Lean Green Chicken Chili Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S GREEN CHICKEN CHILI

Steps:

• Season chicken thighs with salt on both sides.
• Transfer 1/2 the chicken to a dry, nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Brown the rest of the chicken. Let cool to room temperature before cutting.
• Combine salsa verde, green chilies, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro in a blender. Blend, starting on low and finishing on high, until sauce is very smooth and bright green.
• Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and transfer back into the bowl. Combine chicken pieces, accumulated juices, and the green sauce into a pot. Season with cumin, chipotle pepper, black pepper, oregano, and salt.
• Rinse out blender with a splash of water and pour into the pot. Mix together and set heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until chicken is tender, depending on size of chicken pieces, about 1 hour. Stir in kidney beans and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

LEAN GREEN CHICKEN CHILI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut 4 tortillas in half and stack them one on top of the other. Cut into 1/2-inch strips & toss with 1 teaspoon oil.
• Spread tortilla strips in a single layer in a baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until crisp, stirring once. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Fold each of the remaining 4 tortillas into quarters & and coarsely grate using a box grater or your favorite method. Set aside. (Cook's note - I opted to just finely chop the tortillas rather than grating).
• Toss chicken pieces with cumin.
• Heat remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large soup pan, add chicken and cook 5 minutes. Remove chicken.
• Add poblano peppers, onion and garlic to pan. Cook and stir 3 minutes.
• Stir in chicken, broth, beans, salsa and grated tortillas.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• Stir in cilantro, ladle into soup bowls and top with baked tortilla strips.

GREEN CHICKEN CHILI

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it browns. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and jalapeño. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin and coriander and cook until the spices are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, shredded chicken, cooked ground chicken, salsa verde, salt and pepper and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Stir in the beans and half-and-half and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced and the chili is thick, about 30 minutes.
• Serve with cheese skulls, tortilla chips, sour cream, cilantro and scallions.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a 6-count skull mold on a baking sheet.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese into each skull mold. Bake until the cheese has melted and the edges just begin to brown slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Allow the skulls to cool for 2 minutes, then remove from the pan. Serve on top of a warm bowl of chili. Cheese Skull recipe courtesy of The Kitchen.

GREEN-CHILE CHICKEN BURGERS

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium-high. Combine chicken, cumin, chiles, chopped cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Divide mixture into 4 patties. Brush grates with oil and grill burgers, flipping once, until golden brown and a thermometer inserted into thickest parts registers 165 degrees, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Lightly brush tomato slices with oil; grill, flipping once, until charred, 2 minutes. Season with salt. Grill buns, cut-sides down, just until toasted, about 1 minute. Serve burgers on grilled buns with tomato slices, cilantro sprigs, sour cream, lettuce, and mustard.

GREEN CHILE CHICKEN CHILI

Steps:

• Place the chicken, onions, peppers, jalapenos and chiles in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Pour salsa over top. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender., Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred chicken with 2 forks, discarding skin and bones; return meat to slow cooker. Stir in the beans, sour cream and cilantro; heat through. Serve with toppings as desired. Freeze option: Before adding sour cream, cilantro and toppings, cool chili. Freeze in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary. Stir in sour cream and cilantro. Serve with toppings as desired.