Mike and I received a gorgeous crock pot as a wedding gift. After the wedding, Mike and I had my parents over so I made my first attempt at domesticity. I found a recipe for Chili Verde that called for pork, which my dad doesn’t eat. So I modified the recipe to chicken. It was a hit. Go newlywed Heather!
With Jackie! in town, I wanted to make her dinner one night. I went into my recipe box (I know, I can’t believe I have one, either) and dusted off the Chicken Chili Verde. The recipe is SUPER easy. And obviously, you can always substitute out canned ingredients for the fresh version. I just don’t have that kinda time, yo.
Chicken Chili Verde
You need:
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 bell peppers, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cans tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped coarse
1 7-oz can green chiles, minced
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt, to taste
2 jalepenos, chopped fine (optional)
Chop up your onion. You can chop it finely, but I suggest big pieces otherwise they will disintegrate when you cook them.
Have a good cry. Blame it on the onions.
Chop up the bell peppers. They are heartier than the onions so you can cut them smaller, if you prefer.
Mike was proud of this shot. He clearly read my bokeh tutorial.
Mince the garlic. The recipe calls for two large cloves, but you can use more if you want a little more kick to the dish.
If you are going to add the jalapeños, carefully cut them up and remove ALL the seeds. Mike LOVES jalapeños, but I didn’t want the dish to be overwhelming so I only chopped up one.
Then he ate the other one. Sigh.
Add the chicken to the crock pot first.
Pour your chopped veggies, tomato sauce, beef stock, and spices to the pot.
Set the slow cooker to high for 4 1/2 hours.
Love your slow cooker.
With thirty minutes left, shred your chicken.
Taste test time! Mike made a taco, while Jackie! ate hers out of a bowl with some grated cheese on top.
The moment of truth…
They liked it! They each went back for seconds…and someone else had thirds…
The recipe makes a ton of food, so it’s great for parties – or leftovers!
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1½ bell peppers, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans tomato sauce
- 1 large onion, chopped coarse
- 1 7-oz can green chiles, minced
- ¾ cup beef broth
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt, to taste
- 2 jalepenos, chopped fine (optional)
- Prepare your ingredients.
- Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.
- Cook on high for 4½ hours.
- With 30 minutes left, shred chicken, then stir.
- Serve with taco and burrito fixings. Is also delicious plain!
Jen says:
I am totally making (half of) this – thanks so much for all the recipes, Heather! I’m in your same boat when it comes to cooking and I love the crock pot!
discountchica says:
You have totally inspired me! I’ve been trying my hand at cooking (and blogging) but I am no where near as arty as you! I love Mike’s expressions!!
Carol says:
Heather, this looks really good and a lot like what I call PACE chicken. You put the chicken in the crockpot and then pour a large jar of PACE picante sauce in…that’s it! Sometimes I’ll add a can or two of Pinto beans. And you are so right, this makes a TON of food.
Shauna says:
So I was vegetarian for the past ten years and just decided to start eating meat again. I was absolutely terrified of cooking meat since I literally never have before. I wanted to marry my crock pot after I found out that you could just dump meat and a bunch of other stuff in there and it will cook it all for you! I’m so happy you posted this, I’m currently obsessed with crock pot recipes! I currently have chicken, a jar of jalepeno peppers and the liquid that was in the jar, a ton of spices, and chicken broth in mine Thanks for posting this!
Stacy says:
Mmm, looks yummy! Thanks Heather! Kudos to Mike on his artsy shot! And kudos to both of you for your expressions in your tutorials, I love them!
Taryn says:
Okay, I can’t wait to make this. As somone who lives alone, I’m always looking for recipes that make a big batch that I can freeze. This looks perfect!
Also, how cute is Jackie! with the scarf?!? When I try to wear a scarf I look like a scullery maid.
Jen says:
I so love all your recipes. I can’t wait to make this one.
Erin @ One Particular Kitchen says:
You are a ringer for Lucille Ball in the onion crying picture, in the most adorable way possible. I love it!
AmazingGreis says:
Mike’s thumbs up face is highlarious!
MelissaG says:
Can’t wait to try this. And I’m totally jealous of the sleeveless shirt…it’s already so chilly here in WI. Good time for chilli though!
Laura says:
The best part about this post is seeing how great Jackie! looks
Amy says:
Looks delicious and will try!
Great to see Jackie! and as gorgeous as always
Megan Hartman says:
So trying this tomorrow!! Cut the onion in half then soak it in a bowl of ice water for about 5 mins! They your eyes won’t tear up!
Margie says:
Hooray! This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing a yummy AND easy recipe. And is that a bun in your hair supported by one of those spinny spiral hair things you introduced us to? I’m ordering one tonight
B in Oz says:
Why does Mike look so surprised giving a thumbs up.
It’s good to see Jackie! looking fantastic, she can really pull off the scarf.
Becca_Masters says:
i’m looking forward to making this, only thing is i don’t have a slow cooker. will have to do it all manually
Lissa says:
These are always the BEST photo series of cooking! Seriously. It is awesome that Mike is so helpful with all the pics. And all of you have the most expressive faces. Not hard to see why Maddie and Annie are so adorable to watch!
TamaraL says:
That looks DELICIOUS! Must try it!
Please tell me…whose baby bottle is that sitting on your counter? Is Annie still drinking out of a bottle?? Please tell me yes that way I won’t feel so bad that I have pictures of my son at his third bday party…with a bottle hanging between his teeth while he played. Mother of the Year Award right here!
Heather says:
HA! Yes, it’s Annie’s!!!
