Set it and forget it. That’s the supposed magic of the slow cooker. Dump a bunch of ingredients into it and come back eight hours later to fall apart pulled pork or a potato soup that’s been simmering away all day. And while the convenience factor is high, the real truth is, not everything benefits from cooking all day. Case in point, chicken. Chicken thighs will be fall off the bone tender after about 2.5 hours in a slow cooker. Can you imagine what you’d have after six or eight hours?! With this green chile braised chicken (it’s basically chile verde), I cooked it both ways — using a slow cooker and a Dutch oven on the stove and you know what? You can get it done faster on the stove and with only one dirtied pot.
What makes this dish great is you can serve it entree style with basmati rice and some sauteed veg or shred up all the chicken, toss it back in the sauce, and make killer green chile burritos. We’re a mixed household when it comes to chicken — the husband prefers the white meat and I’ll gladly take a thigh or leg. The key is to use skin-on, bone-in chicken for at least the thighs so you get some of that delicious chicken fat in the sauce. No one wants to look at flabby, pale chicken skin, so the chicken is browned for both flavor and appearance.
I have been on a tear this chile season, and I think this is the last new recipe I’ll have using green chiles. Of course, if you missed any of the action, you can always check out our Hatch Chile Time Pinterest board. Thanks to the folks at Melissa’s Produce for sharing some green chiles this year. You’ve got two more weekends to catch the Hatch roasts in a few places — check Melissa’s Produce’s roasting list for locations.
Green Chile Braised Chicken
Your first instinct might be to cook green chile braised chicken in your slow cooker. You can get it done faster on the stove, with only one dirty pot.
Ingredients
- 4 mild or medium green chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
- 4 tomatillos, roasted
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. kosher salt
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 T. olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
In a blender, combine chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, cumin and salt and blend until smooth.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken, cooking for about 5 minutes per side.
Put the chicken into the crockpot and cover with chile mixture. Stir to coat the chicken evenly. Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The thigh meat will be tender and almost falling off the bone.
If you prefer to use a Dutch oven, follow the same procedure, using the pot to brown the chicken. Add the chile mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Serve over plain basmati rice with sauce on the side.
Notes
This chile verde chicken does double duty and can be served over rice with vegetables or shredded up for burritos. If you don't have hatch chiles in your freezer, you can use a jar of Trader Joe's hatch chile salsa in a pinch.
