I’ve been keeping batches of this Chicken Chile Verde in the fridge for the past couple weeks — it’s super easy to make and it can lead to all sorts of quick, no-thinking-involved meals. Perfect!
Take a look at this pan of green goodness and tell me what potential you see:
Loaded burritos?
Tortas? Tostadas?
All of those are great options and I will link to those at the bottom of the post, but first let’s make it!
As usual, you can cook the chicken as you see fit, but I’ve been doing the brine-and-bake method for the past few months and I am sticking with that for this batch.
Even a quick brine adds quite a bit of flavor to plain ol’ chicken, so in the above pic that’s 2 lbs. of chicken (3 chicken breasts) brining in 2 quarts of water with 1/2 cup salt dissolved into the water.
A typical brine ratio is 1 cup salt per gallon of water, so feel free to adjust to the bowl you’re using.
Once brined you can pat the chicken dry and plop it in a 400F oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temp is 160F (or until the insides are no longer pink).
I usually put the poblanos and tomatillos in the oven at the same time. What are tomatillos and how do I use them ?!
The poblanos need 25-30 minutes to fully roast, so once you remove the chicken just stick ’em back in for a few more minutes. And yes, feel free to roast the jalapeno and onion too, but I’m in the habit of keeping those ingredients raw in most dishes.
We’ll combine the roasted poblanos and tomatillos in a blender along with:
1-4 jalapenos
1/2 onion
4 garlic cloves
15-20 sprigs cilantro
Be sure to de-stem and de-seed the poblano. Are poblanos spicy?
Start with just a single jalapeno if you want a milder batch. You can always add additional jalapeno for a more fiery batch. I used about 2 1/2 for this recipe. You can substitute serranos if you want.
You should end up with a vibrant, delightful green sauce that has real depth from the roasted poblano.
We’ll simmer the green sauce over mediumish heat and add:
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
freshly cracked black pepper
Let it simmer for a couple minutes and then take a final taste for seasoning.
Once you’re happy with it you can add the shredded chicken. Note that you may not need to add any additional salt if you brined the chicken.
Hello Chicken Chile Verde!
I leave it kinda chunky so that the Chile Verde clings to the chicken, but keep in mind that you can always thin it out by adding 1/2 cup stock or water. And if your batch is too liquidy for your taste then just let it simmer for a few minutes and it will thicken up.
Once everything is at a uniform temperature it’s ready to serve.
I like to use it to make these Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas:
So that’s a warm tostada shell loaded with:
a thin layer of refried beans
a few tablespoons of Chicken Chile Verde
crumbled Queso Fresco
freshly chopped cilantro
a final squeeze of lime
It’s a simple combo but it’s exploding with flavor! That bean-n-cheese combo is really all you need, but feel free to get creative beyond that.
I also frequently make these Chicken Chile Verde Burritos:
And these Chicken Chile Verde Tortas:
And while those are all great options to consider, the Chicken Chile Verde is loaded with flavor so feel free to make what sounds best to you!
I will sometimes even serve it over plain ol’ white rice when I’m feeling lazy 🙂
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where they’ll keep for a few days — it’s a real treat to have leftovers on standby for some easy, rewarding, no-thinking-involved meals. I hope you enjoy it!
Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas
Chicken Chile Verde Burritos
Chicken Chile Verde Tortas
I recently used this recipe to make some awesome Chicken Chile Verde sandwiches:
You can also make a simple Rice and Beans Chile Verde Bowl with the awesome green sauce.
And here are more options for Mexican Shredded Chicken: