Roasted salsa verde chicken soup
Tomatillos, onion and jalapeño roasted until charred, mashed into a tangy green broth and loaded with shredded chicken and white beans.
- 60 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.53 a serving
- 410 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
- 1 white onion, cut into wedges
- 2 jalapeños, halved and seeded
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1½ lb chicken breasts
- 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 avocado, diced (optional)
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Each serving has about 410 calories, 48 g protein, 32 g carbs and 10 g fat, and costs about $3.53 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 450°F. the papery husks off the tomatillos, off the sticky coating, and cut them in half.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Dolly’s tip: The sticky film is normal. A quick rinse under warm water takes it right off.Spread the tomatillos cut side down on a with the onion, jalapeños and garlic. with the oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatillos are soft, slumped and in spots.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Char. Charring means cooking over very high heat until some spots turn black. Those dark spots add a smoky, slightly bitter flavor that balances sweet or rich food.
How you’ll know: You see black spots and blisters in places, while most of the surface keeps its own color.
Timer: 22 min 30 sec
the roasted jalapeños, then put everything from the pan into a large pot and mash it with a potato masher into a chunky salsa.
Finely chop. Finely chopping means cutting food into small pieces, a little bigger than minced, about the size of a lentil. Small pieces spread their flavor through the dish and cook quickly.
How you’ll know: Nothing is bigger than a lentil, and the pile looks like confetti rather than paste.
Dolly’s tip: Want it milder? Add just one jalapeño now and taste before adding the other.Add the broth, cumin, oregano and the rest of the salt, lay in the chicken breasts, and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to low, cover and for 18 to 20 minutes, until the thickest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 19 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Lift out the chicken, it with two forks, and stir it back in with the beans. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Low heatTimer: 5 min
Stir in the cilantro and lime juice, taste for salt, and serve with avocado and a spoonful of sour cream.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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