Chicken Chili Verde

So I love salsa verde and enchiladas verde, so naturally, I had to make chili verde. Now, I've tried a bunch of chicken white bean chilis that are greenish, but they completely miss the mark for me. Tomatillos are key to anything verde, and this is really easy and delicious.

Chicken Chili Verde

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 lb fresh tomatillo (about 6 -8 large) husksd remove, cored & quartered or 
• 1 large jalapeno
• 1 serrano chili (or chili of your choice depending on how spicy you like it
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans northern white or cannelli beans, drained, rinsed
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• sour cream

Directions

• Add oil to a large pot, like a dutch oven. Over medium heat, sauté chicken, season with salt and cook until no longer pink. You may need to cook in batches. Remove chicken from pot, set aside.
• In a blender, combine tomatillos, peppers, and garlic and and blend until thick & smooth. 
• Add onions into pan with a little more oil, if needed, and sauté until tender
• Add chicken back to pot. Add spices and stir.
• Add the tomatillo mixture, chicken broth and beans to the cooked chicken pieces.
• Simmer for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until desired thickness
• Top cheese and sour cream.

Note: This can very easily be adapted to a crockpot. Just saute the chicken and onions and then put it all in the crockpot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours.

Beer-braised Chicken with Root Veggies

This is a very flavorful dish that is pretty easy. It would make a wonderful twist on Chicken and Dumplings, but unfortunately I had to settle for fresh, homemade bread. Poor me, I know! Bonus, I got to use my new Lodge enamel-coated, cast iron dutch oven again!  Also, gluten-free friends, this recipe can easily be altered with gluten-free beer

Beer-braised Chicken with Root Veggies

• 8 skinless or skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large medium yellow onions, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 4 to 6 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks (I used a combination of red, gold, or purple)
• 1 medium celery root, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks (or substitute extra potatoes)
• Two 12-ounce bottles of strong, dark beer (Porter or Abbey ales work well)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried or 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme 
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions: 

• Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. In a large, heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Sear the chicken, turning once or twice, until lightly browned on both sides. You may need to cook the chicken in batches. Remove when done and set aside and pour off excess fat from the pot.
• On medium heat melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the onions and garlic sauté until golden
• Add the carrots, potatoes, and celery root, and stir in the porter, broth, sugar, mustard, tomato paste, and thyme. 
• Return the chicken thighs to the pot, submerging them in the liquid. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
• In a heatproof bowl make a roux with the remaining 5 tablespoons butter and the flour to form a thick paste. You can use a pastry blender or a fork. Slowly whisk about 2 cups hot cooking liquid into the roux. Then, slowly stir this mixture into the pot. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken and the chicken and veggies are cooked
• Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter or individual serving plates. Skim any fat from the surface of the stew. 
• Salt and Pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce a bit longer if you like it thicker. 
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and serve.

No Knead Homemade Bread--Two recipes

So I've been experimenting with baking bread at home of and on for a few months now. I always thought baking bread was hard and time consuming, and it can be, but have found two no-knead recipes/methods that work well. It's also much cheaper and more convenient. If you are interested in baking your own bread, give them a try and see what method works best for you.

No Knead Crusty Bread
The first is the No Knead Crusty Bread from King Arthur flour. It's great because you always have dough in the fridge--risen and ready to go. You can have a fresh loaf in about an hour. Here is the recipe and method: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe

This is one attempt at making it.

4-Hour No-Knead Bread
The second method is very similar to the previous and can be found here: http://www.instructables.com/id/4-Hour-No-Knead-bread/

The recipe says to let it sit for at least four hours. I sometimes will make this in the morning and let it sit on the counter all day so it's ready when I get home.

Here's a picture of the latest loaf I made.