This Chicken Chili Verde Is How You Tomatillo

When I bought the tomatillos for this dish at Whole Foods, the cashier looked at the little bundle of fruit wrapped in their papery husks, and said, “What the heck are those things?” It’s true that tomatillos are one of the forgotten gems of the produce section, which is too bad because they’re delicious and different. If you’ve ever wondered how to cook with tomatillos, this chicken chili verde is a fall weather favorite around our house. You can eat it as-is like a stew, put it on rice or even use it to top a dish like baked enchiladas. It’s easy peasy to make and its pepper warmth is welcome as we have cooler weather.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs

8-10 tomatillos, stemmed, husked and quartered

5 medium poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped

2-3 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and chopped (seeded if you like less spice)

1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1.5 teaspoons table salt

2 cups water or chicken broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat, cook onions until they are translucent and add tomatillos, poblanos, jalapenos, garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add salt, cumin and place chicken thighs on top of vegetables. Add about 2 cups of water or chicken broth, until chicken is just covered. Bring to a boil, turn to low medium heat, cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot and make sure it is cooked. If cooked, shred chicken and set aside. Use an immersion blender to blend ingredients in pot until fairly smooth. Add cilantro and lime juice, blend a bit more, add chicken and enjoy! As a variation, add a can of cannellini beans. This stew is also nice served over rice.