Easy Pressure Cooker Green Chili With Chicken

Easy Pressure Cooker Green Chili With Chicken
  • Yield:Serves 4 to 6
  • Active time:10 minutes
  • Total time:30 minutes
  • Rated: 4.5

Quick and tender chicken chile verde, thanks to the pressure cooker. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

It's a tough call, but I'm almost inclined to say that I like green chili made with tomatillos and a mix of fresh green peppers even more than I like a bowl of Texas red. This version is packed with moist, tender chunks of braised chicken thighs in a balanced sauce that is rich with umami depth and green chili flavor, but still plenty bright and fresh. And the best part: You can make it in under half an hour. All it takes is a pressure cooker and some dumping skills.

Why this recipe works:

  • Adding all the ingredients to the pressure cooker with no added liquid makes for an intensely flavored stew that cooks in its own juices.
  • Fish sauce adds umami depth to the fish once it's cooked.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 3/4 pound tomatillos, quartered, husks discarded (about 4 tomatillos)
  • 1 pound poblano peppers, roughly chopped, seeds and stems discarded (about 3 peppers)
  • 6 ounces Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers, roughly chopped, seeds and stems discarded (about 2 peppers)
  • 2 Serrano or jalapeño chilies, roughly chopped, stems discarded
  • 10 ounces white onion, roughly chopped (about 1 medium)
  • 6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon whole cumin seed, toasted and ground
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
  • Fresh corn tortillas and lime wedges, for serving

Directions

  1. 1.

    Combine chicken, tomatillos, poblano peppers, Anaheim peppers, Serrano peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, and a big pinch of salt in a pressure cooker. Heat over high heat until gently sizzling, then seal pressure cooker, bring to high pressure, and cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure.

  2. 2.

    Using tongs, transfer chicken pieces to a bowl and set aside. Add cilantro and fish sauce to remaining contents of pressure cooker. Blend with a hand blender or in a standing blender and season to taste with salt. Return chicken to sauce, discarding skin and bones and shredding if desired. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve immediately with tortillas and lime wedges.