I’ve had batches of this Chile Verde Chicken in the fridge for the last couple of weeks – it’s super easy to make and can make for all kinds of quick, hassle-free meals. Perfect!
Check out this plate of green goodness and tell me what potential you see:
Loaded burritos?
Cakes? Toasted bread?
These are all great options and I’ll link to those at the bottom of the post, but let’s do this first!
As usual, you can cook the chicken however you see fit, but I’ve been using the brining and baking method for the past few months and will be sticking with it for this batch.
Even a quick brine it adds quite a bit of flavor to plain chicken, so in the photo above it’s 2 lbs. of chicken (3 chicken breasts) salted in 2 liters of water with 1/2 cup of salt dissolved in the water.
A typical brine ratio is 1 cup of salt per gallon of water, so feel free to adjust for the bowl you’re using.
Once brined, you can pat the chicken dry and place in a 400°F oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160°F (or until the inside is 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 roast completely, so once you remove the chicken, put it back in for a few more minutes. And yes, feel free to roast the jalapeno and onion too, but I have a habit of keeping these 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 cloves of garlic
15-20 sprigs of coriander
Be sure to destem and deseed the poblano. Are poblanos spicy?
Start with just one jalapeno if you want a milder batch. You can always add additional jalapeno for a fierier batch. For this recipe I used about 2 1/2. If you want you can replace the serranos.
You should get a vibrant, delicious salsa verde that has the true depth of roasted poblano.
We will boil the green sauce over medium heat and add:
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
Let it cook for a couple of minutes and then give it a final taste to season.
Once you are happy you can add the shredded chicken. Keep in mind that you may not need to add additional salt if you have brined the chicken.
Hello Green Chile Chicken!
I leave it a little chunky so the chile verde sticks to the chicken, but keep in mind that you can always thin it out by adding 1/2 cup broth or water. And if your batch is too runny for your liking, let it simmer for a few minutes and it will thicken.
Once everything has reached a uniform temperature it will be ready to be served.
I like to use it to make these Green Chile Chicken Tostadas:
So this is a hot tostada shell loaded with:
a thin layer of refried beans
a few spoonfuls of Green Chile Chicken
crumbled fresh cheese
chopped fresh coriander
a final squeeze of lime
It’s a simple combination but bursting with flavor! That combination of beans and cheese is really all you need, but feel free to get creative beyond that.
I also often make these Chile Verde Chicken Burritos:
And these Green Chile Chicken Tortas:
And while these are all great options to consider, Chile Verde Chicken is packed with flavor, so feel free to make whatever tastes best to you!
Sometimes I will also serve it over plain white rice when I’m feeling lazy 🙂
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where they will keep for a few days – it’s such a treat to have leftovers waiting for some easy, rewarding and carefree meals. I hope you like it!
Chilean Green Chicken Tostadas
Green Chile Chicken Burritos
Green Chile Chicken Pies
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Green Chile Chicken
I’ve had batches of this Chile Verde Chicken on hand for the past couple of weeks – it’s super easy to make and will make for all kinds of quick meals!
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Portions: 6
Calories: 361kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken (I used 3 boneless chicken breasts)
- 8-10 tomatillos
- 1 large poblano (or 2 smaller ones)
- 1-4 jalapenos
- 1/2 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3-8pm twigs coriander
- 1 table spoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper
Optional Service Style:
- tostada shells
- refried beans
- cheese
- chopped fresh coriander
- lime
Instructions
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You can cook the chicken however you like, but for this batch I brined it and baked it. To brine chicken, add 1/2 cup Kosher or sea salt to 2 quarts of water in a bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt and add the chicken breasts, leaving them to brine in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. If the chicken is not completely submerged, add a little more water. Once brined, pat the chicken dry and add to a baking tray.
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Remove the skin from the tomatillos and rinse them well. I usually destem them too. Add the tomatillos to the baking sheet along with the rinsed poblanos (and chicken) and roast everything in the oven at 400F. Cook the chicken until it reaches 160°F or until the inside is no longer pink – this usually takes 20 minutes but sometimes it will take a couple of minutes longer if there is plenty of brine. Once cooked, remove the chicken and let the poblanos and tomatillos roast for about 10 more minutes. I usually cover cooked chicken breasts with aluminum foil until I need them.
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Destem and deseed the roasted poblanos. Add the roasted poblanos and tomatillos to a blender along with 1/2 onion, 4 peeled garlic cloves, 15-20 cilantro sprigs, and 1-4 rinsed and hulled jalapenos. If you want a milder batch, start with 1 jalapeno, combine and taste for heat level, adding more jalapeno to increase heat. I used 2 1/2 jalapenos for this batch and it had some zip!
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Boil the green sauce in a drizzle of oil (or lard) over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional), and some freshly ground black pepper. Taste for seasoning. Note: If you brine your chicken you probably won’t need to add much salt.
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Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts and then add the shredded chicken to the salsa verde. Bring everything to a uniform temperature and serve immediately.
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Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for a few days.
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If you want to serve it Tostada style, see Chicken Green Chile Tostadas. You’re basically just starting with a warm tostada shell and adding a thin layer of refried beans, chicken chile verde, cheese, cilantro, and a final squeeze of lime. Yum 🙂
Notes
I usually twist and discard the bottom, thickest part of the cilantro stems, but I use the top part that holds the leaves together.
See Chicken Chile Verde Burritos for a simple, crunchy burrito you can make with this chicken.
You could also make Green Chile Chicken Tortas or Green Chile Chicken Tostadas.
I recently used this recipe to make some amazing Chile Verde Chicken Sandwiches:
You can also make a simple bowl of Chile Verde Rice and Beans with the amazing salsa verde.
And here are other options for Mexican shredded chicken:
Are you still hungry?!
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