Why this green chile chicken soup starts on a sheet pan
The first time I made this Green Chile Chicken Soup, I did what most of us would do on a Tuesday. I opened a jar of salsa verde and poured it in.
It was fine. Fine is not the reason anybody stands over a pot.
So the next time, the tomatillos went on a sheet pan instead. Twenty minutes at 450 degrees and they came out blistered, sweet, and a little smoky.
That one change is the whole recipe. Roasting builds the flavor, searing the thighs builds the body, and the potatoes do the job that white beans do in every other version of this soup.
(And yes, husking a pound of tomatillos is sticky and mildly annoying. It’s twenty minutes of your life for a soup that tastes like it simmered all afternoon.)
The grape tomatoes roast on that same sheet pan, but they never go in the food processor. They get stirred in whole at the very end, so you get little bursts of sweetness against all that tangy green chile.
If you’ve made my Tomatillo Salsa Verde before, you already know this base. This is that salsa verde, turned into dinner.
Serve it with a pile of homemade tortilla chips and a lot of lime.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Tomatillos: Look for them near the tomatoes, still in their papery husks. Peel the husks off and rinse well, because the sticky film underneath is what makes them taste bitter.
- Grape tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes work just as well. These roast alongside the tomatillos but stay out of the food processor, so you get whole bursts of sweetness in the finished bowl.
- Jalapeños: Two give you a gentle warmth, not real heat. Use one if you’re feeding little kids, or leave a few seeds in if you want it to bite back.
- Chicken thighs: Boneless and skinless. Breasts work, but thighs stay tender through the simmer and give the broth more to hold onto.
- Yukon gold potatoes: This is what most green chile chicken soups use white beans for. Yukons hold their shape and go creamy at the edges instead of turning to mush.
- Diced green chiles: The canned mild ones. This is the only shortcut in the whole recipe and it earns its spot.
- Corn: Canned and drained is what I use. Frozen works too, and there’s no need to thaw it first.
- White onion and garlic: The base of the whole pot. Add the garlic last and give it 30 seconds, no more, or it turns bitter on you.
- Cilantro and lime: Both go into the salsa verde, and both go on top at the end. Don’t skip the lime at the table, it wakes the whole bowl up.
- Dried oregano and cumin: Cumin does the heavy lifting here. Mexican oregano is a nice swap if your store carries it.
- Avocado oil: Any neutral high-heat oil works, since the sheet pan runs at 450 degrees.
How to Make Green Chile Chicken Soup
Please see the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full instructions.
Roast everything on one sheet pan
Spread the tomatillos, jalapeños, and grape tomatoes on a parchment-lined sheet pan, drizzle with oil and salt, and toss to coat. Roast at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatillos are blistered and starting to collapse.
Let them sit for 5 minutes before you touch them.
Don’t rinse and go. Tomatillos have a sticky film under the husk that tastes soapy if you leave it.
Rinse them under warm water and rub until they actually squeak.
The Sheet Pan I L❤️VE!
Your veggies will end up steaming instead of roasting if you overcrowd the pan. So my tip… use the largest sheet pan you have and spread everything out!
Blitz the salsa verde
The tomatillos and jalapeños go into the food processor. Leave the tomatoes out, they’re staying whole for the end.
Blend until smooth, then add the cilantro and lime juice and pulse until no big leaves are left.
Sear the chicken, then build the base
Salt the thighs and sear them in a Dutch oven for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden. Pull them out, cook the onion and potatoes in that same pot, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.
The chicken does NOT need to be cooked through when you pull it out. It finishes in the simmer, and pulling it early is what keeps thighs from going stringy.
It saves SO much time!
Since it’s super important to get the garlic pretty small for this recipe, a garlic press like this one is a lifesaver!
It’s easy to use, finely minces the garlic, and does it in a fraction of the time as chopping it up by hand.
Simmer, shred, and finish
Pour in the salsa verde, broth, green chiles, and seasonings, then nestle the chicken back in and simmer for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken, return it to the pot with the corn and those roasted tomatoes, and give it 5 more minutes.
Troubleshooting
My soup tastes bitter. What happened?
Almost always the tomatillos. That sticky residue under the husk is bitter and it doesn’t cook out.
Rinse and rub them well next time.
It’s too spicy for my kids.
Stir a spoonful of sour cream or a few slices of avocado into their bowls. Both cut the heat fast without changing the pot for everybody else.
My broth is thinner than I expected.
