Author Topic: Cheesy Green Chile Chicken and Rice  (Read 293620 times)

Offline DeShawn

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Cheesy Green Chile Chicken and Rice
« on: May 21, 2016, 06:13:08 am »
Finally... FINALLY a new recipe! I made this today for another team activity. This one is EASY, and has great flavor. For quicker preparation, skip the step of browning the chicken and simply nestle the raw chicken pieces into the dutch oven when the recipe says to nestle the chicken pieces back into the dutch oven.

A note about poblano peppers--these are often mis-labeled as pasilla peppers here in Utah, and I hear it's the same in many places in the western United States. It's a mild, dark green pepper that has a LOT of flavor. Wikipedia has a little more information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasilla

Ingredients
  • 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 3 or 4 pieces
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3-4 poblano peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 18-oz can green chile enchilada sauce or salsa verde
  • 2 1/4 cups long grain rice
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup chopped fresh cliantro
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
  • 1 8-oz package Mexican 3-cheese blend

Preparation
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch dutch oven over a full spread of briquettes. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the dutch oven and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Don't over-crowd the dutch oven. You will likely have to do this in 2 batches. The chicken will not be cooked all the way through, it will just need to get some color. Remove the chicken from the dutch oven and set aside.

Add the onion and poblano pepper and saute until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the cumin, enchilada sauce, chicken broth and rice.

Bring to a boil, then nestle the chicken back in the dutch oven. Cover and bake with 10 briquettes bottom heat and 16-18 briquettes top heat from 70-80 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the chopped cilantro and spinach and season with additional salt to taste. Add the cheese, cover, and bake until the cheese is bubbly.