This is the BEST Green Chili Recipe, made with chicken, tomatillo salsa, green chilies & Anaheim peppers – it's packed with flavor!

How to make this recipe

Add olive oil to a large pot over med-high heat then gradually add in the onion, sauteeing them until fragrant.
Add in green pepper and anaheim pepper, sauteeing until softened and onions are translucent.
Toss in garlic, cumin, salt & pepper then add remaining ingredients, stirring well and bringing to a boil. Once brought to a boil, simmer.
Remove chicken breasts and shred.
Once shredded, stir chicken back into the chili.
Serve in large bowls with any ingredients of choice under the Topping Ideas heading. Enjoy!

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 then replace green bell peppers with more Anaheim peppers or replace it with another bell pepper of your choice.
Anaheim pepper – poblano peppers or an additional green bell pepper are great replacements for Anaheim peppers if you cannot find any.
Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic for this recipe.
Cumin – caraway seeds, ground coriander, garam masala or curry powder will 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

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Avocado – all topping ideas are optional, feel free to use as many or as little of these ideas or substitute them with whichever toppings you'd like.
Jalapenos – see above for substitution notes.
Cilantro – see above for substitution notes.
Lime wedges – see above for substitution notes.
Sour cream – see above for substitution notes.

Where to find green chilies

Check the produce aisle of your local grocery store to look for fresh green chilies. They will most likely be placed with other fresh peppers like jalapenos and poblano peppers or near the garlic and other herbs.

If you're looking for a milder spice than green chilies, check out the International food aisle or the canned goods aisle in the grocery store for canned green chilies or jarred pickled jalapenos.

Are green chilies spicy?

Whether or not a chili pepper is spicy will depend on your personal spice tolerance. As a general rule of thumb, green chilies have a more mild-hot taste compared to the other chili peppers on the market. The spice of the green chili compares to jalapenos and poblano peppers. If you have a lower spice tolerance but still want to enjoy this dish to the fullest, use canned green chilies or jarred pickled jalapenos. These alternatives will offer the same great taste but are less spicy!

Storing and reheating

Once your green chili has cooled down entirely, store the leftovers in individual servings in airtight containers in the fridge for up to four days. Yes – that means this chili is the perfect meal prep dish for your 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, put it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, mixing halfway through, until warmed or pour into a pot and warm it up on the stovetop.

Freezing green chili

This recipe works great as a freezer meal as well. The green chili will last for three 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. The toppings should be added to the chili once it is warmed up.

When you're ready to enjoy the dish, thaw the chili in the refrigerator overnight. Then following the instructions above you can reheat the dish using the microwave or stovetop.

You can also reheat from frozen if you've frozen the chili in individual portions. Microwave for 6-8 minutes on high, stirring halfway through.

More chili recipes

Meal prep tools for this recipe

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

The Best Green Chili Recipe