Award Winning Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken Chili

 Award Winning Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken Chili

I made this for my ward Halloween Chili Cook Off and this was the winning chili.  I made this recipe up myself but my inspiration was from this recipe for Creamy Chicken Taquitos - Our Best Bites. 

1 ½ - 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-3 tbsp oil

½ cup green salsa (I used Herdez brand)

1 onion finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic finely minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili Powder

2 cups water

2 tsp bouillon powder

2 cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

2 limes

½ cup fresh cilantro loosely packed, divided in half

4 oz cream cheese softened

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Salt and Pepper chicken breasts brown both sides in a skillet with oil on med high heat.  Place chicken breasts in crock pot.  Cook onions in same skillet till translucent.  Add Cumin and Chili powder and garlic sauté until fragrant about 1 min.  Add garlic and onion mixture to crock pot.  Pour one cup of water in skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan to get anything stuck including spices to the skillet up.  Pour water from the skillet into the crock pot.  Add remaining water should be enough to cover the chicken breasts.  Add the chicken bouillon (or you could use chicken stock instead of water).  Add cannellini and black beans.  Add juice of one lime and ½ of the cilantro.  Cook on high for four hours.  Remove chicken.  Add some hot broth to the softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth and completely melted.  Pour cream cheese mixture into crock pot and stir until fully incorporated.  Shred chicken with 2 forks put back into crock pot.   Add juice of last lime and stir.  Top with pepper jack cheese and remaining cilantro.