This nourishing Chicken Tomatillo Stew with butternut squash, carrots, tomatillos, chicken, and chiles makes for a healthy and satisfying dinner. Make a big pot and heat up leftovers for lunch. Dairy and gluten-free!
Everyone in our family is a huge fan of tomatillos. You perhaps know that because I have about a zillion recipes using them on the site, but just to reiterate, here’s one more.
I’ve tried growing them several times in the garden, but have had zero success. That doesn’t mean however that I don’t stubbornly keep trying every year. I had a packet of seeds last spring and dutifully sowed them like I always do and nothing ever emerged, like it never does.
Then last weekend I was clearing out one of the garden patches and noticed one tiny vine with three gumball-sized, purple husked tomatillos growing on it. Success!! Unfortunately they were about six months past their prime.
Until I master the art of growing tomatillos I will keep buying them from the store and coming up with new ways to use them, like this hearty stew.
Why I Love This Chicken Tomatillo Stew
Warming, hearty, and healthy! This is the kind of stick-to-your ribs food we all crave in the winter. The upside is it is loaded with vegetables and a little bit of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and not much else. No gluten, no dairy, just major tomatillo chicken flavor.
Ingredients
The idea behind this chicken stew is you make salsa verde and add that to a hearty pot of chicken and vegetables. The vegetables can be swapped for others you have on hand. Here’s what you need:
- Tomatillos
- Yellow onions
- Garlic
- Jalapeños, serranos or other fresh chiles
- Cilantro
- Kosher salt
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Celery
- Carrots
- Black pepper
- Butternut squash
- Ground cumin
- Chicken stock or broth
- Olive oil
- Scallions
How To Make It!
Like all soups and stews this gets better as it sits. It is delicious the first day, but phenomenal the second. I make a simple tomatillo sauce by simmering the ingredients together. If you wanted a charred flavor you could put all the sauce ingredients on a baking sheet and char them under the broiler instead. Check out Simply Recipes charred version to learn more.
- Make the tomatillo sauce. Combine tomatillos, one of the onions, the garlic, and chiles in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until the skin on the tomatillos begins to split, about 5 minutes. Drain, transfer to a blender or food processor and add cilantro and salt and carefully blend until smooth.
- Brown the chicken. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Brown the vegetables. Add onions to the oil in the pot, turn heat to medium and cook until starting to brown. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables start to become tender then add squash, cumin, tomatillo sauce, and broth and scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot–that’s where the flavor is!
- Simmer. Add chicken, stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 25 minutes.
More Healthy Winter Recipes To Try!
- Crock Pot Borracho Beans {Frijoles Borrachos}
- Spicy Vegan Enchilada Recipe
- Vegan Pozole Verde
- Roasted Mushroom and Goat Cheese Gorditas
- Caldo de Pollo Slow Cooker Recipe
- Rajas con Crema
- Sofrito Black Beans
20 Minutes Of Hands On Time Is All It Takes
To make a pot of this flavorful Chicken Tomatillo Stew. Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Chicken Tomatillo Stew
This nourishing Chicken Tomatillo Stew with butternut squash, carrots, tomatillos, chicken, and chiles makes for a healthy and satisfying dinner. Make a big pot and heat up leftovers for lunch. Dairy and gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions, divided (1 quartered and 1 chopped)
- 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-3 jalapeños, depending on how spicy you like things. Stems removed and seeds removed if you'd like it less spicy
- 1 bunch cilantro, divided
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups chicken broth
- thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the tomatillos. Peel and quarter one of the onions. Place in a large saucepan with the tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeños. Fill with water and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the skin on the tomatiilos just begins to crack, about 5 minutes.
- Blend sauce. Drain and transfer to a blender. Add 1/2 of the cilantro (yes, the stems and everything) and a teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. Be careful blending hot ingredients. Start the blender off low and gradually increase the speed so it doesn't explode on you.
- Brown the chicken. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon leaving the oil in the pot.
- Saute the vegetables. Return the pot over medium-high heat and add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables soften and begin to get some color, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add chicken back into the pot along with the tomatillo sauce, butternut squash, cumin, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let cook until the butternut squash and chicken are cooked through, about 25 minutes.
- Serve. Taste and add a teaspoon or so more of salt. Chop the remaining 1/2 bunch of cilantro and stir into the soup. Serve with thinly sliced scallions on top.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 926mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 31g
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