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Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Verde

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This Chicken Chili Verde is jam packed with deep rich flavors that will fill your home with the smells of your favorite Mexican Restaurant. Served over rice and garnished with sour cream this is one incredible dish.

Bowl filled with rice and chicken chili verde on a wooden cutting board.

A month ago I spied this recipe from my friend Sarah at The Magical Slow Cooker! (Her Slow Cooker really is MAGICAL! The stuff that pops out of that thing…Wowza!) 

She had this recipe for Slow Cooker Green Chile Cheesy Chicken, and it looked SO good! As I skimmed through the recipe, it called for “Poblano” peppers. Whooo-Hooo! That was all the convincing I needed. I was ALL in! I love Poblano Peppers! Yummmmm!

I did my usual “tweaking” (Let’s not confuse that with “twerking”!?? Who comes up with this stuff? Any who… If my hips move in a “provocative” manner it’s going to mean hip replacement! Lol) I think this recipe leans towards a Chili Verde recipe, so I renamed it Chicken Chili Verde. It has rightfully earned the name.

I used a fresh Poblano like Sarah, however I roasted mine. I love the flavors that roasted peppers bring to a dish. It’s a little extra work…but totally worth it.

Ingredients needed for this recipe

  • 1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken tenders, thawed – I cube mine into bite size pieces for easier serving.
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cumin – you can add more if you’re a cumin lover like myself.
  • 1½ Cups Salsa Verde, or Green Salsa – do not substitute with red salsa.
  • 1 whole Poblano Pepper, diced – Roasted or un-roasted, seeds removed.
  • 1½ Cups shredded Colby-Jack Cheese
  • Sour Cream for Garnish

How To Make Chicken Chili Verde

This dish starts out with 1.5- 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs. I recommend that the chicken thighs are thawed. *Note you can use pork in place of the chicken.

I didn’t thaw mine and I had a lot of extra broth. Next time I will be sure they are completely thawed first. (Nothing worse than frozen thighs…the clacking noise they make! GADS! Ohhhh…maybe that’s just my frozen thighs. Oh, Lawdy! T.M.I.)

Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and chili powder. I added a little cumin. It just doesn’t feel like Mexican food without a little cumin! Okay I added a lot of cumin! About 2 teaspoons.

chicken thighs with seasoning

You can dice a fresh whole poblano pepper and throw it in, or you can roast your pepper like I did.

How To Oven Roast Poblano Peppers

To roast peppers simply place them on your broiler pan (That’s the drawer under the oven that no one ever uses, blow the dust off the pan before you use it!) and set the oven temp to broil.

Keep a close eye on the pepper. It will begin to sound like the shootout at the O.K. Corral! No worries. That is just the skin popping as the steam builds up inside the pepper.

 When one side is nice and toasty black… rotate the pepper so that all sides are darkened, and the skin is bursting. You may have to turn it several times to get the entire pepper roasted.

Easily Peeling Peppers

Quickly submerge the roasted pepper into ice-cold water and leave it for 1–2 minutes. If you have sensitive skin I highly recommend wearing latex gloves before handling the peppers.

Peel the outer layer of skin off the pepper.

Cut the top off by the stem. Pull the stem out trying to remove as much of the center out as possible. Rinse out the inside of the pepper to remove any excess seeds. Dice the pepper.

I know…it doesn’t look pretty. You are just going to have to trust me that this roasted pepper is a game changer in this recipe!

roasted peppers for Slow cooker chili verde

Preparing everything for the slow cooker

Add the diced roasted poblano and 1½ cups of green salsa to the chicken.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

green salsa and peppers on chicken

This dish makes a LOT of sauce! If you want you can cut the green salsa down to just one cup and it would be fine. You can see from my picture how much broth I have in my slow cooker.

TIP: I love to use the extra sauce in my rice as a substitute for water.

As this dish begins to cook you are going to go crazy with the smells going on inside your house. Honestly, it’s like the BEST Mexican restaurant in the entire country.

My kids were dying over the smells coming out of my kitchen. I think we were all convinced our kitchen had converted to a 5 star Mexican restaurant.

Finishing and Serving Chicken Chili Verde

Sprinkle the chicken mixture with 1 and ½ cups of shredded Colby-Jack cheese. Cover and continue to cook for about 10 minutes or more, until the cheese is melted.

chicken covered with cheese in slow cooker

I make homemade Cilantro Lime Rice recipe to pair with this Chicken Verde. It really kicks up the flavors in this dish. You can use regular rice if you prefer.

Close up of Chicken Chili Verde over rice in a white bowl.

We add a “dollop” of sour cream on top of our Chili Verde! That little touch of sour cream makes it crazy good! What a game changer! One I highly recommend.

The bottom line friends…this recipe has made its debut, and will be returning for many, many encore performances at this Nest! It’s fantastic as is…the leftovers…if there are any…would be spectacular in burritos or chimichangas.

If you want an easy delicious dinner idea…this is it! 

Fork full of chicken chili verde over a bowl full of the same.

Questions and Answers for this recipe

  • Can this recipe be made ahead of time? It can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
  • What are some other ways to use this recipe? This is a great “sauce” over tamales, enchiladas, and chimichangas! It’s also great on top of Nacho’s or on eggs!
  • Can I use another pepper rather than a Poblano? Yes! This recipe works beautifully with Anaheim peppers or regular Hatch Chilies! I’ve even mixed peppers for this recipe.
  • How do I keep the heat at bay in this recipe? Make sure to remove ALL the seeds from your roasted peppers!
  • Do I have to use Chicken? No! Not at all. This recipe works well with diced pork, and steak!

If you enjoyed this recipe you may also enjoy these other fantastic Mexican Main Dish Recipes

Have a Great Day…remember to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.

Norine's Nest Signature
Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Verde

Bowl filled with rice and chicken chili verde on a wooden cutting board.

This Chicken Chili Verde is jam packed with deep rich flavors that will fill your home with the smells of your favorite Mexican Restaurant. Served over rice and garnished with sour cream this is one incredible dish.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 - 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, thawed
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. chili pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 1/2 cups of green salsa
  • 1 poblano pepper, diced...you can roast it or use as is.
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack Cheese
  • Rice for Serving
  • Sour Cream for Garnish

Instructions

  1. Add the chicken to the slower cooker.
  2. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, chili pepper, and cumin over the top of the chicken.
  3. Roast Pobalno Pepper and dice.
  4. Pour Green Salsa over the top of the chicken.
  5. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or about 6 on low would work too.
  6. When the cooking time is done, sprinkle top of chicken and sauce with shredded cheese.
  7. Cover the slow cooker for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  8. Serve over rice. Enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6 servings

Serving Size:

1 1/2 cups

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 545Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 304mgSodium: 1127mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 63g

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jennifer

Monday 10th of May 2021

is chili pepper the same as chili powder??

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Tuesday 11th of May 2021

Hi Jennifer! The Chili Peppers referred to in this recipe are Red Chili Pepper Flakes. Now this can make this recipe a bit spicy...so you could substitute chili powder without any issues and have a more mild flavor. Hope that helps you out a bit. I love the flavors in this recipe. Enjoy! Happy Nesting! Norine

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowl (Mexican Chicken) - Joyous Apron

Thursday 3rd of December 2020

[…] Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Verde (by my blogger friend, Norine’s Nest!) […]

Laura Hall

Friday 19th of May 2017

Can't wait to try this.

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Monday 26th of June 2017

Hi Laura! Sorry I didn't see this comment. It slid right past me. This is a really great dish with lots of options. Hope you're doing well. Hugs, Norine

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