This is as green as chili ever gets, and it goes great with hot cornbread. Brown rice does a great job of propping it up too, if you’d like a starch under there. Don’t succumb to breast-envy and try to use white meat in this recipe; dark meat is essential. You can prepare it as a vegetarian dish, if you so desire, by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock, and the chicken with tofu (the pressed kind) or just more vegetables.
Chili Verde
(makes about 6 quarts)
4 pounds chicken thighs
2 quarts chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced (about 3 cups)
5 large ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 large green bell peppers, chopped (about 3 cups)
10 cloves garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup)
2 jalepeño peppers, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 pounds tomatillos, rinsed, cored & diced
4 poblano chiles, roasted & chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped green onions
2 cups watercress, chopped
1-1/2 cups cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
1. Bring chicken thighs and chicken stock to boil in large pot, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove thighs from stock and de-fat stock. Remove skin and bones from thighs and chop.
2. In large pot, heat olive oil until almost smoking, then add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeños cumin, salt, oregano, & cayenne and sauté, stirring often, until vegetables are just soft, about 20 minutes.
3. Add chicken meat, stock, tomatillos, poblanos, green onions, & watercress, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in cilantro & lime juice, simmer for 5 minutes, then taste for salt and serve.
