Green Chili a la Gringa

Comfort food means different things to different people. To a girl from Colorado, there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of green chili with fluffy, homemade tortillas.

First things first- if your local grocery store has fresh Hatch Green Chiles, get some! And if you're lucky enough to shop at a store where they not only have them, but roast them on-site, get lots and freeze them. They are the reason I decided to make green chili on a Tuesday... at 7pm... after working 8 hours. Which, by the way, I would not advise. Although it turned out great, it will only get better with additional simmer time. Two hours on low is what I'll recommend, but one hour would definitely suffice.

I started with a traditional green chili recipe and then made some changes that are simply a matter of preference. Feel free to add, subtract or change major ingredients as you like. As long as the basic recipe and proportions stay the same, you'll end up with a delicious finished product.

 

Green Chili

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed (I would probably be ridiculed relentlessly in many (ok most) circles for using chicken instead of pork, but I prefer chicken, so that's what I used).
2 1/2 Cups roasted, chopped green chiles
1 14.5 oz. Can of diced tomatoes
1 Large white onion, diced
1 Teaspoon of garlic, minced
5 Tablespoons of flour (3 or 4 if you'd like it thinner- I did 5 because I wanted it more stew-like)
32 oz. Chicken stock
1/2 Cup water (or more depending on desired thickness)
1 Tablespoon oil (Olive, Canola, Vegetable, whatevs)

Salt and pepper to taste
1 Can black beans (optional, I added them because I wanted the chili to be a complete meal)

Method:

Heat oil in large stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until fragrant and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add cubed chicken, and pinch of salt and pepper and stir until chicken is cooked through.

Sprinkle flour over the chicken, stir in and cook for about 3 minutes. This will cook out the flour, so your finished chili doesn't taste pasty. 

Add diced tomatoes, green chiles, chicken stock, water, black beans, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Then reduce to low and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally. *This recipe can also be made in a slow cooker if that's more convenient.