This is the BEST Green Chili Recipe with tender pulled chicken, salsa verde & green chilies. It's packed with flavour and freezer-friendly!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – a neutral oil like sunflower oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil can be used in place of olive oil.
- Red onion – yellow onion, white onion or shallots are great alternatives to red onion.
- Green pepper – if you're in a pinch, replace the green bell peppers with more Anaheim peppers or replace them with another colour bell pepper of your choice.
- Anaheim pepper – poblano peppers or an additional green bell pepper are great substitutes for Anaheim peppers.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic for this recipe.
- Cumin – caraway seeds, ground coriander, garam masala or curry powder will also work.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Chicken breasts – replace the chicken breast with chicken thighs for an even juicier cut of meat.
- Green chilies – fresh green chilies, canned green chilies or jarred pickled jalapenos can be used for this recipe. Canned green chilies or pickled jalapenos will be the less spicy options.
- Salsa verde – tomatillo is a great alternative for salsa verde.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is a great substitute for chicken broth.
- Navy beans – though navy beans blend well into this dish, you can use any type of bean instead.
- Lime juice – fresh or bottled lime juice will work.
- Lime zest – if you're using bottled lime juice, leave this out.
Topping ideas
- Avocado – guacamole would also be yummy or you can leave this off altogether.
- Jalapenos – pickled jalapenos are a less spicy option.
- Cilantro – leave the cilantro off altogether if you’re not a fan.
- Lime wedges – leave this off if you don’t have any on hand.
- Sour cream – lime crema or plain Greek yogurt would both work here.
How to make green chili
Step 1: Sauté the onions.
Sauté the onions in a large pot until fragrant.
Step 2: Add the peppers.
Sauté the green pepper and Anaheim pepper until softened.
Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients.
Add in the garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer.
Step 4: Shred the chicken.
Remove the chicken breasts and shred using two forks.
Step 5: Stir back into the chili.
Stir the shredded chicken back into the chili.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Serve in large bowls with any toppings of your choice.
What to serve with green chili
I love serving my green chili with toppings like cilantro, sour cream, avocado and lime wedges. If you're looking for more serving suggestions, here are some ideas:
- Warm flour tortillas (what green chili is traditionally served with)
- Jalapeno cornbread
- Garlic bread or crusty bread
- Homemade tortilla chips
Frequently Asked Questions
This green chili recipe is super versatile – you can make it on the stovetop, in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. Just follow the recipe instructions below based on your preferred cooking method!
If you have a lower spice tolerance but still want to enjoy the best green chili recipe, use canned green chilies or jarred pickled jalapenos. These alternatives will offer the same great taste but are less spicy!
This recipe uses chicken breasts, but you could also try making it with chicken thighs, pork or even ground beef.
Let the green chili simmer covered for about 25 minutes, stirring it every now and then.
Yes, this green chili recipe is gluten-free! If you're allergic to gluten, just make sure that none of the ingredients you're using contain traces of gluten.
Storing and reheating
Once this green chili recipe has cooled down entirely, store the leftovers in individual servings in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. That means this chili is the perfect meal prep dish for the week! If you're someone who is on the go, store the green chili in mason jars for easy travel.
When storing the chili, you will want to store the leftovers without any toppings on them. Keep the toppings stored separately and top the chili with the leftovers after you've warmed the serving up and are ready to enjoy.
To reheat your chili, microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. You could also heat it up in a pot on the stovetop.
Freezing this recipe
This green chili recipe works great as a freezer meal as well, and will last for 3 months in an airtight container or mason jar in the freezer. Make sure to store the chili in the freezer without any of the toppings.
When you're ready to enjoy the dish, thaw the chili in the refrigerator overnight then reheat as normal. You can also reheat individual portions from frozen – just microwave for 6 to 8 minutes on high, stirring halfway through.
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Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this green chili into leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Easy Green Chili Recipe {Best Ever!}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 anaheim pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 4 oz can green chilies
- 16 oz jar salsa verde
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 540 mL can navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 lime, juiced plus more for taste (optional)
- 1 tsp lime zest
Topping ideas
- Avocado
- Jalapenos
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream
Instructions
Stovetop instructions
- Add olive oil to a large pot over med-high heat. Add onion, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add in green pepper and anaheim pepper, sauteeing another 2 minutes until softened.
- Toss in garlic, cumin, salt & pepper, sauteeing for 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well and bringing to a boil. Simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred, then stir back into chili. Serve in large bowls with any ingredients of choice under the Topping Ideas heading. Enjoy!
Slow cooker instructions
- Add all ingredients except for toppings to the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred, then stir back into chili. Serve in large bowls with any ingredients of choice under the Topping Ideas heading. Enjoy!
Instant Pot instructions
- Add all ingredients except for toppings to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure and then remove lid once the pressure gauge has dropped.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred, then stir back into chili. Serve in large bowls with any ingredients of choice under the Topping Ideas heading. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Jocelyn says
Tip for not crying: hold your nose and breathe through your mouth! That’s what they taught us in school. It has something to do with the gasses going through your nose. Unfortunately they do that when they’re “old” but most onions are kept in storage. But that explains why some cause you to cry and others don’t.
Taylor Stinson says
Ahh gotcha! Thank you so much for the tip and the education 🙂
June says
This soup had so much flavor!! And was super easy to make! It’s now in our soup rotation for easy and yummy meals. I did the crockpot version.
My changes – I cut up the semi-frozen chicken breast into cubes so I didn’t have to shred it later.
Only added two cups of chicken broth (instead of 3 as recipe calls for) because I wasn’t sure if my chicken would add too much water/broth as it cooked.
Added 1 teaspoon oregano because it’s green and I like the taste. 🙂
PS This will make your house smell so good!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!