There’s a bit of prep up front- but this makes the final flavors all worth the extra effort!
Ingredients:
2 lbs. tomatillos, husked (paper skins, removed) and cut in half
4 lg. poblano or anaheim peppers, cut in have seeds and stem removed
1-2 jalapeños, (depending on your spice preference)
4 garlic cloves peeled
2 lg. red plum tomato cut in half, core & seeds removed
1 lg. red bell pepper, de-seeded cut in half
1 – 4 oz. can diced green chiles, medium heat-drained
1 bunch cilantro, rough chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 -2 Tablespoons, ground cumin
2 teaspoons, dried oregano
1-2 teaspoon, ground white pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon, ground cayenne pepper
Kosher salt & ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken stock
4-6 chicken breasts, boneless -skinless, cut in half horizontally
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, grated for garnish
Sour cream for garnish ( optional)
1 bunch scallions cleaned and chopped on diagonal for garnish
Red radish sliceed paper thin for garnish
Flat leaf parsley, chopped fine for garnish
Crushed white corn tortilla chips, for garnish
1-2 avocados diced, for garnish
1 Lime, cut into wedges
Method:
Place tomatillos cut side down, poblano peppers, jalapeños, tomato, red bell peppers and garlic cloves on a lightly sprayed foil-lined large baking sheet or char on the outdoor grill.
If using the oven- place under the broiler setting for 8-10 minutes or until the tomatillos and peppers begin to roast and blacken. If you don’t have broiler in your oven, you can put the oven at 425′ F. However the best option is to use an outdoor grill and char until the vegetables are blackening and deflating, about 10-15 minutes on high, constantly rotating.
After charring, Immediately transfer the poblanos, jalapeños, tomatoes and red bell pepper into a few gallon sized plastic food storage bag and zip tight. Steam the vegetables in the bag for about 5 minutes to release some of the skin – now remove from bag and scape and excess skin that didn’t just steam and peel off. Discard, skin and clean away any seeds or interior veins. Work over a bowl to reserve any additional juices.
Add tomatillos and any reserved juice to a blender. Pulse to process into a purée, adding stock as need to thin out chunks.
Add garlic, green chiles, tomato, red bell pepper along with the cilantro ( reserving some chop cilantro for garnish) lime juice, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and additional stock. Blend the ingredients until they are well combined and become a thick soup-like consistency.
Add chicken and diced onions to an 6-8 quart *stockpot or your slow cooker.
Pour tomatillo-chile sauce all over the top of the chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook on medium high stirring occasionally for 3 1/2 hours or set to low on your slow cooker. Process for 6- 7 hours. ( * if cooking in stove add an additional stock to cover).
Before serving, remove chicken with a slotted spoon, and shred with a fork. Add back to slow cooker and mix in to combine. Taste, adjust flavor with salt and pepper.
Serve in individual bowls topped with with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, scallions, radish, cubed avocado, chopped parsley and a lime wedge.
Pair with warm corn tortillas.
Serves 4-6.
Chef Gigi Gaggero 