Chicken Chile Verde (With 3 Cooking Options)

Chicken Chile Verde is a unique one-pot meal that’s loaded with flavors. This recipe covers 3 ways to cook it, depending on the equipment you have. You’ll be amazed at how easy this authentic Mexican dish is.

Mexican foods like my Mexican Style Pizza are one of my favorites, and this Chicken Chili Verde recipe is based on my popular Instant Pot Chile Verde Pork. I’ve modified it a bit for a leaner, healthier option, and also included extra cooking methods. Whether you have an Instant pot, slower cooker, or just a stove, you can make homemade Chicken Chile Verde (also known as Chicken Chili Verde).

Recently we stayed at an Airbnb on a farm. They had a local produce stand and we stocked up for some recipes. One of the items was pounds of farm-fresh tomatillos which I also used in my Homemade Green Bloody Mary Mix. There was plenty to make this recipe as well as a roasted tomatillo salsa, which I’ll be sharing soon. You can also find tomatillos and the various peppers you’ll need at any grocery store.

While there are shortcut methods to make Chile Verde using jarred salsa verde sauce, I find this traditional version is so worth it. You’ll love the flavors of the tomatillos, green peppers, and spices. It culminates into a rich and hearty green sauce that pairs perfectly with chicken.

Ingredients in Chicken Chile Verde

• Chicken Breasts: Adds loads of lean protein. You can also try it with chicken thighs for dark meat.  
• Tomatillos: Commonly used in Mexican dishes. 
• Anaheim peppers: A mild green pepper that’s 8 times less spicy than jalapenos. Adds flavor without too much heat.
• Poblano peppers: A darker green pepper that’s still pretty mild. Try roasting it until charred to bring out flavors.
• Canned green chiles: Use mild, roasted diced chiles for easy flavor.
• Yellow onion and garlic: Pretty much go with anything.
• Olive oil: Helps prevent sticking while sauteing and adds flavor. 
• Salt: Enhances the flavor of meats.
• Cumin and dried oregano: Adds classic flavors authentic to Chile Verde.
• Chopped fresh cilantro: Be sure to stir in after cooking. Otherwise, it will become bitter.

3 Ways to Cook Chile Verde Chicken

Start by cooking the ingredients using one of the three methods below. I recommend either an Instant Pot (pressure cooker) or a slow cooker for tender, fork-tender chicken. If you don’t have either, you can use a pot on the stove.

Once cooked, the method of blending the sauce together is the same for each method. Read after the cooking options below for making the sauce.

Chile Verde in a Pressure Cooker

1. Set pressure cooker to HIGH SAUTE and heat a bit of olive oil. Add chicken pieces and brown for 3 to 5 minutes. 
2. Stir in chopped tomatillos, peppers, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano. Cook 3 to 5 minutes more until fragrant, stirring often. 
3. Seal and Pressure Cook on manual HIGH setting for 25 minutes. Let the pressure cooker naturally release steam, then remove the lid.

Chile Verde in a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot

1. Place chicken pieces, chopped tomatillos, peppers, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano in a slow cooker. Note: You can brown/sautee the ingredients ahead of time in a separate pan to enhance flavors, but can skip this step to save time and clean up.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Let the pressure cooker naturally release steam, then remove the lid and turn off the heat.

Chile Verde on the Stove Top

1. Place chicken pieces in a large pot or dutch oven with a bit of oil over high heat. Sautee for 3 to 5 minutes until browned. Note: for more tender meat, you can use a rotisserie chicken if using this cooking method.
2. Reduce to medium-high and stir in chopped tomatillos, peppers, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano. Sautee 3-5 minutes until fragrant. 
3. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 hour. Note: The chicken will be the least tender if cooked with this method.

Making the Salsa Verde Sauce

Once you’ve cooked the chicken and veggies, follow the steps below to make a rich, velvety, and authentic Chile Verde sauce.

1. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces and set them aside, leaving vegetables and liquid. 
2. Blend the mixture in the pot into a smooth sauce using an immersion blender. Note: You can use a regular blender as well, but be sure to let the mixture cool slightly to prevent steaming and bubbling while blending.
3. Stir the chicken pieces and chopped cilantro back into the blended green sauce. 
4. Ladle into bowls and serve.

What Type of Chicken to Use for Chile Verde?

I prefer to use chicken breast, especially if you make it in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. You could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you want dark meat. For even more flavor, try bone-in chicken, removing the bones once cooked and tender.

Tips for Making Chicken Chili Verde

• Cut the chicken into 1 1/2-inch squares before cooking. Be sure to not cut the pieces too small, as you’ll need to remove them from the pot after cooking to blend the sauce together. You can also leave the chicken breasts whole, and shred them after cooking, but I prefer leaving them as chunks.
• To save time: Look for pre-cut chicken pieces or ask your butcher to cut them for you. 
• Brown the chicken before cooking to brown and bring out more flavors. Note: this step can be skipped to save time.
• Saute the onion and peppers as well for added flavor ahead of time. If using a slow cooker, this method can be skipped if you prefer not to clean an extra pan.

Do you need to add water in an Instant Pot for Chile Verde?

Typically you need a little over a cup of liquid to create the steam. There’s no need to add water for Chile Verde. The tomatillos have plenty of liquid inside, along with the canned diced chilies. Any extra liquid will make the sauce too thin.

What about chicken broth or chicken stock? This isn’t used in the recipe. The green chili sauce has enough liquid and loads of flavor without it.

Do I need to roast the peppers?

Roasted peppers can enhance the flavors, but I find this is an unnecessary step and adds time. Simply sauteeing them for a bit will bring out the flavors.

If you want to roast them for added flavor, cut and seed the peppers, then roast them on a baking sheet at 400 F for 12 minutes.

