diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchResponse.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchResponse.java
index d67d5d2faf47e..8a94f0fd15bd8 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchResponse.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchResponse.java
@@ -14,13 +14,14 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.action.OriginalIndices;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.bytes.BytesReference;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.Iterators;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.DelayableWriteable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamOutput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.Writeable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.Lucene;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.ConcurrentCollections;
-import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.ChunkedToXContent;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.ChunkedToXContentHelper;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.ChunkedToXContentObject;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.RefCounted;
@@ -391,17 +392,24 @@ public Clusters getClusters() {
     @Override
     public Iterator<? extends ToXContent> toXContentChunked(ToXContent.Params params) {
         assert hasReferences();
-        return ChunkedToXContent.builder(params).xContentObject(innerToXContentChunked(params));
+        return getToXContentIterator(true, params);
     }
 
     public Iterator<? extends ToXContent> innerToXContentChunked(ToXContent.Params params) {
-        return ChunkedToXContent.builder(params)
-            .append(SearchResponse.this::headerToXContent)
-            .append(clusters)
-            .append(hits)
-            .appendIfPresent(aggregations)
-            .appendIfPresent(suggest)
-            .appendIfPresent(profileResults);
+        return getToXContentIterator(false, params);
+    }
+
+    private Iterator<ToXContent> getToXContentIterator(boolean wrapInObject, ToXContent.Params params) {
+        return Iterators.concat(
+            wrapInObject ? ChunkedToXContentHelper.startObject() : Collections.emptyIterator(),
+            ChunkedToXContentHelper.singleChunk(SearchResponse.this::headerToXContent),
+            Iterators.single(clusters),
+            hits.toXContentChunked(params),
+            aggregations == null ? Collections.emptyIterator() : ChunkedToXContentHelper.singleChunk(aggregations),
+            suggest == null ? Collections.emptyIterator() : ChunkedToXContentHelper.singleChunk(suggest),
+            profileResults == null ? Collections.emptyIterator() : ChunkedToXContentHelper.singleChunk(profileResults),
+            wrapInObject ? ChunkedToXContentHelper.endObject() : Collections.emptyIterator()
+        );
     }
 
     public XContentBuilder headerToXContent(XContentBuilder builder, ToXContent.Params params) throws IOException {