Kristin says:
That looks sooooo good. I will definitely have to try it sometime soon.. my crockpot needs to be dusted off anyway! Love your blog, been following for a while but never really comment- shame on me!
Monica says:
sounds yummy. You’re such a hoot, like the pic of you lovingly appreciating your crock pot do all the work.
Dudge OH says:
Crockpots rock. Nothing like tossing in a big hunk of meat and a bunch of veggies then leaving it slow cook all day &/or overnight.
Might try this recipe, sometime.
Quick garlic tip: lay the unpeeled clove(s) on your chopping surface; lay the blade of your chef’s knife flat on top and with all the force you can muster, hit the blade as hard as you like… BLAM! Instantly peeled and mashed garlic.
amourningmom says:
Gotta get a crockpot. Congratulations on the 2 thumbs up!
Kerry says:
Making this today and half way through cooking it already smells great! Thanks Heather. From Maddie & Annie fans in New England, 3 year old Evan & 2 year old Ryan & Brennan (and mom too)
Julie says:
This looks so good! Do I really use 2 cans of that size of tomato sauce shown in the picture? Just checking, don’t want to mess it up!
Heather says:
yep! That’s the right size!
susanmig says:
looks wonderful!! already printed out the recipe and can’t wait to make this for my family.
quick question: if i want to use pork, how much should i use and what kind (chops, loin)? thanks!!
Heather says:
three pounds of pork, and try to get boneless if possible!!
susanmig says:
thanks!
Becky Campbell says:
Looks yummy! I must say, using Beef Broth instead of Chicken Broth goes against everything in me…but I’ll follow your directions and see where I end up!:) Thanks!
P.S. LOVE these recipes you’ve been sharing! I’ve been in a rut and it’s nice to find new things to try!:) Love, hugs and blessings to you all!
Heather says:
if you ever DO try it with chicken broth, let me know!
Kerri says:
I made this last night with chicken broth instead of beef and it was AWESOME!!! So, yeah it works with chicken broth, but I’ve obviously never made it with beef broth, so not sure which is better…for you guys, that is. I don’t eat red meat, so I know I wouldn’t have liked it beef. I also left out the jalapenos because I didn’t think the kids would eat it with those in, and yep, still yummy. Thanks Heather.
Ali says:
This looks delicious! Oh, and I must know, where did you get your apron? I’m in LOVE with it!
Heather says:
It was a gift, but I just checked the tag and it’s from William-Sonoma!
Erin Christine says:
This looks amazing. I can’t wait to try this — my husband will love it!
Everyone in this photo shoot is adorable. Great to see Jackie! – she is so beautiful. I want to be friends with all of you.
Trishthedish says:
You will look even more lovingly at your crock pot if you use a Reynolds Crock Pot liner. ABSOLUTELY NO CLEAN UP!
Kate says:
Thanks for this! I made it last night, with a few modifications for my husband’s spicy demands – it was SO GOOD! Since there’s only two of us, I’ll be eating every day this week. Yum!!!
kari weber says:
Made this for my family last night. LOVE that I had all the ingredients including the chicken already! My husband GOBBLED it up! We ate it out of a bowl with tortilla strips in the bottom, cheese and sour cream on top. I love you crock pot!
Kathryn says:
1) If you stick a piece of bread in your mouth while chopping onions (any type! Keep it in the whole time for real!) the ‘chopping onion’ smell will not bother you! 2) dont touch your eye after cutting jalapano! This looks amazing, can’t wait to try!
Carrie says:
I made this tonight and it was SO GOOD! Thanks so much for sharing. We put it over egg noodles with shredded cheese on top! Loving your recipes!!!
Alexa @ A Life in Drive says:
I made crockpot chicken chili for the first time last Friday. Sounds kind of similar to your chili verde! Great minds think alike. http://alifeindrive.com/2011/09/recipes-crockpot-chicken-chili/
Rachel says:
A batch of this is chilling in my fridge, marinating and ready to go in the crockpot for dinner tomorrow night. I used an extra ounce of green chilis (all I could find were 4 oz cans) and omitted a teaspoon of cumin, apparently I had less than I thought I did. Crossing my fingers and hoping it still turns out ok. I love your recipe entries…they crack me up!
Betsy says:
Thank you for posting this – it was easy, fast, and tasty! We had it over tortilla chips w/shredded cheese. Yum
Katie says:
Thanks for posting this! My husband and I tried this last night. However, I read the ingrediants wrong when I went to the store! I had read two cans of tomatoes – so I bought tomatoes with the green chilies premixed in.
So I substituted in a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies instead of a can of green chilies. Then I used a can of tomato sauce and chicken broth! It was very good though! I will be making it again! Thanks for encouraging me to us my wedding gift crock pot that I had never used!
Traci says:
I made this yesterday and it got thumbs up all around. Thank you SO much for sharing!
Brooke says:
Made this overnight, and had some with an egg for a breakfast taco this morning. Loved it! I’ll probably have it again tonight in a burrito with sour cream and cheese.
I think next time I want to add a few cans of beans – make it a little more hearty.
Amie says:
I love using my slow-cooker and this sounds delicious! We live in Tucson and all of these ingredients can be found EVERYWHERE around town. Thanks for sharing this – I’m looking forward to trying it
Sandra says:
This is the first thing I made when venturing into the crock pot world. SO easy and SOOOO delicious. I like to make enough food so I can have left overs and this makes plenty. Thanks for the recipe
p.s. I’m now addicted to my crock pot! Best invention EVER!