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    Home » Most Recent

    Chicken Chile Verde

    November 22, 2024 By Patrick 13 Comments

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    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:

    I've been keeping batches of this Chicken Chili Verde on hand for the past couple weeks -- super easy to make and it leads to all sorts of easy meals! mexicanplease.com

    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.

    Brining chicken breasts

    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). 

    Roasting poblanos and tomatillos in the oven at 400F

    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

    Combining chili verde ingredients in blender

    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.

    Chili Verde sauce after blending

    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

    Simmering the Chili Verde sauce

    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. 

    I've been keeping batches of this Chicken Chili Verde on hand for the past couple weeks -- super easy to make and it leads to all sorts of easy meals! mexicanplease.com

    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:

    Serving Chicken Chili Verde on a tostada

    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:

    Make a big batch of Chicken Chile Verde and you can munch on these burritos all week long! I crisped up these burritos in some bacon drippings and they were off the charts!

    And these Chicken Chile Verde Tortas:

    I've been pulling Chicken Chile Verde from the fridge all week and whipping up these fiery, delicious sandwiches -- so good!! mexicanplease.com

    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

    Want the latest recipe?  Click your favorite from these options and follow me:  Instagram,  Facebook,  Pinterest,  TikTok,  YouTube.

    I've been keeping batches of this Chicken Chili Verde on hand for the past couple weeks -- super easy to make and it leads to all sorts of easy meals! mexicanplease.com

    Chicken Chile Verde

    I've been keeping batches of this Chicken Chile Verde on hand for the past couple weeks -- it's super easy to make and it will lead to all sorts of quick meals!
    4.30 from 24 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 361kcal
    Author: Mexican Please

    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
    • 15-20 sprigs cilantro
    • 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
    • freshly cracked black pepper

    Optional serving style:

    • tostada shells
    • refried beans
    • cheese
    • freshly chopped cilantro
    • lime

    Instructions

    • You can cook the chicken any way you want, but for this batch I brined and baked it. To brine the chicken, add 1/2 cup Kosher or sea salt to 2 quarts of water in a mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt and add the chicken breasts, letting them brine in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. If the chicken isn't fully submerged then add a bit more water. Once brined, pat dry the chicken and add it to a baking sheet.
    • Pull off the husks of the tomatillos and give them a good rinse. I usually de-stem them too. Add the tomatillos to the baking sheet along with the rinsed poblanos (and the chicken) and roast everything in the oven at 400F.  Cook the chicken until it registers 160F or until the insides are no longer pink -- this usually takes 20 minutes but sometimes it will take a couple extra minutes if there was an extensive brine.   Remove the chicken once cooked and let the poblanos and tomatillos roast for an additional 10 minutes or so.  I usually cover the cooked chicken breasts with foil until I need them.  
    • De-stem and de-seed 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, de-stemmed jalapenos.   If you want a milder batch start with 1 jalapeno, combine, and take a taste for heat level, adding more jalapeno to increase the heat.   I used 2 1/2 jalapenos for this batch and it had some zip!  
    • Simmer the green sauce in a dollop of oil (or lard) over mediumish heat.  Add 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional), and some freshly cracked black pepper.  Taste for seasoning.  Note:  if you brine the chicken you probably won't need to add much additional salt. 
    • Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts and then add the shredded chicken to the green sauce.  Bring everything up to a uniform temp and serve immediately. 
    • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where they will keep for a few days. 
    • If you want to serve it Tostada style, see Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas. Basically you are 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

    Kosher or sea salt are typically recommended for brining as they don’t have any additives.   It's also usually recommended to brine meats in the fridge. 
    I usually twist off and discard the bottom, thicker portion of the cilantro stems, but use the upper portion that holds the leaves together. 
    See Chicken Chile Verde Burritos for a simple, crispy burrito you can make with this chicken.
    You could also make Chicken Chile Verde Tortas or Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas. 
    Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

    I recently used this recipe to make some awesome Chicken Chile Verde sandwiches:

    I've been pulling Chicken Chile Verde from the fridge all week and whipping up these fiery, delicious sandwiches -- so good!! mexicanplease.com

     

    You can also make a simple Rice and Beans Chile Verde Bowl with the awesome green sauce.

