Chicken Chili Verde

This Hatch chile chicken chili verde is simple to prep, and can be grilled or pan seared at home! And with kids returning back to school, this makes meal planning less stressful.

I always have mixed feelings as summer draws to a close and the kids return to school. Summer, by far, is my favorite time of the year. My family and I savor the weather, the carefree moments and the summer menu.

And of course, after a few months off of fun and sun, by the time school rolls around, the kids are restless and ready to go back. And quite honestly? I’m ready for them to return, too!

I look forward to having more free time, but I dread the hectic schedule, the carpooling, the homework battles and the weekly meal planning. Summer dinners at our house are simpler. We grill, picnic and dine out more often than we do when school is in session.

About Hatch Chiles

Hatch chiles are only available FRESH for a short time. They are harvested in August, so if you are a chile lover, look for them and buy as many as you can!

Although they look very much like Anaheim chiles, which are very mild green chiles, Hatch chiles come in mild, medium and hot intensities. They also have more flavor than Anaheim chiles.

Hatch chiles are either smoked, grilled or roasted. I’ve prepared them all three ways and they are so flavorful. Once cooked, the skins are very easy to remove.

I suggest roasting a large batch, then peel the chiles and divide them into resealable bags and freeze to enjoy all year long.

Chile verde is a Mexican stew made of green chiles, tomatillos and pork shoulder. I have my instant pot pulled pork chili verde recipe that includes Hatch chiles and it tastes amazing!

Ingredients you need

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• Hatch chiles: For best flavor use fresh Hatch chiles and roast them prior to preparing the marinade. You will need to remove the peels and seeds after roasting. Since Hatch chiles are only available fresh in August, I freeze my roasted chiles in small bags and use them throughout the year. You can also use canned Hatch chiles if you can’t find fresh. They come in different heat intensities so you can use mild, medium or hot. You can also use canned Hatch chiles if you can’t find fresh.
• Tomatillos: These look green tomatoes with a paper wrapping around it. You need to remove the wrapping and rinse off the sticky residue before using them. Choose smaller tomatillos as they are naturally sweeter than the larger ones, which tends to be bitter.
• Fresh cilantro: Again, the best flavor comes from using fresh herbs.
• Chicken breast: I used boneless skinless chicken breast, but you can also use boneless chicken thighs.
• Lime juice: You can use fresh or bottled lime juice. If you can’t find lime juice, use lemon juice instead.
• Remaining staple ingredients: Garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil and cumin.

Step-by-step directions

1. Prepare the marinade. Add hatch chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lime juice and cumin into a blender and pulse until combined but still coarsely chopped. Reserve approximately ½-cup of the sauce and place the remaining sauce in a large ziploc bag or shallow dish.
2. Marinate the chicken. You can either flatten the chicken breasts with a meat mallet or cut into strips. Place the chicken in a resealable bag and pour the marinade into it. Massage the chicken into the marinade until all the pieces are coated. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours even overnight.

I like to flatten the chicken breast prior to marinating. This not only tenderizes the chicken but it also insures that the meat cooks evenly.  It also cooks up very quickly, which is a great help during the hurried school nights.

4. Remove the chicken about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking to get the chill off.

5.. To cook, heat a grill pan or any large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken breasts onto the hot pan and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until cooked completely.

You can also grill the chicken outdoors over medium high heat. Serve chicken with reserved chile verde sauce.

Recipe tips and FAQs

I like to reserve part of the chile verde sauce before adding all of it with the chicken to marinate. I use this reserved sauce to serve with my grilled chicken because it’s such a delicious sauce.

My kids enjoy eating this dish as tacos, so we cut the cooked meat into strips and stuff our tortillas with our favorite goodies: lettuce, cheese, guacamole and sour cream.

This also makes a fabulous dinner for camping. The longer the chicken sits in the marinade, the more tender and flavorful it will be. You can assemble everything the night before or the morning of the day you will be grilling. Simply prep and marinate the chicken at home, then all you have to do is grill it over the campfire!

Want to try more Hatch chile recipes? Try my hot corn dip, Hatch chile dip, Hatch chile chocolate chip cookies and my pulled pork chile.

Chicken Chili Verde

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

This Hatch chile chicken chili verde is simple to prep, and can be grilled or pan seared at home! And with kids returning back to school, this makes meal planning less stressful.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Additional Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Spanish

Servings 4

Calories 255 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 hatch chiles roasted, peeled and seeded
• 5 tomatillos peeled
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro stems removed
• 5 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• Add hatch chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lime juice and cumin into a blender and pulse until combined but still coarsely chopped.
• Reserve approximately ½-cup of the sauce and place the remaining sauce in a large ziploc bag.
• Place one chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten using a kitchen mallet. Do not hammer so hard as to shred the chicken, just enough so that the chicken breast is evenly flat, approximately ½-inch thick.
• Place the flattened chicken breast into the plastic bag with the salsa verde.
• Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the remaining chicken breasts, seal the bag and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
• To cook, heat a grill pan or any large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
• Place chicken breasts onto the hot pan and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
• Turn chicken over and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until cooked completely.
• You can also grill the chicken outdoors over medium high heat.
• Place chicken onto serving platter and cover with foil. Continue cooking the remaining chicken breasts.
• Serve chicken with reserved chile verde sauce.

Notes

Ingredient tips: You can control the heat by using mild, medium or hot chiles.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with tortillas, rice or over salad.

TO STORE: Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.

Camping instructions: This also makes a fabulous dinner for camping. The longer the chicken sits in the marinade, the more tender and flavorful it will be. You can assemble everything the night before or the morning of the day you will be grilling. Simply prep and marinate the chicken at home, then all you have to do is grill it over the campfire!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 25gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 273mgPotassium: 563mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 123IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg

Keyword chicken chili verde, chile verde, chile verde with chicken, chili verde, hatch chile verde

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Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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