If you’re looking for a quick (30 minutes) and easy green chili recipe, then this is the one for you!
If you’re from Colorado, New Mexico and maybe even Texas, you’ve likely had amazing and authentic versions of green chili. In New Mexico you can even order Christmas chili. Yep, it’s amazing, 50/50 red to green chili smothering your burrito!
For some reason when I chat with people about making this, they always look at me like, “oh no, I don’t have time to cook chili all day.” It’s really not that hard and you can develop amazing flavors in a short amount of time. Now, depending on who you ask, making green chili with chicken instead of pork is sac religious. However, for me, making it with rotisserie chicken is not only the bomb because it adds a TON of flavor, it’s the perfect way to short cut this recipe so you can get it done in 30 minutes!
All in the Family
If you’re more of a traditionalist, using a pork roast for this recipe is a perfectly delish substitute. I’d suggest cutting it into small cubes then cook it over med-high heat in your dutch oven before you do all other steps, then you’ll add it to your chili later and let it go low and slow to get really tender. That pot of chili will definitely take more than 30 minutes, but it will be worth the wait if you prefer the other white meat.
Alright, back to my version. I must first give credit where credit is due, my brother Kevin taught me how to make this, and my sister Ashley helped me perfect it. The recipe list is short and simple, and there are so many awesome ways to enjoy this chili. Oh, and it freezes great! So, you can easily double this and freeze half for when you have surprise visitors. 😉
It’s all about the chili!
Now, before we go any further, we have to discuss the star of the dish, Hatch Green Chilies. We’re very lucky in Colorado, as well as those who are in New Mexico, to have chili farms. So we have access to the freshest chilies around. And in my family, we put up a bushel every other year, at least, if not every year. Sometimes we keep them all and sometimes we split them up. It will just depends on the heat of the chilies and how quickly we go through them as to if we need a bushel yearly or not. How much is a bushel? I’m glad you asked! I had to look it up myself, and discovered that depending on the produce, the weight will vary, but the overall standard is 1 bushel = 8 gallons, and when it comes to chili’s the standard is 20-22 pounds!
My secret to quick homemade chili…is in the chicken
Enough nerdy stuff, let’s get to the meat of this post…literally! Before you get ready to make the chili, you want to prep the chicken, chilies, onion and garlic. I love rotisserie chicken, you’ll see me post about it all the time, it’s a great meal prep item to pick-up weekly to save you a ton of time. Do your best to find one that is hormone free, we all know chickens have a bad wrap.
Once it cools, take the skin off and pick it apart. I use all of the chicken in this recipe because we love it hearty. But you can easily use only the white or dark meat depending on your preference. And if you’re a vegetarian, just leave out the meat and use veggie broth instead of chicken. Easy peezy.
Get it all chopped or shredded, whatever your preference is. If you haven’t seen my tip on how to shred chicken breasts in flash, check it out!
The Trifecta!
Next up, chilies, garlic and onion. If you don’t have access to fresh green chilies, you can now find them in your freezer section at the grocery store, already chopped (see below for the ones I like to get at Walmart). I’ve used them a few times, and I have to say I’ve been really pleased. I use more of them than I do my fresh chilies, but you’ll need to play around to determine how much heat you can handle. I use about a cup of chopped chilies in this recipe, along with 4 cloves of garlic (minced) and a small diced white onion.
Only other ingredients you need are olive oil, chicken broth, a can of Rotel, cornstarch (or flour depending on if you’re gluten free or not, or have a preference) and salt/pepper.
This post has a few affiliate product links.
A Great Pot Makes all the Difference!
You’ll need a large pot for this recipe. I go back and forth between my Le Cruset and All-Clad Dutch Ovens. Both cook evenly and are the perfect vessel for chili. Lodge also makes a nice Dutch Oven that is very reasonably priced.
Once you get your pot heated up over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of EVOO, then your onions. Sweat those out first (add a pinch of salt), then add your garlic. The garlic will cook super fast, so keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
After that, add your Rotel (I just use the mild version, again, your preference depending on the heat you like).
After that, drop in your chopped green chilies, and let this all cook together for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
Now we add the meat. Whether you choose pork or chicken, you’ll add it here. *One note – if your family does not like chucks of chili, tomatoes and onions. This would be the time to add the broth, then use an emersion blender to smooth things out. Then, add your chicken and proceed…
Time-Saved Homemade Chili!
The beauty of using the rotisserie chicken is that it’s already cooked, so all you need to do at this point is stir it into the chili mixture and it’ll start to come up to temp.
Next up, add the chicken stock, I pour in all but a half cup that I’ll use later. Then bring the chili to a boil.
While this is coming up to a boil, go ahead and get your cornstarch (or flour) and stock slurry made. Super simple, just add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to about 1/2 cup of chicken stock or water (you can adjust if needed). You can make it in a bowl or a handy Measure and Pour gadget like this! Get all the lumps out, then add it to the chili once it’s at a boil.
After you add the slurry, take the heat down to low and let it simmer and thinken up for about 10 minutes.
You can taste and add salt and pepper if needed. If it gets too thick, just add a little bit of water or stock to thin it out. Not thick enough? Add a little more slurry.
Within 30 minutes you’re ready to go. There are a number of ways you can enjoy this easy green chili recipe. Straight up in a bowl with a warm tortilla on the side. Smother a burrito. Make a slopper, which is simply a cheese burger over a bed of crinkle fries then smothered with green chili (definitely a treat meal). Or even over Breakfast Fried Rice!
I hope you enjoy this and let me know what you think!
xo, Tiff
Tiffany Baird, Ashley Baird, Kevin Baird
Yields 10
A quick, easy and amazing green chili. Easy to modify if you're vegetarian. Perfect to enjoy with your friends and family with an ice cold beer.
10 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 1 Whole rotisserie chicken, chopped or shredded
- 1 Carton of chicken stock, reserve 1/2 cup
- 1 Can of Rotel
- 1 Cup of chopped Hatch green chilies
- 1/2 small white onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 TBSP cornstarch
- 1 TBSP EVOO
- Salt/Pepper
Instructions
- Prep chicken, chilies, onion and garlic.
- Heat a Dutch Over over medium heat.
- Add EVOO, then onion and sweat them out for 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add Rotel and chilies and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add chicken, mix into chili mixture and heat through.
- Add all but 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, bring to a boil.
- To make cornstartch slurry, mix with 1/2 cup reserved chicken stock in a bowl or mix & pour measuring vessel.
- Add slurry to the chili, then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 10 minutes, then enjoy!