This Green Chicken Chili is a real crowd pleaser, and so easy to make.
It's from the book "Keeping It Simple" by Yasmin Fahr. And it was a big hit when Fahr appeared for a lunch, book signing and recipe demo at Melissa's Produce in Los Angeles.
The theme of the book is easy one-pot dishes to make weeknight cooking hassle-free. The recipes may be easy, but they are full of flavor and freshness.
The chili gets its greenness from jalapeño, poblano and New Mexican Hatch chiles, also tomatillos and cilantro. Amazingly, you can make it in only half an hour, plus a few minutes of prep time.
This is Fahr's first book, an outgrowth of a column she wrote for Serious Eats. It's a winner, if you're looking for recipes that are lively and fun, don't require a lot of skill and give you plenty of leeway to substitute ingredients.
For example, you can make the chili with bell peppers instead of poblanos and canned tomatillos instead of fresh, or even green tomatoes. If you insist on chili with beans you can add those too.
Here is the recipe:
30-MINUTE GREEN CHICKEN CHILI
From "Keeping It Simple" by Yasmin Fahr
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 jalapeño chiles, one seeded and diced, 1 sliced for sprinkling
2 poblano or green (bell) peppers, seeded and diced
1 can tomatillos, drained, or 6 fresh tomatillos, husked, or 6 fresh green tomatoes, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 cups low-salt chicken stock (broth)
1 (4-ounce) can mild or hot chopped green chiles, preferably Hatch
2 limes, juice of 1, 1 sliced into wedges for serving
1/2 cup cilantro, fine stems and leaves roughly chopped
1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced for serving (optional)
Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole (Dutch oven) over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, jalapeño and poblano peppers, the tomatillos, salt and pepper, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the casserole. Pour in the chicken stock and raise the heat to maintain a gentle simmer (avoid bringing to a boil). Cook until the chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes or longer. If the chicken pieces are not completely submerged, then turn them over halfway.
Remove the chicken and place on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Use a fork and knife to shred the chicken, then add it back to the casserole along with any liquid and the chopped green chiles. Cook until the chicken is warmed through, about 2 minutes, squeeze in the lime and adjust seasoning as needed.
If desired, you can add cooked or canned white beans with the chicken and mash them against the side of the pan.
Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro, avocado if using and the sliced jalapeño. Serve with lime wedges.
Makes 2 large servings, or 4 for sharing.
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