Chicken Chile Verde
Time: 6 hours | Serves: 4–6 Nature: Warm | Flavor: Acrid, Sour
Recipe Source: Sarah DiGregorio at NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
- 4 leg/thigh quarters, skin-on
- 1.5–2 cups jarred salsa verde
- 1, 4oz can green chiles
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and stems finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- 1–3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Directions
Cook the Chicken: Combine chicken quarters, salsa, green chiles, chopped garlic, jalapeño, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin in a 6–8 qt slow cooker. Cook on low until the chicken is tender and falling off the bones, 5–6 hours.
Finish the Sauce: Remove the bones, skin, and hard cartilage from the slow cooker. Using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken. With the heat still on low, add the sliced scallions and the cilantro. Stir to combine and add salt as needed. Add lime juice to taste, adjusting so that there is a distinct acidic flavor.
Serve with Sides: These types of chile stews can be served over rice, with good quality corn tortillas, or with chips to make amazing nachos. Other traditional additions would be pickled onions, radishes, and carrots as well as lime wedges for folks to adjust their individual plates. Classic Spanish rice and refried or black beans can also round out the dish.
Advanced Use Ideas
This chicken recipe can be a base for other recipes that call for a richly flavored meat stuffing like tamales, papusas, empanadas, or enchiladas. If your sauce is very loose, strain the meat out and reserve. Add the sauce to a pan and stir in 2 teaspoons masa harina per cup of sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Return the meat and use in your other recipes.
Pantry Management
Eating high-quality, homemade food can be challenging to do regularly. Using tools like slow cookers can help deliver excellent meals while you're away for the day. To extend the cook time for this recipe, set the timer on your slow cooker for 4 hours on low and then switch to warm until you're home. Using this method, you'll get shreddable chicken that isn't overcooked. Additionally, saucy dishes like these freeze very well. Use leftover, quart-sized to-go soup containers to pack and freeze this dish to eat in a couple weeks, further reducing the pressure to produce a high-quality meal after a long day.