The OG New Mexico Chicken Chili Verde

This post last updated 02/24/2025

Recipes change over time.  As we spend more time in the kitchen and become better cooks, we learn new things; as we learn new things, we incorporate them into the dishes we already know how to make. 

That’s ultimately how a dish becomes “ours” – when we’ve come to know it so well through years of making it that is truly our own.  In my mind, though, even when a dish has become “ours” it has never reached perfection – and even after nearly 20 years, I’m still learning new things.

If you have, say, 15 extra minutes, roast your chiles (only the Hatch/Anaheim ones) ahead of time.  It will bring out their sweet smokey spicy flavor.

Ingredients:

1. 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 breasts – cubed into 1-2 inch chunks)
2. 5 TBSP flour (divided, 3:2)
3. 1 TBSP cumin powder
4. 1 TBSP paprika
5. 2 tsp cayenne pepper
6. Salt and pepper
7. 2 TBSP vegetable or canola oil
8. 2 TBSP olive oil
9. 1 large Spanish or yellow onion
10. 2 jalepeño peppers, stems and seeds removed, minced
11. 1 large green bell pepper, diced
12. 1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
13. 5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
14. 4 TBSP (about half a bunch, not including stems) fresh cilantro, finely chopped
15. 4 Hatch Chile Peppers (Anaheim Chile Peppers will also work), roasted and peeled (optional), diced.  Note:  Alternatively, pre-diced, canned green chilies work fine as well – you’ll need 3, 3.5oz cans 
16. 1-2 tsp hot sauce (or to taste, optional – I use Dave’s Insanity Sauce because I like it spicy!)
17. 1  can/box (32oz) of low-sodium chicken broth
18. 2 cans (14oz each) white beans (preferably Great Northern), drained.
19. 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
20. Optional: For serving – tortilla strips, corn bread, sour cream, shredded Mexican Cheese

Prep

1. Dice onion, jalepeños, green bell pepper and celery; combine in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Mince garlic and chop cilantro – combine and reserve in a small size bowl and set aside.
3. Dice Hatch (or Anaheim) chiles and reserve in a separate bowl (or open cans thereof).
4. Open two cans of white beans, drain.
5. Get chicken broth ready.
6. Cut up chicken into 1-2 inch chunks
7. In a large tossing or mixing bowl, add chicken.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Add flour, cumin, paprika, cayenne, a pinch of kosher salt and a few generous grinds of fresh black pepper.  Toss to coat again.

Cooking Instructions

1. In a large stock-pot (or very large skillet or saucepan), add vegetable and olive oil and heat over medium heat.  When oil is hot and shimmering, but not quite smoking,  Carefully add coated chicken pieces and brown, 3-4 minutes on each side, without overcrowding the pan – you will probably need to work in batches. 
2. Once all the chicken pieces are nicely browned, remove them from the pan and transfer to a bowl or platter (they will juice a bit).  You will now have a beautiful, spicy fond on the bottom of your pan.
3. Lower the heat and add onion, celery, green bell pepper and jalapeño peppers to the pot (make sure the pan isn’t too hot when you do this). 
4. Add a generous, 3 finger pinch (about ½ teaspoon) of Kosher Salt; Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
5. As the vegetables sweat out their moisture (partly thanks to the salt you added in the step above), scrape up the fond in the bottom of the pan and incorporate into the mixture. If the fond threatens to burn, add a splash of water to help loosen it, and continue to stir to incorporate it into the vegetable mixture.
6. Once vegetables have sweat out most of their moisture and most of the fond is incorporated, carefully add the cilantro and garlic.  Continue to sauté until very fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
7. Add Hatch/Anaheim Chiles and hot sauce, if using.  Stir well to combine and lower the heat to low, stirring occasionally to allow flavors to marry, 5-7 minutes.
8. Add chicken to pot, along with any juices accumulated on the cutting board.
9. Add 2 TBSP flour and stir to incorporate; cook for 2 to 3 minutes until raw flour is cooked.
10. Add chicken broth and beans and stir well to combine – there should be enough liquid to cover everything in the pot once it’s been stirred together.  If there isn’t, add a bit of water until everything is covered by at least 1/4 inch of liquid.
11. Cover, and bring to a rolling boil.
12. Remove cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to simmer down, 30-45 minutes.  Stir occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  If a lot of fat begins to accumulate on the top, you may wish to skim some of it off.  (Now is a good time to crack open a beer).
13. Just prior to serving, turn the heat off and stir continuously for 10 minutes, or until your arms fall off.  This will make it so that the chili is cool enough to eat; it also will break down the chicken into nice ‘strings’ giving it the consistency of pulled chicken.  It also aids in the final thickening to give it that nice chili texture.

Serve with Tortilla strips, sour cream, cheese and cornbread.