Make Ahead

Green Chili Chicken

April 23, 2018
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Brussels Sprouts for Breakfast
  • Makes 15 servings
Author Notes

My favorite slow cooked chicken recipe to date. This version is tangy and delicious, and the leftovers are plentiful. —Brussels Sprouts for Breakfast

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 pound tomatillos (husk removed & rinsed)
  • 1 poblano
  • 1 yellow onion (diced)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 7 ounces can diced green chilis
  • 1 cup cilantro (stems removed)
  • 1 lime
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon green chili powder (optional)
  • salt and pepper
Directions
  1. Turn on the broiler. Place tomatillos and poblano on a baking sheet and pop under the broiler. Keep an eye on them, flipping them once when the first side is starting to char. Flip and let the other side char for about 4 minutes. Remove and let cool. Once cool, remove the stem and seeds from poblano and dice.
  2. In a Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Cover chicken breasts in salt, pepper and green chili powder (if you have it). Add chicken to oil and let first side cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for 5 minutes. You just want to get a crust on the chicken, not cook it through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add more oil to the Dutch oven and add the onions and can of green chilies. Add salt and pepper, and let cook for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and let cook for another minute.
  4. Add the diced poblano and tomatillos to the pot, adding a dash of salt and pepper. Let everything come together for 3 minutes. Now add the chicken stock and cumin, and a dash more salt. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, turn off heat.
  5. Add lime juice and cilantro to the pot. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper as needed.
  6. Add chicken and all the juices collected on the plate into the pot. Turn heat back on to low, cover and let cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour, shred the chicken into the juices, and let simmer for anther 30 minutes. If it won't shred after an hour, just let it go for a little longer.
  7. Serve the shredded chicken, burrito bowl style, on tacos or burritos, or just eat it by itself. It's so tasty!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • charles
    charles
  • Brussels Sprouts for Breakfast
    Brussels Sprouts for Breakfast
  • JodiVan
    JodiVan

4 Reviews

JodiVan October 28, 2019
Could you add white beans to this to make it more of a “chili?” At what point would you add them?
 
Brussels S. October 28, 2019
Ya for sure! You could add them at the end, when you return the shredded chicken to simmer for the last 30 minutes. You might also want to add a little extra water or chicken stock to make it more soup like.
 
charles October 28, 2019
I made this for a work chili contest and got third out of about 25 entries. This is a good green chili for people who don't like it to be spicy. It is cilantro and lime forward, particularly with the cilantro. The char on the tomatillos and poblano really help with the flavor. It was good by itself, but I also feel it better serves as a topping. Whether that is a burrito, nachos, etc., mainly because once you blend the ingredients all you have for texture is the chicken.
 
Brussels S. October 28, 2019
Hey Charles - So glad this one worked out well for you! I do love this recipe as a meat vs. a chili, you're right. It's so good on a burrito bowl or on nachos!