Central American · Recipes

Tomatillo Chicken Stew

vanva

I love the flavors of tomatillos and salsa verdes. I often make this as a soup which I serve over rice – a perfect fall dish after a long day at work. If you don’t like to work too hard, you can also “cheat” or boost this with a jarred salsa verde which you can use to season your stock. Either way works well to make a nourishing, comforting soup that is good for you. I usually cook this low and slow in the crockpot for 6-8 hours but you can cook this on stove in a stockpot for about an hour.

I prefer the flavor of chicken thighs. I often choose to use chicken thighs bone-in (but I remove the skin) for deeper flavor. I debone in the end when I shred the chicken. I’ve also been know to fling around a little adobo cumin and/or oregano when seasoning but it isn’t mandatory. This is definitely a soup that tastes better on day 2.

Serving suggestions: fresh cilantro, avocado, sour cream, corn tortillas.

You will need:

  1. 2 lbs bone in chicken thighs (skin removed) or chicken breast or boneless skinless thighs
  2. 2 Tbs olive oil
  3. 1/2 cup Salsa Verde/tomatillo salsa* – you can buy this (use an 8 oz jar) or make it. see recipe below
  4. 3 tsp garlic
  5. half white onion, minced
  6. 1 sweet pepper, diced
  7. 4-5 tomatillos, chopped and peeled
  8. 2-3 stalks celery, sliced small
  9. 1 can pinto beans
  10. 2-3 cups chicken broth. Cover the meat and vegetables until 2/3 full in your crockpot.
  11. 2 tsp cumin
  12. salt and pepper to taste
  13. 1/2 cup Salsa Verde/tomatillo salsa* – you can buy this (use an 8 oz jar) or make it. see recipe below
  14. 2-3 tbs of recaito or sofrito:* (optional)
  15. fresh cilantro* (optional)
  16. jalapenos if you want to add spice* (optional)

Steps:

  1. Heat large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and brown the chicken in the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp. of the cumin. Add to the crockpot or stockpot.
  2. Brown garlic, onions, celery, and pepper for five minutes or so in the juices in the pan. season with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of the cumin. Add the browned veggies to the crockpot or stock pot.
  3. Add beans and chicken broth and recaito/sofrito (optional) to the pot and cover with chicken broth. Set the crockpot for 6-8 hours. If using the stockpot bring to a boil and then a rolling simmer and cook for an hour or until the meat pulls apart easily and is fully cooked. Season with more salt, pepper to taste and add fresh cilantro. Shred the chicken with two forks. Serve over rice.

Homemade Tomatillo salsa:

  • 1 1/2 lbs fresh tomatillos
  • 6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 2 jalapeños, stems removed and deseeded (for extra heat use serranos instead)
  • juice and zest from 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
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Published by vanva

I am a writer, mother, teacher, traveler and am unreasonably competitive at trivia and card games.

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