Healthy Chile Verde with Chicken Recipe
I grew up in a multicultural family, which was a huge blessing for me especially in terms of food! My parents exposed us to a variety of flavors and ingredients from diverse culinary traditions, and I often replicate that diversity in my own cooking now that I am a mother.
This week I’d like to share one of my favorite recipes, chile verde (that’s Spanish for “green chile," one of the main ingredients). This delicious stew-like dish can be eaten on its own. But I like to keep it as a staple in the fridge and put the delicious green sauce on other foods when I need to take the flavor up another level. Try it on eggs, veggies, potatoes, rice, and more.
Most of the time I cook by feel and taste, but this wonderful recipe for pork chile verde on Tastes Better from Scratch is pretty close to my general dish. I rarely cook pork, mainly because it's lower in protein content, so I modified the recipe to feature chicken instead (and also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil).
Chile Verde with Chicken (Serves 8)
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp oregano
2 cups chicken broth
4 fresh poblano chiles, seeded and sliced in half
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced in half
1.5 lbs fresh tomatoes, husks removed and sliced in half
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large stock pot on high. Then add the chicken and cook, turning as needed, until brown on all sides.
Remove the chicken pieces and set aside.
Add the chopped onion and cook until tender (you can add more oil if needed). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir the cumin and oregano into the onion and garlic mixture. Add the seared chicken and the chicken broth.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 to 4 hours.
While the stew base is cooking, spray a baking sheet with cooking oil. Arrange the tomatillos, peppers, and jalapenos on the baking sheet, cut side down.
Broil the vegetables for 7 to 10 minutes until brown.
Place the peppers in a plastic bag and tie is closed. After 5 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag and peel of the skin.
Puree the tomatillos, peppers, and jalapenos in a blender. Add to the pot when the chicken is cooked, and allow everything to simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
If you loved this Healthy Chile Verde with Chicken, check out my recipe for Healthy Dirty Rice, another favorite from my Southern heritage.