Go Back Email Link
–+ servings
Gold spoon holding a bit of green chicken chili with tortilla strip up from a stone bowl on marble table.
Print

Recipe for Green Chicken Chili

This brothy bowl of beans, chicken, and roasted tomatillos are just what spring has ordered with the sunshine. It's bright and flavorful with a squeeze of lime and a side of tortilla strips. Your family is going to love it!
Servings: 10
By: Heather Bursch

Equipment

Ingredients

Roast Chicken

  • 2 bone-in and skin on chicken breasts halves (1 whole), about 1.5-2 lbs total. If you substitute a different cooked chicken, you can add about 2 cups of shredded or bite-size pieces.
  • 2-3 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Roast tomatillos and garlic cloves

  • 2.5 lbs tomatillos husked and rinsed If you can't find tomatillos, you can skip roasting them and substitute an 11 oz can for each pound, so 2-3 cans for the whole recipe.
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 fresh jalapeño pepper (optional)

Prep soup Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 8 cups good quality chicken broth or my bone broth: recipe for my Instant Pot Bone Broth
  • 3 15-oz cans white navy or northern beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 4-oz can green chiles
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper

Garnishes

  • 1 lime cut into wedges
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 avocado sliced optional
  • 4 tortillas - We love Siete almond flour tortillas, sautéed in oil until crisp and cut into strips.
  • 1 jalapeño pepper - See note above about additional jalapeño pepper.

Instructions

How to roast chicken:

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Pour olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet and turn the chicken breasts all around on both sides to coat the chicken and pan with oil. Wash your hands.
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper over the oiled chicken and, then, taking clean hands, rub the salt and pepper into the chicken.
  • Roast chicken for 40-45 minutes, depending on the size of the breast. At about 40 minutes, you can use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. I pull my chicken out at 160-163°and let it sit as it will continue to cook. Chicken is done at 165°.
  • When the chicken has cooled enough to touch, discard the skin and de-bone the chicken by pulling the meat away from the bones with your hands. Cut off any edges or cartilage pieces that sometimes line the edge. Pull the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks, hands, or cut it into pieces as you like.
    chicken breasts with skin on and bone in roasting on a pan with salt and pepper sprinkled

How to roast tomatillos, garlic, and optional jalapeño pepper:

  • Preheat oven to broil.
  • Peel, de-stem, rinse, and dry tomatillos. Then slice them all in half.
  • Pull apart the head of garlic into cloves, leaving the clove papers on but discard all the outer pieces and scraps.
  • If using jalapeño pepper, cut into chunks or leave whole.
  • On a baking sheet, lay halved tomatillos cut side down. On one end of the baking sheet, set unpeeled garlic cloves and jalapeño if using.
    picadillo tacos with tomatillo and avocado salsa | heatherbursch | shemadeitshemight.com
  • Broil for 15-20 minutes total. Turn all the vegetables as soon as the tops start to bubble and get dark brown. Turn tomatillos when the outer skin starts to darken but not blacken. Check the oven every 5 minutes to do this.
  • If garlic is browned on all sides, remove from oven and return the tomatillos and pepper until there are dark spots and vegetables are fully softened.
  • Let vegetables cool. If using jalapeño, run it under cold water to remove all the seeds. I like to use compostable gloves, so the spice does not rub off on my hand.
  • When all the vegetables are cooled slightly, scrape the pan of tomatillos with the pan juices into the blender. Pop roasted and softened garlic out of its papers with a pinch and add the insides to the blender. Add half of the jalapeño and puree.
  • Taste to decide if you want to add more jalapeño. The broth will dilute the spice, but if you are making soup for kids or spice-sensitive eaters, it's good not to start will the whole jalapeño. Save roasted pepper to chop and serve as a garnish.
  • Add the juice of 1 lime and pulse to fully mix the sauce until all the ingredients are fully pureed. If you have a high-powered blender, liquefying will only take a few seconds.

Soup instructions:

  • In a large stock pot, warm 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and add your chopped onions. Saute until turning translucent and light browning over medium heat. Add cumin and oregano. Stir to combine and until the herbs are fragrant.
  • Next, add broth, tomatillo sauce, a can of green chilies, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and drained beans. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
  • When the ingredients have simmered, add chicken and continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes to saturate your chicken with flavor and all the ingredients to meld together. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve with sour cream, tortillas strips, jalapeños, and a squeeze of lime.

This recipe contains affiliate links to products I know and love. I recommend any of them for this recipe!

shemadeitshemight.com