Tex Mex Chicken Chili in Green Sauce

Spicy and delicious! A wonderful alternative to a traditional chili and packed with flavor. Big chunks of chicken in a spicy green sauce with two kinds of beans cooked with all the normal chili seasonings. Great on it’s own or with cheese and onions. Grab a few tortillas and dig in!

Ingredients: Chili Beans

2 cups dry pinto beans

1 cup dry kidney beans

1 gal. water

2 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. pepper

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cumin

1 teas garlic powder

Method: Chili Beans

Sort through your beans and discard any stones or pebbles you may find.

There are 2 good ways to prepare the beans. There is the overnight method where you can soak them in a big sauce pan or stock pot by adding the beans and 8 cups of water, cover and refrigerate overnight.

A quicker method is to add the beans to your pot or pan with the 8 cups of water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 1 hour and up to 2.This will soften the beans and get them ready for cooking.

Which ever method you use drain the water and add the same amount of fresh water.

Add all of the seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce your heat to about a medium low to simmer, stirring occaisionally. They will take about 4 hours or until most of the liquid has evaporated. they’re ready for the next step.

Note: To make it easier, use a pot or pan big enough to hold the beans, chicken and green sauce, an 8 qt. vessel should work.

Ingredients: Chicken

1 whole chicken

(about 1gal.) water (enough to cover by 1in.)

3 tbsp. salt

Method: Chicken

Clean your chicken thoroughly and place it in a large stock pot. Add enough water to cover and bring it to a boil. Reduce your heat to a simmer, low to medium low heat and simmer for 1:15 to 1:30 hours, covered.

Carefully remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Be careful and go slow removing the chicken as it will be “fall apart” tender. I usually use a long wood spoon inserted into the cavity of the bird and a slotted spoon underneath to gently lift it out.

Let it cool enough to where you can handle it without getting burned.

After it has cooled, transfer it to a cutting board and peel the skin off. It should come off very easily. Pull the legs and wings off and then, using your hands, peel the meat off the carcass.

This should be very easy to do as it is ready to fall apart anyway. Transfer the picked meat to a big bowl by shredding the big chunks into nice “big bite” pieces. The chicken is now ready for the chili.

Note: This can be done while your beans are cooking.

Ingredients: Green Sauce

2 big green chilis (known as Anaheim chilis)

1 lb. fresh tomatillos (about 6-8)

1 jalapeno

2 small onions

5-6 cloves garlic (peeled)

Method: Green Sauce

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the outer husk off of the tomatillos and rinse them to get rid of the sticky residue, slice in half and add them to a baking dish.

Remove the stems from the jalepeno and green chilis and slice in half.

Add them to your baking dish.

Peel and cut the onions in half and then in half again to make quarters and add them to your baking dish.

Add the peeled cloves of garlic to the baking dish.

Arrange everything to bake evenly. Transfer to your oven and bake for an hour to 1:15.

Remove and let cool for about 15 minutes and then run them through a blender until smooth.

You may have to do this in batches.

Note: This can also be done while your beans and chicken are cooking.

Last ingredient:

2 cups chicken broth

To put it all together.

Make sure you’re using a pot big enough to hold everything. This recipe makes about a gallon of chili.

I would use either the pot the beans were cooked in or the pot I cooked the chicken in.

This will save you a pan to clean

Add your green sauce and chicken to the chili beans along with the 2 cups of chicken broth and give it a good stir.

Bring it to a boil, reduce to low to medium low and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours with the lid cracked, or until your chili has thickened, stirring occaisionally.

Depending on how thick you like your chili you could simmer it longer to evaporate more liquid, making it thicker. Or simmer for less time for a thinner more “saucy” chili, it’s up to you, just make sure the beans are cooked through and tender.

Your chili is now ready so dig in!

Note: If you have any leftovers the chili can be split up into individual portions and frozen for a quick meal at a later time. It will keep frozen for a few months.

This is such a great alternative to a traditional chili and better for you. Very high in fiber, protein and vitamins and low in fat. The flavor is fantastic with the spiciness of the green sauce which permeates through the chicken and the chili beans rounds out the flavor and consistency. Grab a few tortillas and enjoy! You can also garnish with cheese, onions, cilantro, sour cream, avocado or anything you like. Happy Cooking!

David