Chicken Chile Verde

On a blustery winter day, the smells of a stew burbling on the stove can comfort us as the scents weave their way through the house. This chicken chile verde boasts bold flavors from roasted poblano chiles, jalapeños, cumin, and oregano. It’s a cheery green scarf that’s just right for the season.

Marci Food

The inspiration for this recipe came to me from my good friend Marci, a talented home cook who makes feeding a tableful of friends look effortless. Her original recipe was based upon a dish popular at the Red Pepper restaurant in Bakersfield, California. Many Mexican restaurants carry a pork chile verde on their menus, but the Red Pepper substitutes lighter- tasting chicken for the pork. Marci built her own recipe on what she guessed the restaurant did. I stole her approach from her lovely cookbook Marci Food and adapted it a bit.

Roasting Chiles

One change I made was to roast the poblano chiles before adding them to the stew.

Poblanos are meaty, carry just a bit of heat, and are packed with flavor. Roasting them under the broiler until they are blistered, then allowing them to steam for a while before peeling off the skins amplifies their presence.

Making the Stew

Boneless chicken thighs are the protein in this stew. The cubes brown quickly in a bit of vegetable oil, after which onions, garlic, jalapeño, and roasted peppers go in.

I use both the home-roasted poblanos and canned roasted chiles. I like the variety of textures and sizes of the chile pieces. Cumin and oregano further season the base. Chicken broth bathes the mixture and allows the flavors to mingle.

Bright citrusy tomatillos round out the sauce. As they cook, they meld into the stew, enhancing its essence.

Following Marci’s cue, I wait until about five minutes before serving time to add quarter rounds of fresh zucchini. The squash is a natural partner with roasted peppers and lends a great balance to the stew, not to mention vibrant green color and a bit of crunch.

While Marci added Rotel tomatoes to her recipe, I opted to keep the stew as verde as possible. But in a nod to her, I do offer chopped, fresh tomatoes as a topping, along with cilantro and grated cheese. A squeeze of lime over each bowl brings a lively note to the stew.

This chicken chile verde can be made ahead of time (waiting to add the zucchini until right before serving).      

It’s also delicious later on in breakfast burritos, combined with scrambled eggs and maybe some potatoes, wrapped in a tortilla.

Chicken Chile Verde

Dawn Dobie

A light Tex-Mex chicken stew featuring roasted poblano chiles, cumin, and oregano.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the stew:

• 3-4 fresh poblano chiles
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil divided (see below)
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs visible fat removed and cut in 1 inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin divided (see below)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 jalapeno (or more to taste), minced
• 4 ounce can diced green chile peppers
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound fresh tomatillos husked and cut in half
• 2 zucchini sliced into ¼-inch thick quarter rounds

Optional toppings:

• Fresh chopped tomatoes
• Cilantro leaves
• Grated cheese
• Lime wedges

Instructions

 

• Roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blistered on all sides. Transfer to a plastic bag, seal tightly and allow to steam for 15-30 minutes. Take the chiles out of the bag, remove the blistered skin (it should peel off easily) and cut peppers in half lengthwise. Remove ribs and seeds from peppers. Cut roasted pepper into 1-inch pieces. Put aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt, black pepper, and ½ teaspoon of ground cumin. Transfer half of the chicken pieces to the Dutch oven and sauté until golden brown, stirring from time to time, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, add one more tablespoon of oil to the skillet and sauté the rest of the chicken. When it is golden, transfer it to the bowl that the other cooked chicken is in.
• Add one tablespoon of oil to the pan and put chopped onions in. Stir frequently, and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.
• Add the jalapeno and garlic and stir for one minute. (If the fond on the bottom of the Dutch oven from cooking the chicken becomes very brown during this time, add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the fond and flavor the aromatic base.)
• Add the canned chiles and the chopped poblano chiles, the remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin and the oregano. Stir well, allowing the cumin and oregano to release their flavors, about 1 minute.  
• Return the chicken pieces and any juices that have collected to the pan. Add the chicken broth, stir well, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add tomatillos to simmering mixture, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Five minutes before serving, add zucchini quarter rounds to chile verde.
• Serve in bowls with suggested condiments and warm tortillas.

Notes

Chile verde can be made two days ahead of time (stop at point right before adding the zucchini). Cover and refrigerate. Reheat and add zucchini five minutes before serving.

The complete chile verde is delicious added to scrambled eggs and cubed cooked potatoes to make breakfast burritos.

This recipe lovingly adapted from Marci Food by Marci Lingo.