Chicken Chile Verde with Lime Crema
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Southwestern
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • Lime Crema
  • 112 g (¾ cup) raw cashews*
  • 90 ml ( ¼ c + 2 Tbsp) cold water
  • 20 ml (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) white vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • Stew
  • 1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
  • 3 green onions, cleaned and trimmed
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 1 poblano pepper (about 4 oz)
  • 1-2 serrano chilies (15-20 g each), stemmed & seeded, coarsely chopped**
  • 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tsp whole coriander seeds (or 1 ½ tsp ground coriander)***
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds (or 1 ½ tsp ground cumin)***
  • 45 ml (3 Tbsp) olive oil, divided
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 medium yellow onion (9-10 oz), diced, yield 1 ½ - 2 cups
  • 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
  • Pinch of ground clove
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 4 oz (1 small can) roasted & diced Hatch chilies
  • At least 240 ml (1 cup) low sodium or no-salt-added chicken stock****
  • Garnishes/Accompaniments
  • Sliced serrano pepper
  • Sliced green onion
  • Cilantro
  • Diced avocado
  • Lime wedges
  • Plantain chips or charred tortillas
Procedure
  1. Start the crema: Add raw cashews to a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover the pot. Let sit for one hour.
  2. Make the salsa verde: Preheat oven broiler on high. Transfer tomatillos, green onions, garlic cloves and poblano to a large sheet tray. Broil for 8-10 minutes until charred, using tongs to ingredients occasionally to ensure even charring. (I usually pull the green onions out after 4-5 minutes.)
  3. Let everything cool for a couple of minutes. Peel and stem the poblano (leave the seeds), give it a rough chop, and transfer it to a blender. Trim off the ends of the garlic and squeeze the cloves into the blender as well. Add the charred tomatillos and any pan juices, the charred green onions, the chopped serrano chilies, cilantro, a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Puree until smooth and set aside.
  4. Toast and grind the seeds: In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds for about 4 minutes until darkened and fragrant, shaking the pan every so often. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then grind to a powder with a spice mill, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
  5. Make the stew: Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pot (you’ll steam the chicken that way), brown the chicken on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  6. Add remaining olive oil to pot along with diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until onion is golden and softened, about 4 minutes. Add ground coriander and cumin, dried oregano, and ground clove; stir to coat onion with spices. Add lime zest and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  7. Add roasted Hatch chilies, reserved chicken with any collected juices, the salsa verde you blended earlier, one teaspoon lime juice, ¼ teaspoon salt and about 8 oz/1 cup chicken stock.
  8. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook partially covered for at least 40 minutes, until chicken is tender and stew has thickened. If it starts to look dry, add chicken stock as needed, about ¼ cup at a time. (The longer you cook the chili, the more flavor you’ll develop; I typically let it go for 35-40 minutes, then add another cup of stock and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or so.) Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt, pepper, and/or lime juice if desired.
  9. While stew is simmering, finish the crema: Drain and rinse the cashews and transfer to blender. Add cold water, lime juice, vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt, and blend until completely smooth (you may want to pass it through a fine-mesh sieve for a truly silky crema). Taste and add more salt if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
  10. Serve: Ladle stew into bowls. Top with a dollop of lime crema, and garnish with cilantro, diced avocado and sliced chilies and green onions. Serve with lime wedges, and plantain chips or charred tortillas.
Notes
*If you have a cashew allergy, macadamia nuts are a terrific substitute.

**If you prefer a milder stew, remove the white ribs inside the serrano chilies.

***It’s really worth toasting and grinding your own spices for this recipe - the flavor is far superior. If you don’t feel like it or don’t have the tools to do it and you’re going to substitute pre-ground spices, try to purchase the freshest possible product from a good market that has rapid turnover. You don’t want to buy jars of spices that have been sitting on a shelf for months.

****The volume of chicken stock you need will depend on the moisture content of the tomatillos, how long you cook the stew, and how thick you’d like it to be. The longer it simmers, the thicker and drier it becomes. I start with 8-10 ounces (1 - 1 ¼ cup) and keep an eye on the pot as it cooks, and if it starts to look dry I add more stock about 2 ounces/¼ cup at a time.
Recipe by Good Health Gourmet at https://goodhealthgourmet.com/chicken-chile-verde-lime-crema/