Pollo en Salsa Verde (chicken in green sauce)

One year for Cinco de Mayo, the cafeteria in the building where I work made this as a daily special. I was so impressed with it that I immediately asked for the recipe, and have made it several times for my wife.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 5 large tomatillos (green tomatoes)
  • 1 large white onion
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2-4 sprigs of cilantro (to taste)
  • 1 fresh lime (or 2 tablespoons lime juice)
  • Olive oil

Preparation

  1. Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces, brown in olive oil in a large frying pan
  2. Cut tomatillos and onion into small pieces and put in a bowl
  3. Mince the garlic, add this to the bowl as well
  4. Slice jalapeno pepper lengthwise, remove seeds and white rib with a small spoon. Dice pepper, and add to the bowl
    • If you like a spicier dish, you can add the seeds and rib as well.
    • Be sure to wash your hands well after handling the pepper!
  5. Add the lime juice to the mixture in the bowl. If you have a citrus zester or small cheese grater, you can shave the green part of the rind to sprinkle over the dish when serving
  6. Once the chicken is cooked and browning well, add the vegetables. Turn heat to medium and cover pot, stirring occasionally. The tomatillos will cook down and form a sauce. When the onions are soft and the tomatillos have broken down, dinner is ready!
  7. Serve over saffron (yellow) rice or a wild/long grain rice. Also works well in flour tortillas as a fajita.

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