Mash a few of the potato pieces against the side of the pot and stir. The starch thickens it up in about a minute.
Why isn’t my soup very green?
The roasted grape tomatoes pull the color toward golden, which is exactly right for this one. If you want it greener, leave them out.
FAQs
White chicken chili is thicker, built on white beans, and usually has something creamy in it. This one is brothier, built on roasted tomatillos, and uses potatoes instead of beans. If the creamy one is what you’re after, my Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is right there.
You can, and it’ll still be good. Thighs just hold up better through the simmer, so if you go with breasts, pull them the second they’re cooked through.
No, but it’s the reason this soup tastes different from every other one out there. See the shortcut note above if you’re pressed.
There isn’t a real substitute for the tangy thing tomatillos do. If your store doesn’t have them, jarred salsa verde is a better move than swapping in green tomatoes.
That’s exactly what this is. The Yukon golds are what make it a meal instead of a starter.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and honestly they’re better on day two. The potatoes soak up the salsa verde overnight and the whole thing gets deeper. This freezes for up to 6 months. The potatoes do soften noticeably after thawing, so if you know a batch is headed for the freezer, cut them a little larger than you normally would.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low until warmed through. The microwave works too, just stir it halfway.
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Green Chile Chicken Soup Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos husks removed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 2 jalapeños halved and seeded
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil divided
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- ½ bunch cilantro stems and leaves, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon lime juice from 1 lime, plus more for serving
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 small white onion finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles mild
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can corn drained
- Tortilla chips optional
- Avocado pitted and peeled, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the tomatoes, jalapeños, and tomatillos. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss until well coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tomatillos and tomatoes are blistered. Let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes.1 pound tomatillos, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 2 jalapeños
- Add the roasted tomatillos and jalapeños (but not the tomatoes) to a large food processor and process for 30-60 seconds, or until smooth. Add the cilantro and lime juice. Pulse 10-15 times, or until cilantro is finely chopped. Set aside.½ bunch cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Sprinkle chicken thighs all over with ½ teaspoon of salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken thighs and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until golden. Flip and cook for 4-5 more minutes. (They do not need to be fully cooked at this point). Transfer chicken to a clean plate.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the Dutch oven. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the potatoes and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.1 small white onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
- Pour the tomatillo mixture into the pot along with the chicken broth, green chiles, oregano, cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.5 cups chicken broth, 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the chicken thighs and make sure they are completely covered by the liquid. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred it using two forks.
- Add shredded chicken back to the Dutch oven, along with the corn and roasted tomatoes. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.1 (15.25-ounce) can corn
- Serve the soup with tortilla chips, sliced avocado, lime wedges, and additional cilantro, if desired.Tortilla chips, Avocado
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Notes
- Spice: Two jalapeños give you warmth, not heat. Add a third, use a serrano, or leave some seeds in if you want it hotter.
- Chicken: Thighs deliver the most flavor and hold up best through the simmer. Breasts work, and about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken stirred in at the end works too.
- Salsa verde shortcut: Swap in about 2 cups of jarred mild salsa verde and skip Steps 1 and 2. It loses the roasted edge but drops the recipe to about 30 minutes.
- Tomatillos: Rinse and rub them well after husking. The sticky film underneath tastes bitter and it does not cook out.
- Make ahead: This gets better overnight as the potatoes soak up the salsa verde. Hold the toppings until you serve.
- Storage: Airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low.
- Freezing: Freezes for up to 6 months. The potatoes soften noticeably after thawing, so cut them a little larger if you know a batch is headed for the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to Serve With Green Chile Chicken Soup
This is a soup that wants something to dunk. My Baked Tortilla Chips are the obvious move, and they bake in about 10 minutes while the soup simmers.
If you’d rather go the bread route, Mini Cornbread Muffins are the ones my family reaches for, though Honey Jalapeño Cornbread leans into the green chile thing nicely.
On the side, a scoop of Cilantro Lime Rice turns a bowl into a full dinner. Mexican Rice works too if you want something heartier.
And then the toppings, which matter more than you’d think. Sliced avocado, a good squeeze of lime, Pico de Gallo, a few Pickled Jalapeños if you want more heat, and Chopped Green Onions over the top.
More Mexican Soup Recipes
Once soup season hits this house, it’s Mexican-ish soup on repeat until March. These are the ones we actually make.
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
6 hrs 10 mins
Chicken Enchilada Soup
45 mins
Chicken Taco Soup
40 mins
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
40 mins
Great
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Shirley! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!