White chicken chili dip is a skillet dip that starts on the stovetop and finishes in the oven at 400°F. Poblano peppers, white beans, corn, shredded chicken, cream cheese, and sour cream go into one oven-safe pan. The recipe serves 10 and takes 45 minutes start to finish.
Poblano peppers and onion cook in olive oil first, then the garlic and spices go in for another 5 minutes. The pan comes off the heat before the cream cheese and sour cream are added. Adding the dairy while the skillet is still hot breaks it and turns the finished dip grainy rather than smooth.
Half a cup of salsa verde goes in with the dairy, and that’s what keeps the dip from tasting flat. Tomatillo acid cuts through cream cheese, sour cream, and beans the way hot sauce does in a simpler dip. Without it, the heavy dairy and starchy beans merge into one undifferentiated mass with no brightness.
White Chicken Chili Dip Recipe
Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy10
servings30
45
kcalWhite Chicken Chili Dip: poblano peppers, white beans, corn, and shredded chicken baked in one skillet with cream cheese and sour cream
Ingredients
- Dip Base
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp chili powder
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
3 cups fresh corn kernels
1 can white beans (navy or cannellini), drained
½ cup salsa verde
1–2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- Cheese Topping
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded pepper jack
- For Serving
Chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, diced avocado, lime wedges, sour cream or Greek yogurt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, poblano peppers, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes until very fragrant.
- Remove from heat. Mix in the cream cheese, sour cream, corn, drained beans, salsa verde, and chicken until fully combined.
- Scatter both cheeses evenly over the top.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dip is bubbling around the edges.
- Top with cilantro, green onions, avocado, and lime. Add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt if desired. Serve hot with tortilla chips.
FAQs
Can I make this dip ahead and bake it later?
Assembling everything the night before and refrigerating it unbaked is a standard shortcut for this recipe. The poblano-onion mixture benefits from resting overnight as the spices distribute more evenly through the dairy base. Add 5 to 10 extra minutes to the bake time if it goes in cold from the fridge.
Can I make this milder for guests who don’t like spice?
Swap both poblano peppers for green bell peppers and the heat drops to nearly zero. They’re only mildly spicy, so removing them entirely loses the earthy, vegetal depth they add to the base. Bell pepper holds the same structure in the sauté and bakes through the same way, so nothing else in the recipe needs to change.
What white beans work best in this recipe?
Cannellini beans are the recipe’s choice, but navy beans work equally well. Cannellini are larger and creamier, giving the dip a slightly looser consistency with more visible bean in each scoop. Navy beans are smaller and denser, so they disappear more into the base and let the chicken and corn lead the texture.
What toppings make the most difference on this dip?
Avocado and lime do the most work of the garnishes: avocado tempers the heat and lime brightens the salsa verde underneath. A dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream in the center cools the first scoops and balances the spice for guests who run hot. If you want a simpler baked dip without the garnish prep, a marry me chicken dip at emilychicken.com takes 35 minutes.
What should I serve alongside this at a party?
This dip runs complex with multiple vegetables and layers of seasoning, so a simpler second option gives guests a real contrast. A basic baked dip with cream cheese, chicken, and bacon covers the crowd who want something familiar alongside. A cracked chicken dip at emilychicken.com bakes in 30 minutes and brings that stripped-down, bacon-and-cheese contrast without competing with this recipe’s spice.