    Keep some Chile Verde sauce in the fridge and you can whip up these Rice and Bean bowls in a matter of minutes. So good!!

     

    And here are more options for Mexican Shredded Chicken:

    Adding shredded chicken to the Tinga sauce

     

     

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    Easy Mexican Beans and Rice Soup »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sean McConnon

      March 02, 2025 at 7:58 am

      3 stars
      Bland.

      Required much more salt and cumin.

      Reply
    2. Andrew

      January 27, 2025 at 4:04 pm

      Made this last night and we absolutely LOVED IT!

      Do you know how well this recipe does if you freeze it? My wife is scheduled to take a big homemade meal in frozen form to a friend after that friend has delivered her baby (like a Meal Train but more laid back), and she wondered if this would be a good candidate.

      Reply
      • Patrick

        February 07, 2025 at 7:15 pm

        Ahh good news! Hmmm sorry I can't give a better answer but I haven't tried freezing it yet. It would probably work though, I'm just not sure how much the flavor will hold over time. Cheers.

        Reply
    3. Rach

      January 11, 2025 at 4:41 pm

      5 stars
      Off the hook ! So easy and delicious

      Reply
      • Patrick

        January 24, 2025 at 6:01 pm

        Yes 🙂

        Reply
    4. Hannah

      October 10, 2024 at 4:49 pm

      Oh my word! This is the recipe I’ve been looking for for a lonnnng time. I grew up in TX and have been living in the Midwest now for a while. I have had a hard time finding Mexican foodlike what I grew up with, so I decided to try and make something on my own. This was my first attempt and I’m in LOVEEE. Can’t wait to try more recipes. I’m hooked! Thank you for being thorough and explaining everything as I’ve never cooked like this before/ was my first time working with several of these ingredients. THANK YOU THANK YOU!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        October 29, 2024 at 8:16 pm

        Ahh good news, thanks much for your note Hannah! I hope you find lots of keepers on my site. Cheers.

        Reply
    5. Kat

      September 25, 2023 at 11:59 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this tonight and it was so good! And it's so versatile! I made a super comforting soup by adding 3 ladlefuls to 2 cans of white beans and 4 cups of chicken stock. So fantastic! Looking forward to using the leftovers for burritos, tostadas and migas this week!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        September 26, 2023 at 3:54 pm

        Ooh sounds delicious 🙂

        Reply
    6. Joe

      June 06, 2020 at 5:45 pm

      I really like your recipes and look forward to your Saturday email. Fresh made Mex food is our favorite, so simple, tasty and wholesome.

      One thought: I find that tomatillos vary quite a bit in size. Mine from the garden may average about the size of a golf ball, whereas those from the grocery are often, but not always, much larger.
      Therefore, it would help if, instead of listing the number of tomatillo to use, you used the total weight (lbs, kgs) of tomatillos required by a recipe.

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Patrick

        June 08, 2020 at 1:41 pm

        Okay thanks much for your note Joe, I will keep this in mind. Cheers.

        Reply
    7. MaryEllen

      December 07, 2019 at 2:15 pm

      5 stars
      SO delicious. I took this to Thanksgiving and—because all sides were supposed to be veggie—used two cans of garbanzos and one can of hominy instead of chicken. The green chili sauce is super easy, delicious, and versatile. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        December 09, 2019 at 3:15 pm

        Ahh awesome, would love to try a veggie version of this, thanks much for the inspiration MaryEllen!

        Reply

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    Hey, I'm Patrick! I spent 2 years living in Cozumel and got obsessed with Mexican food. I built this site to share all the recipes and techniques I've learned along the way. Read More…

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