Chicken & Tomatillo Stew • 4-6 servings
You can make this recipe with fresh tomatillos, or you can use canned chile verde tomatillo salsa as a substitute for the tomatillo sauce.
Ingredients for the Tomatillo Sauce
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, (include the seeds if you want the heat, remove them if you don't want the heat), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime (or lemon) juice
Pinch sugar
For the Stew
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat,
cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups tomatillo sauce (see above)
1 teaspoon dry oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro
Method
Make the tomatillo sauce:
Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on a lined roasting pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until soft. Let cool enough to handle.
Place the tomatillos, any juice they have released, chile peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and pulse until well blended.
If you make ahead, refrigerate until needed.
Brown the chicken:
Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat until almost smoking. Pat dry the cubed chicken parts with paper towels.
Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, brown the chicken pieces on two sides. Add more olive oil when necessary.
When you place the pieces in the pan, make sure there is room between them (otherwise they will steam and not brown), and don't move them until they are browned on one side.
Then, use tongs or a metal spatula to turn them over. And don't move them again until they are browned on the other side. Do not cook through, but only brown.
Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
Cook the onions, add spices, then garlic.
Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil, if needed (likely).
Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
Make the stew:
Add the browned chicken, the tomatillo sauce, chicken stock, and oregano to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add the cilantro to the stew in the last minute or so of cooking.
Serve over white rice, accompanied with sour cream, if needed to offset the heat from the chiles. The stew will thicken as it cools.
For Serving
White Rice
Cilantro as garnish
Original recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_chicken_stew/
Inspired by a recipe in Eugenia Bone's Well-Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods.
You can make this recipe with fresh tomatillos, or you can use canned chile verde tomatillo salsa as a substitute for the tomatillo sauce.
Ingredients for the Tomatillo Sauce
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, (include the seeds if you want the heat, remove them if you don't want the heat), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime (or lemon) juice
Pinch sugar
For the Stew
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat,
cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups tomatillo sauce (see above)
1 teaspoon dry oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro
Method
Make the tomatillo sauce:
Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on a lined roasting pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until soft. Let cool enough to handle.
Place the tomatillos, any juice they have released, chile peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and pulse until well blended.
If you make ahead, refrigerate until needed.
Brown the chicken:
Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat until almost smoking. Pat dry the cubed chicken parts with paper towels.
Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, brown the chicken pieces on two sides. Add more olive oil when necessary.
When you place the pieces in the pan, make sure there is room between them (otherwise they will steam and not brown), and don't move them until they are browned on one side.
Then, use tongs or a metal spatula to turn them over. And don't move them again until they are browned on the other side. Do not cook through, but only brown.
Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
Cook the onions, add spices, then garlic.
Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil, if needed (likely).
Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
Make the stew:
Add the browned chicken, the tomatillo sauce, chicken stock, and oregano to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add the cilantro to the stew in the last minute or so of cooking.
Serve over white rice, accompanied with sour cream, if needed to offset the heat from the chiles. The stew will thicken as it cools.
For Serving
White Rice
Cilantro as garnish
Original recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_chicken_stew/
Inspired by a recipe in Eugenia Bone's Well-Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods.
