Chicken Chile Verde

Having recently moved to Colorado, I discovered that these mountain folk are crazy about green chili! Every restaurant has an "award winning" chili on their menu. I've sampled quite a few and decided to try making one at home. It seems like most green chili recipes call for pork shoulder but I had some chicken to use up so I tried it with chicken thighs. Yes, it did take a few hours to simmer but I swear it was easy and very much worth the wait!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 - 4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup flour
• 16-20 oz low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 poblano peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 3 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried cilantro (or 1/4 cup fresh, if you have it)
• 2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 12 oz green enchilada sauce
• 28 oz canned green chilies, diced or chopped (I do 21 oz mild and 8 oz hot)
• salt & fresh ground pepper

1. Do your prep: cube the chicken, dice the onion, seed and dice the poblanos and jalapenos, mince the garlic.

2 In a large ziploc bag, combine the flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add the cubed chicken and toss well so the chicken is coated.

3 Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven or stock pot.When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes until it is well browned, stirring frequently.

4. Add the chicken stock, onion, and garlic. The stock should cover most of the chicken but not completely; I usually need about 18 ounces. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low (as low as your stove will go!); simmer for 45 minutes. Check on it after 15 minutes or so and stir so the chicken doesn't stick to the bottom of your pot.

5. Add the oregano, cumin, cilantro, chili powder, poblano, and jalapeno. Stir and cover again; let it simmer for another 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the green enchilada sauce and canned green chilies. Stir and cover again; let it simmer for at least 45 minutes, up to four hours. If the sauce needs to thicken up a bit, remove the lid and let the liquid reduce for 10 minutes at the end.

7. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve with warm tortillas, tortilla chips, or sprinkle with cheese or sour cream. 

Serves: 8
WW: Only 7 pts! (excluding cheese/tortillas)

Variations: Use boneless pork shoulder instead of chicken; add roasted tomatillos instead of enchilada sauce.

Update?! I made this again and the second time it was not nearly as spicy as the first. Remember that peppers can sometimes be more mild/hot than you are expecting so you may have to adjust your seasoning (add some more chili powder, leave out the jalapeno, etc).