Tasty and Easy Tomatillo Chicken Chili
In this recipe, I whipped up a roasted tomatillo and chicken chili made as a light, healthy alternative to the standard turkey and black bean favorite.
Ingredients
FOR THE ROASTED TOMATILLOS:
- 1 ½ pounds tomatillos - fresh, peeled, washed and halved
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
TO BUILD THE CHILI:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken (minced chicken) - turkey would work just as well- 2 tablespoons lime juice
1 whole white onion - diced
2 stalks celery - diced
3 cloves garlic - minced- ½ cup banana peppers - jalapeño peppers could work just as well here, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder (chilli powder in British English)- 2 cans navy beans
2 cups water - or stock if using stock chicken or vegetable stock would work best
¼ cup cilantro (coriander) - for garnish; purely optional
Instructions
Roasting The Tomatillos:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Peel and discard the papery skins from the tomatillos. Then wash in warm salted water; drain thoroughly.
- Cut the tomatillos in half and put in a mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients for roasted tomatillos. Toss until they are all coated.
- Place on a lined sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes or until the tops take on a golden brown color.
- Once roasted, allow it to cool enough to be handled safely. Puree and set aside.
Building The Chili:
- Heat up the soup pot to medium-high; add the oil, salt and pepper.
- Once the salt and pepper begin to release their aromas, add the ground chicken. Stir until fully cooked and any water released is cooked away.
- Add the lime juice and stir to deglaze the chicken from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the onion, celery, garlic and pepper mince; stir thoroughly.
- Add the cumin, chili powder, tomatillo puree and water.
- Once it reaches a boil, add beans and reduce to a simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (you can simmer it for an hour or more, but it will reduce in volume, requiring more liquid to be added).
Notes
This green and white chili is a change from the standard red chili I make with black beans. I have a good, inexpensive source of lean ground chicken. Hence I selected it for this batch. If you wish to use ground turkey, it will produce pretty much the same results. If using pickled banana peppers for this recipe (which I did, since I have lots on hand in my kitchen and I’m too lazy to head out to the shops to get a fresh jalapeño), be sure to strain most of the brine off, lest it imparts too much a vinegar dimension on top of the lime juice.
Nutrition
Calories: 366kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 23gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 2440mgPotassium: 1233mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 732IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 4mg
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