This green chicken chili is loaded with flavor, with chunks of tender chicken simmered in a tangy verde sauce, beans, and the perfect spices, so comforting.
Green Chicken Chili Recipe
We're cooking up a big pot of Green Chicken Chili in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends! Would you care for a bowl?
It's hard not to love a good bowl of chili, especially a green chili chicken, which is Patty's favorite.
Green chicken chili is a flavorful and hearty soup or stew made with chicken and green chilies. It is a popular dish in Southwestern cuisine and is known for its vibrant green color and spicy flavor.
The chicken is essentially stewed in a delicious salsa verde with spices and a few other ingredients. It's very customizable, and you can add beans or skip them, to your preference.
It's definitely a comforting dish, very warming, always satisfying with your favorite toppings.
Let's talk about how to make green chicken chili, shall we?
Green Chicken Chili Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- FOR THE VERDE SAUCE (SALSA VERDE)
- Tomatillos.
- Roasted Green Chilies. Use Hatch chilies, poblanos, or a mix. Green bell peppers are good, too. Canned green chilies can be used.
- Jalapeno Peppers. Optional, for spicy. Use serrano peppers for some extra heat.
- FOR THE GREEN CHICKEN CHILI
- Vegetable Oil.
- Boneless Chicken. Use chicken thighs, chicken breast, or a combination.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Green Chili Powder. Use Hatch chili powder or any green blend – You can use red chili powder, though it may affect your final color.
- Other Spices. Mexican oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper.
- Chicken Stock. Or chicken broth.
- White Beans. Canned. You can use other beans to your preference, like cannellini beans. You can also skip the beans if you prefer chili with no beans.
- Fresh Chopped Cilantro.
- Lime Juice.
How to Make Green Chicken Chili - the Recipe Method
Make the verde sauce first by blending the tomatillos, roasted green peppers, and jalapenos in a blender or food processor.
Next, season and sear the chopped chicken in a bit of olive oil or vegetable oil, then set it aside.
Cook the onions and garlic, then stir in the seasonings, verde sauce, beans, and reserved chicken.
Simmer the whole pot at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop. You can simmer longer if you'd like.
You can also toss it all into a crock pot or slow cooker at this point and let it cook on low for 2-3 hours.
Finish it up with fresh chopped cilantro and a few squeezes of lime.
Boom! Done! Your green chicken chili is ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? Wouldn't you love a big bowl right now? Time to eat!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The verde sauce in this recipe makes 4 cups. If you prefer less verde flavor, and more of a soup, replace 1-2 cups of the verde with chicken stock. Save the extra verde sauce for another use. It freezes well.
- As a time saver, use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. You can pull or add the shredded chicken toward the end to warm it through.
- For creamier green chicken chili, swirl in a bit of sour cream or cream cheese before serving.
Storage & Leftovers
Leftover green chicken chili will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can simply warm it up in a pot on the stovetop to enjoy again.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months. I freeze mine all the time for lunches.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my green chicken chili recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.
- The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Green Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE VERDE SAUCE
- 2 pounds tomatillos husked and roughly chopped
- 1 pound roasted green peppers chopped (use Hatch chilies, poblanos, or a mix – canned is OK)
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers chopped (optional, for spicy – use serranos for hotter)
FOR THE GREEN CHICKEN CHILI
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces (use chicken thighs or a mix of chicken thigh and chicken breast)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon green chili powder use Hatch or any green blend – You can use red chili powder, though it may affect your final color
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2-1 cup chicken stock
- 14 ounces canned white beans drained (you can use 2 cans)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice from 1 large lime
Instructions
- Make the verde sauce by adding the tomatillos, roasted green peppers, and jalapenos to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then sear it in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, to brown them. Set the chicken aside onto a plate.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Stir in the chili powder, Mexican oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add the verde sauce, reserved chicken with any accumulated juices, chicken stock, and white beans.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through to your liking. You can simmer longer if you’d like.
- Remove the chili from heat, then stir in the fresh cilantro and lime juice. Garnish and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Ashley M. says
I made this last night and my husband and I loved it. I used fresh tomatillos, poblanos, banana peppers and jalapenos and it was fantastic. I did only use two cups of the verde sauce and added a little bit of broth to make it soupier, then served it over rice. It was fantastic. I can't wait to have leftovers!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!!!! Glad you both enjoyed it, Ashley! Yay!!
Mary Jane says
Happy birthday Mike!
I’m making this recipe for Green chicken chili tonight for dinner tomorrow! I’ll let you know how it turns out and what modifications I had to make.
Mike H. says
Thank you, Mary Jane! Sounds like a plan - let me know how it goes please.
Ashley Edwards says
Happy Birthday
Mike Hultquist says
Thank you, Ashley!
RACHELLE says
This is a great chili recipe! I made it with our home grown tomatillos and Serrano peppers!! It was great. I also threw in some of our garden grown zucchini…yum. The second time I made this for my family (2nd time in a month) I also included hominy!!! All great additions!! This will definitely be on rotation throughout the winter for us!!
