The Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde will be perfect for the upcoming holidays. Serve with a green salad and, of course, some Cervesas and Margaritas!
This hearty Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde is a one-pot Mexican-style wonder. The tomatillos, along with the fresh lime juice, give it a zesty flavor that is out of this world. The soup turns into this rich tomatillo and green chili mixture that is much faster to cook than your red-based chili. However, it tastes like it cooked all day.
If you have never cooked with tomatillos, you are ready for a surprise. They look like smallish green tomatoes and are even called, ‘Tomato Verde” in Mexico or known as the Mexican Husk Tomato. Local tomatillos are in season from early spring to fall around our area. They look like little green lanterns hanging for the plants. While both members of the nightshade family, green tomatoes are hard, unripe tomatoes that can come from any variety of tomatoes.
Tomatillos are not tomatoes and come from a completely separate plant. Tomatillos have a slightly more acidic, somewhat less sweet flavor than ripe and unripe tomatoes. Overall, the flavor is more vegetal and bright, with the interior texture denser and less watery.
The color of the fruit is a bright green, which fades a bit once cooked. If you want to keep the flavor bright and play with the acidity, use them raw, for example, salsa verde. If you want to mellow out the flavor a bit and access the fruit’s deeper, more savory qualities, you can boil, grill, or roast them whole or chopping in a saute.
Serve it in bowls topped with avocado, your choice of cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, crushed tortilla chips.
Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde
Ingredients
- 14 Fresh Tomatillos – about 3 lb. – husks removed
- 3 Garlic Cloves – minced
- 48 Oz. Box Chicken Broth – organic if possible
- 1 Large Onion – chopped
- 3 Poblano Peppers – seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp. Kosher Salt – my favorite
- 2 tbsp. Smoked Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp. Chili Powder
- 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds – ground in a grinder
- 1 tsp. Coriander Seeds – ground in a grinder
- 1 tsp. Mexican Oregano – leaves
- 1 16 oz. Package Frozen White Corn – or fresh if possible
- 3 Cups Cooked Chicken – chopped
- 1 15- oz. Can Black Bean – drained and rinsed
- 1 15 =oz. Can Navy Bean – drained and rinsed
- 1 15- oz. Can Small Kidney Beans – drained and rinsed
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro – chopped
- 3 tbsp. Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 tsp. salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Smoked Ground Pepper
- Toppings: avocado slices shredded jack cheese, and fresh cilantro sprigs
Instructions
Step 1
- Bring first 3 ingredients and 3 cups water to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan; boil 10 minutes.
Step 2
- Meanwhile, sauté onion and peppers in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until tender. Add corn; sauté 2 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; sauté 4 minutes.
Step 3
- Remove tomatillo mixture from heat, and cool 5 minutes. Process mixture in a blender until smooth.
Step 4
- Add chicken, beans, and tomatillo mixture to Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in tortilla chips and next 4 ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until tortilla chips are soft. Serve with desired toppings.
Need a dessert to go along with this chili? Click this link for Apple Pecan Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Rum Sauce
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