baked potato bar idea.
‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin! If that’s your thing, you’ll definitely want to check out this Pumpkin Black Bean Turkey Chili, it is a thick, flavorful chili that is a little less on the tomato-y side. It has the bonus of being loaded with extra vegetables in the form of pureed pumpkin.
Roasted butternut squash, roasted corn, and fire roasted tomatoes pair with black beans in this hearty, 7 ingredient meatless Roasted Butternut Squash Black Bean Chili.
Another favorite vegetarian chili is this Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili, or as I called it in the original post, “emergency chili,” because it saved dinner time in a pinch.
For a super rich and decadent chili, try this Braised Short Rib and Bacon Chili. It has chunks of tender beef short ribs, peppers, and kidney beans, in a thick chili base.
White Bean Chicken Chili Verde is great when you want a lighter, chicken based chili that still has a ton of flavor. This recipe is packed with veggies, too, thanks to roasted tomatillos and lots of chopped Swiss chard.
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
Get More Recipes via Email
Did you love this recipe? Sign up to receive Good Life Eats Email Updates and never miss another recipe!
What are your favorite chili recipes?
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili
We've combined two of our recent dinner time favorites - Chicken Enchiladas and Chili - into this new recipe for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili. Tender chunks of chicken, black beans, diced tomatoes, and corn simmer in a creamy, cheesy, enchilada flavored chili base for a creative take on a bowl of chili.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 pounds Chicken Breast, cut into chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/8 teaspoon Chipotle Powder
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 1 can Corn Kernels, drained and patted dry
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic Cloves
- 2 cans BUSH's Black Chili Beans
- 1 can Hunt's Diced Tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups Red Enchilada Sauce
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Mexican Cheese Blend
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro, divided
Instructions
- In a large cast iron soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the hot oil, seasoning with the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, chipotle powder, and salt and pepper (according to your taste preferences). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring periodically, until chicken is cooked through and browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.
- Meanwhile, add the corn to a cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook (dry, without oil) until it begins to roast and brown, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway in between. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
- In the same pot that the chicken was cooked, add the diced onion and sauté over medium heat, adding more oil if needed, until it is golden and tender - about 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Return the chicken to the pan, combining it with the onion and garlic. Then add the BUSH's Black Chili Beans, Hunt's Diced Tomatoes, red enchilada sauce, roasted corn, and chicken broth.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and reduce to medium low. Simmer for 25 minutes.
- After simmering, add in the cream cheese, shredded Mexican cheese and stir until melted.
- Stir in half of the cilantro, reserving the other half for garnish.
Notes
Serve with fried tortilla strips or tortilla chips and guacamole or avocado slices.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 370Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 933mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 42g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
This is a recipe for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of BUSH’s Slow-Simmered Chili Beans and Hunt’s vine ripened tomatoes.
Ben Myhre says
This looks like a great chili. My mouth is watering just looking at it. I like the use of cream cheese and chicken in this version.