I have made a Chicken Chili Verde recipe both ways. The long way is, totally from scratch where I make the tomatillo sauce base using fresh tomatillos, onions, garlic, and poblano peppers, and also soaking the beans overnight and cooking them for hours the next day. And I’ve made it using the shortcuts I’m sharing here. And honestly, I don’t taste a bit of difference – they’re both equally good and taste the same. Taking a couple shortcuts results in huge time savings.
Try pairing this Chicken Chili Verde recipe with my recipe for Corn Casserole topped with cheddar and bacon – they make a great pair!
Chicken Chili Verde – with time savers!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into large pieces (you will shred them later)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery, including the tops (leaves) cut into ⅓-½" pieces
- 1 green pepper cut into ⅓-½" pieces
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper diced very small, almost minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 2 16 oz bottles Herdez Salsa Verde or another brand, if you prefer
- 64 oz unsalted Chicken Stock
- 32 oz canned white (navy) beans drained and rinsed
- avacado slices for garnish
- lime wedges for squeezing
Instructions
- In a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat, heat the oil to a shimmer and add the chicken breast pieces, browning both sides a bit and cooking the chicken through (about 5 minutes, turning the pieces after about 3 minutes). Take care not to scorch the fond (the bits that stick to the bottom of the pan), because these are going to add amazing flavor. You may need to cook the chicken in 2-3 batches if you're making a big batch of chili. Set the cooked chicken aside to cool.
- If needed, add a little more cooking oil to the pot, heat it up and add the onion, celery and green pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the jalapeno, garlic and cumin and saute for another 3 minutes.
- Add about 2 cups of the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the fond and get it dissolving into the broth. Then add the rest of the broth and the Salsa Verde. Bring this up to a gentle simmer.
- While the pot is coming up to a simmer, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and add them to the pot. Cook at the gentle simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans and continue cooking just until the beans are heated through, about 10 minutes tops. Remember, the beans are already well cooked and we don't want them to start turning into mush.
- Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat.
- Serve with avocado slices for garnish and lime wedges on the side for squeezing into the broth.
- Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
