Chicken Chili Verde

Tonight’s dish is a request/challenge from a friend of mine. He told me this recipe for Chili Verde from Chef John is the best he ever tried and he thought I could ‘massage’ the recipe so it could be made for one. Well, I did some additional research and came up with the tweaked recipe below. Normally, chili verde is made with pork, but tonight I was feeling like chicken so that is what I used. Of course, you could substitute pork into this recipe and it would be great. Next time I will make this recipe with pork, maybe adjusted for sous vide to up the challenge. And since it is National Margarita Day, I paired this meal with a Mexican Mule – my new favorite tequila drink. Take it from me, this chili verde has loads of flavor and won’t leave you wanting. Don’t you think it is time you got some green on the stove?

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Chicken Chili Verde

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 90 mins

Total time: 2 hours

Serves: 1+

Ingredients

9 oz chicken breast or pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb tomatillos, approximately 6 small to moderate sized tomatillos
1 large poblano pepper, approximately 6 oz
1 large jalapeno, approximately 3 oz
½ yellow onion, diced
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
juice from ½ lime
½ cup cilantro, plus some for garnish (optional)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mexican oregano
½ tsp coriander
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp canola oil, divided

Instructions

Adjust the topmost rack in the oven to the middle position and preheat the oven broiler on High.
Peel and halve the tomatillos and place cut side down on a baking sheet.
Wash the poblano and jalapeno and place on the baking sheet whole.
Add the garlic cloves to the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack.
Roast/broil the vegetables until lightly charred, approximately 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once during the process.
If the poblano and jalapeno require additional blistering of the skin, roast each over an open flame and then steam in a ziptop bag for 5 - 10 minutes until cool enough to handle.
Place the tomatillos and any juice into a blender.
Peel the garlic and add to the blender.
In a medium saucepan, add half the canola oil and heat over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring often and add to the blender.
Remove the skins, stems and seeds from the poblano and jalapeno peppers and add to the blender.
Add the cilantro (if using) to the blender.
Add the salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne and lime juice to the blender and pulse to break down and blend the ingredients until smooth.
Add ½ cup chicken stock (as needed) to thin the sauce slightly.
In the saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining canola oil.
When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and lightly brown on all sides, approximately 10 minutes.
When the chicken is done, pour the sauce from the blender over top and stir to combine and distribute.
Bring the sauce to a moderate simmer and reduce heat to low/medium-low and cover.
Allow the sauce to simmer gently for at least an hour.
Serve with tortillas and/or rice, garnished with chopped cilantro (if desired).

Notes

The sauce recipe makes more than 1 portion, so I set aside some of the sauce for use in another dish like pork carnitas.

Adjust the topmost rack in the oven to the middle position and preheat the oven broiler on High. Peel and halve the tomatillos and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Wash the poblano and jalapeno and place on the baking sheet whole. Add the garlic cloves to the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet on the middle rack. Roast/broil the vegetables until lightly charred, approximately 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once during the process. If the poblano and jalapeno require additional blistering of the skin, roast each over an open flame and then steam in a ziptop bag for 5 – 10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Place the tomatillos and any juice into a blender. Peel the garlic and add to the blender. Add the cilantro (if using) to the blender.

In a medium saucepan, add half the canola oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring often and add to the blender. Remove the skins, stems and seeds from the poblano and jalapeno peppers and add to the blender.

Add the salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne and lime juice to the blender and pulse to break down and blend the ingredients until smooth.

Add 1/2 cup chicken stock (as needed) to thin the sauce slightly. In the saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining canola oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and lightly brown on all sides, approximately 10 minutes.

When the chicken is done, pour the sauce from the blender over top and stir to combine and distribute. Bring the sauce to a moderate simmer and reduce heat to low/medium-low and cover.