I wanted to share a delicious recipe with you that I make all the time and I call it Tex Mex Green Chicken. This recipe was inspired by the amazing green chicken enchilada filling that I always enjoy at some of my favorite Mexican restaurants. At El Mirador in San Antonio, a wonderful lady named Olga makes this amazing jalapeno green salsa (recipe below) and she gave me some tips on how to make it myself. There are shortcuts to the green sauce if you are in a hurry (a can of Herdez green tomatillo sauce) but if you take the time to make your own sauce, the taste is out of this world.
I will break this recipe down into three steps. First you have to boil and pick your chicken, then make the green sauce, and finally assemble all the parts together to make the Tex Mex Green chicken.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 onions; one quartered and one diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 cloves peeled garlic
ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe Jalapeno Green Sauce (see below)
Step 1: Place whole chicken in a large pot. Add quartered onion, garlic, and cilantro. Add about 4-6 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the water. Cook on medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and continue to let chicken simmer for about an hour or until it is very tender.
When chicken is cool, drain chicken broth and set aside. Pick the meat from the chicken and dice up the larger pieces. Set aside.
I will break this recipe down into three steps. First you have to boil and pick your chicken, then make the green sauce, and finally assemble all the parts together to make the Tex Mex Green chicken.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 onions; one quartered and one diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 cloves peeled garlic
ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe Jalapeno Green Sauce (see below)
Step 1: Place whole chicken in a large pot. Add quartered onion, garlic, and cilantro. Add about 4-6 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the water. Cook on medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and continue to let chicken simmer for about an hour or until it is very tender.
When chicken is cool, drain chicken broth and set aside. Pick the meat from the chicken and dice up the larger pieces. Set aside.
Jalapeno Green Sauce
Step 2:
This Jalapeno Green Sauce is easy to make and tastes wonderful with the chicken, adding a subtly spicy flavor.
Ingredients:
10 jalapenos
1/2 bunch cilantro
6-8 cloves garlic
1 onion, quartered
Put all ingredients into a pot.
This Jalapeno Green Sauce is easy to make and tastes wonderful with the chicken, adding a subtly spicy flavor.
Ingredients:
10 jalapenos
1/2 bunch cilantro
6-8 cloves garlic
1 onion, quartered
Put all ingredients into a pot.
Add about 2 cups of water or enough to partially cover the jalapenos and onions. Cook on medium and cover.
 The jalapenos are simmering nicely. Cover and simmer about 30-45 minutes until they are soft. |  When done cooking, drain the water and save the boiled jalapenos, onions, garlic and cilantro. Place in a food processor and puree. |  This is what the green sauce should look like when you are finished. Add about 1/2-1 teaspoon salt or to taste and blend one more time. |
Ahhh, the finished product. This sauce is delicious as a dipping salsa for plantain chips, or as a condiment to serve over eggs or meat. But for our purposes, we will use it in our Tex Mex Green Chicken recipe.
Step 3:
In a saucepan or large saute pan, saute remaining diced onion in 1 T. olive oil on medium heat until onions are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add about 3 T. chopped cilantro and stir. Add reserved chicken meat and about 1 cup reserved broth along with 1-2 teaspoons of cumin (or to taste) and stir. Finally, add about 1 cup of the Jalapeno green sauce and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
In a saucepan or large saute pan, saute remaining diced onion in 1 T. olive oil on medium heat until onions are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add about 3 T. chopped cilantro and stir. Add reserved chicken meat and about 1 cup reserved broth along with 1-2 teaspoons of cumin (or to taste) and stir. Finally, add about 1 cup of the Jalapeno green sauce and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
 The chicken was a little runny at this point so I simmered it until the liquid reduced to my liking. However, if you wanted it more soup like, feel free to add more broth. |  This is the consistency I prefer. Thick, yet still deliciously juicy. Serve on a plate with fresh cilantro and fresh, sliced jalapenos. |
This is the salsa verde you can use if you don't have time to make the homemade green sauce. This is also the cumin (ground comino) that I use. I love the fiesta brand spices.
If you do corn from time to time, this chicken is great rolled into corn tortillas. However, if you are grain free, this recipe also stands great on its own.
Serve with Mexican cauliflower "rice" and Watermelon Ceviche.
If you do corn from time to time, this chicken is great rolled into corn tortillas. However, if you are grain free, this recipe also stands great on its own.
Serve with Mexican cauliflower "rice" and Watermelon Ceviche.
NOTE: Be sure to use any of the delicious leftover green sauce as a condiment for eggs, tacos, or atop plantain chips. If your tongue can stand the heat, it will thank you!
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