This is one of my favorite dishes! It is warm and sunny, a perfect meal for a cold winter’s day. It is also a great meal if you are feeling under the weather or depressed because eating it just feels like home and happiness. I like to eat it alone as a stew but it is also great on a bed of Spanish rice.

We usually make this with pork but it can be made with chicken instead (Josh would definitely consider that sacrilege though!) I have used both a pork loin roast and pork chops with similar results.

2 1/2 lb chicken or pork

4 cups chicken stock

Place the chicken or pork in a large pot with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove the meat and set aside. Reserve the leftover stock in a bowl. (I also like to strain the broth because there are usually pieces of meat and fat floating around in the broth.)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup onion

1/4 cup celery

1 tbsp garlic

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup canned tomatillos or 4-6 large fresh tomatillos, chopped

1 large bunch cilantro

3 poblano peppers, roasted, or 1 7 oz can green chiles

2 jalapeno peppers seeded and finely chopped (I usually roast these as well)

Juice of one lime

I definitely like to make a mise en place for this meal. It is one of those dishes where I use every bowl in the house! I like to chop everything and place them in bowls with other items that go into the pot at the same time.

Saute the onion, garlic and celery in the oil until the onions are translucent.

Add the spices and tomatillos and simmer an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Wash and chop the cilantro and add the stems to the pot with 2 cups of the reserved broth and the chopped peppers. (The remaining broth could be used to make extra flavorful Spanish rice…) Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Add the meat and half of the cilantro leaves and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes. Finish with the remaining cilantro and the lime juice.

Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from the Chile Verde recipe in the Joy of Cooking