Green Chile Chicken and Rice
This chicken thigh recipe is moist and flavorful, easy, only requires a handful of ingredients that I almost always have on hand, and everyone in my family will happily eat it!
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat
- kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, medium finely chopped
- 2 poblano chiles stemmed, seeded, and chopped (see notes)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 14 ounces green enchilada sauce I like Herdez Mexican Cooking sauces, which is in a jar, and Frontera, which is in a pouch
- 1 cup water high elevations should add an additional 1/4 cup
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- ½ cup cilantro fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the chicken thighs and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden and crispy on one side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and allow to heat for about a minute. Add the chopped onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic and cumin and cook for about 1 more minute. Add the enchilada sauce, water, and rice and bring to a boil. Place the chicken, brown side up, on top of the rice. Reduce heat and cover.
- Cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes to prevent the rice from scorching. When the rice and chicken are cooked through, it’s done (higher elevations will take longer, maybe even twice as long, so plan accordingly.)
- Add the cilantro and stir to combine.
Notes
Note about poblanos: Just like any other pepper, poblanos can vary widely in heat, even when the seeds and membranes are removed. I’ve had some that aren’t much hotter than a green bell pepper and others that were hotter than jalapeños. My advice is to sniff the poblanos in the grocery store; if they tickle your throat, they’ll be spicier. When chopping them test a small piece to determine how spicy each pepper is. Average poblanos will be spicy but not burn-your-mouth hot. You could add anywhere from 1/2 of a poblano to all of both poblanos, depending on how hot they are and how much heat you want in the dish. Just remember you can always add more, but you can’t take them away once they’re in there, so if heat is a concern, start small.
Nutrition
Calories: 334kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 108mg, Sodium: 681mg, Potassium: 428mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 710IU, Vitamin C: 35mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 334kcal
Cost: $8
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