Chicken in Green Chile Verde

Green chilies and chicken are a salsa couple that belong together. And when you try my latest cheap$kate recipe of Chicken in Green Chile Verde your taste buds will feel like doing the Tango!

Green chiles take on a sweet flavor when slow cooked, grilled or roasted. And to make my recipe even easier I use a can of green enchilada sauce you can get almost anywhere -- just look at the cans with green sauce right beside typical red enchilada sauce in your grocery store. That's the way I do this recipe.

My recipe is made with only 4 ingredients: sauteed onion, garlic, a can of green enchilada sauce and chicken pieces.

What I made is called a Mexican guisado or stew. If you have been following me lately, just a few months ago I did a delicious Chicken Tinga, which is another guisado of slow braised chicken in spicy red adobo sauce. Well, this is a milder guisado anyone can handle.

I get cans and jars of green enchilada sauce at my local 99c only Store and cheap chicken comes from the neighborhood Mexican market. If you want to make the green chile verde from scratch then click here to see my recipe.

I used skinless and boneless leg quarters. You can use any chicken on sale with skin and bone. Let chicken stew until tender, then shred it. Skin and bone will add extra flavor when slow-cooked.

Once you make my Chicken in Green Chile Verde you have to figure out what to serve it with. The easiest way is get a couple of tortillas and load them up. I like to add some rice, onion, tomato and salsa, but you can add anything you like, including beans and slices of avocado, too. This is the best way to stretch out this stew, and perfect for a taco party with friends and family.

It would also pair nicely with white or Mexican rice and beans, or any favorite carb that soaks up the tangy green sauce.

So get to Cha-Cha-Cha-ing in the kitchen and make some tasty moves for your next Latin inspired meal with my Chicken in Green Chile Verde hot-to-trot recipe.

Ingredients (about 4 servings - manu more if you are making tacos or burritos)

• 4-6 pieces of chicken - I used 2 boneless and skinless leg quarters (2 legs and 2 thighs.) Okay to use any favorite chicken pieces, including lower fat white breast meat.
• 10 ounce can of green enchilada sauce - or any type you find in the grocery, in small cans or a jar.
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic - fresh or from a jar.
• Pepper to taste - no salt as the green enchilada sauce had plenty for me.
• 1 cup of water - rinse out the green enchilada sauce can with water and add to pan.
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Directions
Add oil to a medium hot pan. Brown the chicken pieces about 10 minutes. I like the charred brown bits for extra flavor, but it's up to you how much time you want to spend. (This recipe will be delish with just simmering it all together without browning chicken.)

Remove chicken when browned, no need to cook the chicken all the way through, as you will finish cooking it in the chile verde sauce.

Add the chopped onion, stir and saute a couple of minutes to soften. Scrape the pan to loosen all the flavorful charred bits. If they are too stuck, then add a couple tablespoons of water and scrape away.

Next add the garlic and saute for another minute.Season with pepper. Add salt if you like - I find any canned ingredients as plenty of salt, so for this recipe I leave it out.

Now return the chicken to the pan and pour on the green chile verde sauce. Fill up the sauce can with water to get all the chile loose. Add the can of water to the pan.

Mix well and give one final scrap to the pan bottom to loosen any leftover charred bits.

Bring the sauce up to a boil, reduce heat to a low and cover the pot. Low simmer the chicken and sauce for about 30 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn't cook out. Add water if needed.

Remove chicken and shred it. Return chicken to green chile verde sauce. Heat for a couple of minutes until hot.

I like a gravy-thick sauce. If it's too watery then continue to cook chicken and sauce uncovered, until it thickens up. My version was ready when I added and reheated the chicken.

I like to make tacos and burritos with Chicken in Green Chile Verde. But you can serve it with a favorite carb (my Mom's Mexican Rice recipe is a click away, here) or any side dish that will soak up the tangy sauce.

Click on any photo to see larger.