What if I don’t have an immersion blender to make the sauce? 

After cooking, remove the chicken pieces and let the liquid cool down for at least 5 minutes (this prevents steam build-up while blending). Transfer the liquid with vegetables to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, then return to the pot and stir in chicken pieces.

How to Serve Chile Verde

Chicken Chile Verde is wonderful on its own with a few toppings. Simply serve in a bowl with lime wedges, lime juice, avocado, jalapeno peppers, sour cream and/or shredded cheese a garnish. If you serve this way, it’s keto, gluten-free, and low-carb. For keto, serve it over cauliflower rice. For the cauliflower rice recipe, you may check my Keto Beef Fried Rice (with Cauliflower Rice).

You could also serve with tortilla chips, pinto beans, black beans and/or brown rice for a more hearty meal, with extra carbs. You can also spoon over flour tortillas or corn tortillas to make chicken Chile Verde tacos. Or spread it over on a flatbread pizza top it with cheese to make Cheesy Chile and Chicken Flatbread Pizza.

How to Store Leftovers

Let the Chile Verde cool to room temp. Place in a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. This recipe is great for meal prep as well.

Pro tip: Like most chili recipes, this is just as good, if not better, as leftovers. The flavors will have time to meld together.

You can also freeze it for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating leftovers.

More Comforting Chili Recipes You May Like

• Pressure Cooker Chile Verde Pork
• Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe
• Healthy White Bean Turkey Chili
• Chili Lime Grilled Chicken Bowls
• Roasted Sweet Potato Chili
• Mexican Mango with Chili and Lime Yogurt Bowls
• Chile Chorizo Hash Brown 
• Cheesy Chile and Chicken Flatbread Pizza

Chicken Chile Verde

Written by Matt | Plating Pixels

Chicken Chile Verde is a unique one-pot meal that's loaded with flavors. This recipe will cover 3 ways to cook it, depending on the equipment you have.

5 from 15 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 10 people

Calories 254 kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Slow cooker optional
• Large pot optional
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Measuring Spoons
• Immersion Blender or regular blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 pounds chicken breast
• 6 large tomatillos husked removed
• 3 large Anaheim peppers seeded and stemmed
• 3 large Poblano peppers seeded and stemmed
• 1 medium yellow onion peeled
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 9 ounces canned green chiles with liquid
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Sour cream as a garnish
• Lime wedges as a garnish
• Avocado slices as a garnish

Instructions

 

• Cut chicken into 1 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Chop tomatillos, both types of peppers, and onion. Set aside.
• Set Instant Pot to HIGH SAUTE and heat olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and brown for 3 to 5 minutes (see notes below for slow cooker and stove top cooking methods).
• Stir in chopped vegetables, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano. Cook 3 to 5 minutes more until fragrant, stirring often.
• Seal and pressure cook on manual HIGH setting for 25 minutes.
• Let the pressure cooker naturally release steam (or carefully activate the quick-release), then remove the lid.
• Use tongs to remove the chicken pieces and set aside, leaving the vegetables and liquid.
• In the pressure cooker, use an immersion blender to blend into a smooth sauce. See notes below if you don’t have an immersion blender.
• Stir the cooked chicken and fresh chopped cilantro into the blended sauce. Ladle the mixture into bowls and serve with desired toppings.

Notes

Serving size is 6-ounces of chicken plus sauce.

Do you need to add water to the Instant Pot?

There's no need to add water. The tomatillos have plenty of liquid inside, along with the canned diced chilies. Any extra liquid will make the sauce too thin.

Chile Verde in a Slow Cooker

1. Place chicken pieces, chopped tomatillos, peppers, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano in a slow cooker. Note: You can brown/sautee the ingredients ahead of time in a separate pan to enhance flavors, but can skip this step to save time and clean up.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Let the pressure cooker naturally release steam, then remove the lid and turn off the heat.
3.  

Chile Verde on the Stove Top

1. Place chicken pieces in a large pot with a bit of oil over high heat. Sautee for 2-3 minutes until browned.
2. Reduce to medium-high and stir in chopped tomatillos, peppers, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano. Sautee 3-5 minutes until fragrant. 
3. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 hour. Note: The chicken will be the least tender if cooked with this method.

1. Place chicken pieces, chopped tomatillos, peppers, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano in a slow cooker. Note: You can brown/sautee the ingredients ahead of time in a separate pan to enhance flavors, but can skip this step to save time and clean up.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Let the pressure cooker naturally release steam, then remove the lid and turn off the heat.
3. Follow steps 7 through 9 in the recipe above for the sauce and serving.

Chile Verde on the Stove Top

1. Place chicken pieces in a large pot with a bit of oil over high heat. Sautee for 2-3 minutes until browned.
2. Reduce to medium-high and stir in chopped tomatillos, peppers, garlic, canned chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano. Sautee 3-5 minutes until fragrant. 
3. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 hour. Note: The chicken will be the least tender if cooked with this method.
4. Follow steps 7 through 9 in the recipe above for the sauce and serving.

Don’t have an immersion blender? Remove cooked chicken pieces and let the liquid cool down a bit (this prevents steam build up while blending). Transfer liquid with vegetables to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, then return to the pressure cooker.

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Chile Verde

Serving Size

 

6 ounces

Amount per Serving

Calories

254

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

7

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

116

mg

39

%

Sodium

 

604

mg

26

%

Potassium

 

878

mg

25

%

Carbohydrates

 

8

g

3

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

3

g

3

%

Protein

 

40

g

80

%

Vitamin A

 

358

IU

7

%

Vitamin C

 

56

mg

68

%

Calcium

 

40

mg

4

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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