Chicken Tomatillo Stew

Oh the market is filling up with tomatillos!  I actually still had some frozen ones in my freezer from last summer, so I thought I'd use them up in this stew. The recipe is from Paleo Comfort Foods, and it is pretty simple and makes a big batch - which means good freezing for lunches later. And I got to use the first green pepper out of the garden, and poblanos from the farmer's market!

The flavor in the stew is nice and spicy - not too hot, and your kitchen will smell like a good taqueria. The tomatillo sauce I had in my freezer did have some jalepeno blended in, so that added a little extra heat to mine. For the chicken, I just got some large chicken breasts, coated them in oil and a little flavored salt rub, and stuck it under the broiler for 15 minutes (flip halfway through). Then I shredded it up and added it to the pot.

Chicken Tomatillo Stew
1-2 T coconut oil
1-3 poblanos, chopped
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 garlics, minced (opt)
2-3 green or red peppers, chopped (opt)
1 cubanelle pepper, minced (opt - I used a habenero from my garden instead)
2 t chipotle pepper
2 t chili pepper
1 T cumin
2 t smoked paprika
1 1/2 lbs fresh tomatillos, husked and chopped small/crushed in food processor
1 24 oz can tomatoes (or fresh ones!)
4 c chicken broth
2 lbs cooked chicken, shredded (pulled pork would work too)

1. Heat oil in a large pot.
2. Add onions, poblanos, peppers, and garlic and saute until onions turn translucent.
3. Add spices and minced hot pepper if using. Stir to mix.
4. Add tomatillos, tomatoes, broth, and chicken. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours.
(I opted to move everything to the crock pot to simmer - and I left it in there for a bit longer.)

Green Enchilada Sauce

I actually made this sauce and froze it a week or so ago and am just now getting around to posting it. I love enchiladas in the fall and winter, but don't like the canned sauce with all of the weird stuff in there. It turns out it is embarrassingly easy to make. So when tomatillos appeared at the market last week - I had to do it.

I got this recipe from The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook, which is an amazing collection of local food restaurants, including the Birchwood and Lucia's. There are lots of stunning photos too. I actually gave the cookbook as a gift, but snuck a few recipes before wrapping it up. This recipe is from El Norteno on Lake Street.

1/2 lb. tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 jalepenos, chopped

Simmer all ingredients in vegetable oil for 10 minutes. Process mixture until smooth and add salt to taste. And that is it! I froze my sauce in jars, with extra room to freeze.
*I have no idea how much my tomatillos weighed, so I guessed at amounts - and got way spicy sauce. Beware!

Here is El Norteno's enchilada recipe (Chicken) - though I tend to just mix beans and sauteed veggies with lots of cheese for mine:
10 corn tortillas
2 c. shredded chicken
1 1/2 c. chihuahua cheese
1 c. chicken broth
sour cream, chopped onion, cilantro for garnish

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place less than 1.4 c. chicken and 2 T. cheese in each tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour sauce over all and sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake and garnish.
*Um, please note I have never made this recipe and must have missed what to do with that cup of chix broth. Pour it over as well?? and probably bake until browned?? oops.