Salsa Verde Chicken Chili – My new favorite soup, made with homemade (or not) salsa verde. A lighter take on chili night.
So… I’m apparently really on a salsa verde kick. I’ve been making batches of this verde sauce since this summer pairing it with eggs, veggies, and everything else that sounds good. It was only natural when I saw Ali’s 5 Ingredient Chicken Chili from Gimme Some Oven that I knew. I must. eat. it.
Now.
I’ll admit, I didn’t stick with the 5 ingredients. I couldn’t help myself. I added a few things here and there, but there’s nothing complicated about this recipe. You can use any leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken you like, and any salsa verde you like. I do think the key to this recipe is using a great salsa verde. I’ve included the recipe I use for mine below, but if you’ve got a favorite store brand or homemade recipe, feel free to use it!
As most soups and chilis do, this gets better with time. I made this in the morning, then re-heated it for dinner. It was AWESOME! I have no reason to believe this wouldn’t be a great freezer meal–we just didn’t have enough leftover to try 🙂
p.s. Serve with chips for dipping or mini corn muffins for best results!
- 1lb cooked chicken, see below for suggested preparation
- 2c salsa verde, homemade or store bought (see below for suggested)
- 4c water
- 2 (15oz) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp honey
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
- 1 (12oz) can tomatillos, drained (I used Embasa brand)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- olive oil
- ½c cilantro
- salt
- Extra cilantro, lime wedges, tortilla chips, avocado, cheese, or sour cream.
- Place chicken on a piece of foil. Stir together honey, lime juice, and lime zest. Pour over chicken. Cover with a second piece of foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through. Shred.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onion and saute until translucent and tender. Put cooked onion, green chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, and a big pinch of salt into a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add chicken, salsa, water, beans, chiles, and cumin to a soup pot. Bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt and pepper, as desired. Soup gets better over time, so feel free to make it early!
This recipe looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it. Pinned for later! 🙂
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This sounds so yummy! I love salsa verde. I will be making this soon!
I take it back. My recipe is just barely like this. I will be trying this instead! Sounds divine!
I made this last night and LOVED it, yet another one of your recipes that has not let me down! My boyfriend absolutely loved it too. I am excited to make egg tacos tomorrow for breakfast and spoon that leftover salsa verde on them. 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Oh my, is this ever good. My husband swooned he loved it so much. I made it easy too; used leftover rotisserie chicken, LaVictoria Chunky Salsa Verde, 4 cups of cooked Great Northern beans (I was out of canned beans), used chicken broth instead of water & added some left over fresh corn kernels. It was delicious. This will be a new addition to our mealtime repertoire. Thank you!
I am tardy in getting around to reviewing this recipe, but I wanted to say that we loved it. DH ate two bowls, and the next day was in the frig looking for the leftovers! I used leftover roast chicken, and for salsa, I used Target’s Roasted Salsa Verde (very good stuff by the way). Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it!!! I’ll have to track down the Target salsa. Archer Farms makes some of my favorites 🙂
Emily — This was so incredibly easy and delicious! I made this recipe twice in a row because it was so enjoyable. The recipe for the salsa verde is simple and I feel made all the difference in taste! This is now in our regular dinner rotation. Thank you so much!
Christie – THANK YOU for your sweet comment! It absolutely made my day. We just made it again this week and the leftovers didn’t stand a chance!
So glad you published this easy recipe. I was just reading page 128 of Elizabeth Berg’s novel, Tapestry of Fortunes and one of the characters was making chicken chili with salsa verde. Made my mouth water, although I’ve never even tried it so I immediately googled the dish and came up with your recipe right away. I will definitely make this soon using rotisserie chicken and your recipe for salsa verde, plus our favorite–sliced avocado.