Mike Hultquist says
I love it! Great additions, Rachelle! Sounds wonderful.
Kim says
hi Mike,
just discovered your page. I'm in Melbourne Australia, we don't get fresh tomitillo here, only canned. wondering if this recipe will still work? they are in a liquid in the can
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Kim. Yes, canned tomatillos are great for this recipe. Just toss them in. Let me know how it turns out!
Charles Pascual says
Good recipe - delicious chili - easy to make - the most time-consuming steps were roasting the chiles and tomatillos and simmering the chili - and those were essentially hands-off. We'll make this again - thanks, Mike.
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, thanks, Charles. I really appreciate your comments. Very glad yo enjoyed it. I tend to take a bit of time in the kitchen for myself. My sanctuary.
Jeremy Heyl says
I made this last night- sooooo good. I used a couple large chicken breasts and 1/2 a pulled chicken from two nights ago. A 1/2 jar of pre-grilled and peeled hatch green chilis from Costco that was a few weeks from expiring. Hatch red chili powder (green will be on order soon) and soaked my own Rancho Gordo small white beans. The red powder didn't affect the color to badly (not as vivid as your picture, but still very green). I tasted it before adding the lime and cilantro and thought I was really missing something and I didn't want to add more salt. Turns out it was the lime and cilantro- after I added that it was over the top spectacular. I figure I made a 1.5x batch, used 4 large cored and de-seeded jalapenos- it wasn't over the top spicy, but it was definitely there. I cook to my wife's level of spice and add hot sauce if I want. Oh, and the beans simmered in mostly chicken broth and a bit of water until soft. I reserved the liquid and added a bit when I though it needed to loosen up. Really great- TY!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it, Jeremy!
Nathan Yuma says
I love this recipe. I've made it a bunch of times. This time, I did a combo of pasilla, anaheim and jalapeno peppers. I roasted all the peppers with the tomatillos for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees then peeled the skins off the peppers before blending. So rich in flavor. Mike, I love your recipes and the recipe tips and notes are always helpful! Cheers.
Mike H. says
Super motivational, Nathan. Thank you for your comment!
jamie parisi says
Looks really good, can you substitute enchilada sauce (homemade using your recipe) for the verde its a bit thin but i can add some salsa verde to thicken it up a bit?
Mike H. says
Thanks, Jamie. It can be done, but it will change the flavor profile of the dish, so expect the taste to be different. And you can definitely add salsa verde to thicken it up but again, keep in mind that it will change the flavor even more and add more tanginess. Let me know how it goes though!
Pallavi says
This looks excellent! Can I cook the chicken in the verde sauce? Similar to your chicken tinga recipe?
Mike H. says
Thank you, Pallavi. Absolutely! Let me know how it goes please.
Scott Swanberry says
I am trying this soon !! I am surprised you don't also oven roast the tomatillos before blending. I have been wanting to ask you, does Mrs. Hultquist also like spicy food? Keep up the great work !!
Mike H. says
Go for it, Scott! It is totally up to your preference. 😉
Robyn L Conger says
Fabulous! This is the best chili Verde we've ever had. The spice level was perfect. We used pork shoulder that we sauteed then put in the IP pressure cooker. It came out melt-in your-mouth tender. Thanks for a great recipe!
Mike H. says
I am happy to hear that, Robyn. And thank you for the feedback!
Tim B. - Reno says
To Connie Ralon: yes bake or broil the tomatillos for 12 to 15 minutes. Then quarter them and put them in the food processor with all of the peppers and blend them into a verde sauce. Be sure to first cook the peppers and blacken them and peel off the skin as best you can before you blend them.
Alex Jeffrey says
Hi Mike, this looks the kind of recipe that I would enjoy, quick question though, I live in a country where I can't seem to find Tomatillos, what would you recommend I use instead?
Regards
Alex
Mike H. says
Hi, Alex. Try swapping them with green tomatoes, which are somewhat similar in flavor and acidity. The taste won't be the same, but they still can be a good substitute when tomatillos are not available.
Scott Swanberry says
You might look to see if you can order the canned ones. My wife likes these over fresh when we make Camarones (shrimp) Culichi.
Elliot Fisch says
This is very much like a recipe I use. I add 1 bottle of a Mexican beer and frozen corn.
Of course, a rotisserie chicken is a time-saver.
Mike H. says
Love it. Thanks, Elliot!
Connie Ralon says
Did you cook the tomatillos first?
Mike H. says
Connie, I blended them with roasted green peppers and jalapeños, when making the verde sauce.
Gaik says
Can I use bottled verde sauce? How much would I need?
Mike H. says
Gaik, the verde sauce in this recipe makes 4 cups. 😉 If you prefer less verde flavor, and more of a soup, replace 1-2 cups of the verde with chicken stock.
Barbee says
I can't wait to make this.Also, Thank you for adding in your comments that we do not have to add the beans. This helps for the Low Carber's.
Mike H. says
Welcome and enjoy, Barbee!
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu and vegetable stock i never had green chicken chili before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mike H. says
Enjoy, Ramya!