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Chicken Chile Verde Stew

This is a homemade version of my favorite store bought chile verde stew base, and it's packed with flavor! Chicken chile verde stew includes tomatillos, roasted peppers, jalapenos, rotisserie chicken, white beans, and broth. It's a versatile and easy slow cooker family dinner.

Chicken chile verde stew with cannellini beans

For years, I've been buying an amazing pre-made green chile stew base at my local grocery store, and serving it to my family every other week. It's so easy! I just add some rotisserie chicken and a few cans of white beans, and heat it all up in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

When it's time to eat, I tear off some cilantro, get out a bag of shredded cheese, and heat up tortillas.

Chicken chile verde stew with white beans simmering in a slow cooker.

Related recipe: Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's been bothering me that I can't share this favorite dinner recipe of ours on my blog because the stew base is only available locally in Texas. So, I came up with a homemade version that anyone can make. And guess what -- the homemade version is even better than the store bought one we love.

To make sure I got it just right, I served my homemade chicken chile verde stew to my family without telling them I'd made it from scratch instead of using the jarred stew base I've been serving for years. Nobody said a word! That's when I knew it was perfect.

Blended stew ingredients in a measuring cup.

Preparing the Vegetables for Chile Verde

The best way to prepare the tomatillos, peppers, and garlic for this dish is to roast the ingredients under the broiler. This gives a nice charred flavoring, and it also makes it an easy "one pan" dish since you cook everything at once.

Simply place the items on a sheet pan and place under the broiler for 15-20 minutes. You will need to "babysit" the vegetables a bit during this phase of cooking. Just turn the ingredients occasionally so that they cook on all sides.

After the skin has blistered on the peppers and jalapenos, place them into a sealable ziplock bag and allow them to cool. When they've cooled down, you should be able to easily peel off the skin. (If a little bit of skin remains, it's fine.)

Cut off the stems and remove the seeds. Then chop the peppers.

*Note: The tomatillos do not need to have their skin peeled -- only the papery husks they come in at the store. They can be put into the blender straight from the sheet pan.

Best Chiles for Chile Verde

When it come to choosing chile peppers for your chile verde stew, you've got a few options. My personal favorite is poblano peppers. This is because they've got a mild heat that tends to be fairly consistent (ie: you're not going to end up with a fiery hot pepper one day and a mild one the next).

If you prefer a milder chile, or you can't find poblanos, I recommend Anaheim chiles.

You can also use hatch chiles (in season). But be aware that these are the hottest option.

Don't be afraid to use a combination of all three chiles! The best way to figure out the flavor and heat of your chiles is to taste them. Just slice off a little sliver and eat it. If it packs a punch, you know you should use less. If it's mild, you know you're safe using a larger portion.

How to Serve Chile Verde Stew

There are a few different ways you can serve this dish.

  • As is
  • Over cooked white rice
  • Spooned into warm flour tortillas
  • Scooped up with tortilla chips
  • Use leftover filling to make quesadillas
Chicken chile verde stew in a flour tortilla

We typically serve this stew with skillet-warmed flour tortillas. My daughters like to put the filling into the tortilla and eat it like a taco, while I prefer to tear off bits of tortilla and dip it into the sauce. There's no wrong way to eat this dish!

Chicken Chile Verde Stew

A simple recipe with deliciously complex flavors! Make it in the slow cooker using rotisserie chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.
4.79 from 42 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Servings: 6
Calories: 261kcal
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 4 poblano peppers
  • 10 tomatillos papery husks removed
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 jalapeno pepper
  • 1.5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1.5 lb whole rotisserie chicken shredded
  • 2 15 oz cans cannellini beans drained, but not rinsed
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • shredded monterey jack cheese optional, for serving

Special equipment

  • slow cooker
  • blender

Instructions

  • Set the oven to broil.
  • Place tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapeno, and unpeeled garlic cloves onto a sheet pan.
  • Broil on the top rack of the oven, turning ingredients occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, or until skin is blackened in spots on all sides. (Note: You can remove items individually as they are ready. Remove garlic first so that it doesn't burn.)
  • Peel the skin from the roasted garlic cloves, and set the peeled cloves aside.
    Place the roasted poblanos and jalapenos into a sealable ziploc bag. Let cool, remove skin and seeds from peppers, and dice.
  • Put diced peppers, tomatillos and garlic cloves into a blender. Add chicken broth, 1/2 cup cilantro, salt, cumin, and onion powder and blend until combined. (You should end up with about 4 cups of sauce. If you have less, you can add some additional broth).
  • Pour blended mixture into a slow cooker. Add shredded rotisserie chicken and drained beans. Cook on low for several hours until ready to serve.
  • Serve topped with additional cilantro and cheese, if desired.

Notes

Cooking time: Since the chicken is already pre-cooked in this recipe, you have a lot of leeway in terms of slow cooking time. You can just keep it in the slow cooker until it's warmed through and the beans are tender (about an hour), or you can leave it in much longer if you want to prepare ahead. 
Flavor adjustments: Because of variations in the size and flavor profile of the fresh ingredients, you may want to make a few adjustments before serving. If you find the sauce too tangy or spicy at first taste, you can add additional broth to mellow it out. If you like heat, you can use two jalapenos instead of one. Note that the longer this recipe slow cooks, the more time the flavors will have to combine.

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 451IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
Recipe Rating




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Cyndi Goodmon

Monday 9th of October 2023

This is an amazing meal. Great way to use tomatillos and poblanos from the garden. We ate this with tortilla chips. I will be making this a lot this winter!

Jami

Friday 23rd of June 2023

What size serving equates the 261 calories? Is a a cup? 1/2 a cup? Thanks!

Kate

Tuesday 18th of July 2023

The nutrition facts are estimated per portion assuming 6 equal portions, however I did not measure the ounces/grams/cups of 1/6th of this whole stew. Keep in mind that nutrition will also vary depending on how many beans/chicken you get in your bowl. I always recommend people work with a nutritionist if they need to confirm exact nutrition facts.

Vicky

Thursday 2nd of March 2023

I shop at HEB and would love your recipe with the Jar version.

Kate

Thursday 13th of April 2023

Try skipping steps 1-5 (those are the steps to make the chile verde sauce from scratch) and just combine the jarred sauce with the chicken and beans in the slow cooker.

Judy Woodworth

Saturday 5th of February 2022

This recipe is amazing. I made it tonight exactly as presented. My husband and I both loved it. Super flavorful but not “hot”. I was sure to remove the seeds and ribs. As I was eating it I thought that I might add some frozen sweet corn next time just for a savory/sweet taste. Thanks for this recipe I will be making it often.

Kate

Saturday 5th of February 2022

So glad to hear!! Thanks!

Tina

Sunday 17th of January 2021

This was a little more work than many of my soup recipes but well worth it. I did have to add a couple of extra poblano because it was a little too tart from the tomatillos, but then it was perfect. Great flavor. This is a keeper.

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