Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

Tick each one off as you go.

• FOR THE CHILI
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for browning (optional but worth it)
• 1 ½ lb (700 g) (1.5 lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6), or 3 large breasts
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 x 100 g (4 oz) tins chopped green chiles, undrained
• 2 ⅛ cups (500 ml) (2 cups) chicken stock
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• TO FINISH
• ¾ cup (180 g) (6 oz) full-fat block cream cheese, cubed, at room temperature
• 1 ⅛ cups (150 g) (1 cup) frozen sweetcorn
• 1 lime, juiced
• Salt, pepper and fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve

Method

1. Brown. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs for 2 to 3 minutes a side. You can skip this and put them in raw — the chili will still work — but browning is where the deep flavor lives, and granny never skipped it.
2. Load. Tip the beans, green chiles, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano into the slow cooker. Pour in the stock, give it a stir, then nestle the chicken down into the liquid. It will look like too little liquid. It is not — the pot barely evaporates a drop.
3. Cook. Lid on. Cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours, or High for 3 to 4. Leave the lid alone — every peek lets the heat out and adds 20 to 30 minutes to your dinner.
4. Shred. Lift the chicken onto a plate and shred it with two forks — it should fall apart, and a thermometer should read 165°F (74°C). Return it to the pot.
5. Enrich. Stir in the cream cheese and sweetcorn, put the lid back on and cook on Low for 30 minutes more. Stir well at the end until the cream cheese has melted into a silky, pale broth.
6. Finish. Squeeze in the lime, then season with salt and pepper and taste. Want it thicker? Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot and stir it through. Serve with coriander scattered over.