Chicken Green Chile Stew

I made this stew a while back for one of my SoupGroup meetings. I seldom try new recipes for SoupGroup because of my fear of failure. The stew is a variation of my green chile sauce. The potatoes and corn makes a pretty hearty meal. I like to top it with shredded jack cheese and serve with a tortilla or two.

This recipe makes enough for five quart-sized containers and then some. Tonight I scaled it down a bit. I am really trying to learn how to cook for one (and sometimes two).

It is not green chile season so I used frozen green chiles and enhance it with some fresh roasted poblanos and jalapenos. During chile season I still like to use a roasted jalapeno or serrano. It adds a little dimension to the chile flavor. Don't use canned Hatch green chiles. They are vile.

- 4 lbs chicken breast; cubed
- 3 cloves garlic; crushed
- garlic powder
- cumin
- mexican oregano
- sea salt
- black pepper
-fbacon drippings or oil
- Flour
- 1 Onion; diced
- 2 quarts Chicken broth
- 3 jalapenos; roasted, peeled, deveined, de-seeded, and diced
- 3 poblanos peppers; roasted, peeled, deveined, de-seeded, and diced
- 1 cup roasted peeled green chile
- 5 diced tomatillos (or a 7 ounce can of Herdez salsa verde)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (I think it was a 14-15 ounce can.)
- bay leaves
- 5 red potatoes; peeled and diced
- 5 Yukon gold potatoes; peeled and diced
- 1 bag frozen super sweet corn (I used a gold and white mix.)

1. Marinate chicken breast with garlic, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Make a blond roux using equal parts bacon drippings or oil and flour. Set aside.
3. In a sauté pan, brown chicken breast in bacon drippings or oil. Transfer to large stockpot when browned.
4. In same pan, sauté onions with a little oil. Transfer to stockpot.
5. Place stockpot on medium heat. Add jalapenos, poblanos, and green chile. (I usually add half first, taste, and then add more later if I want more flavor and heat.)
6. Add tomatillos or salsa verde, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaves.
7. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Cook until potatoes are slightly fork tender.
8. Add roux and bring to a boil. Roux will thicken stew when it comes to a boil. (I usually will make the roux with about half a cup of flour and add in small quantities until I get the desired consistency.)
9. Adjust seasonings and add frozen corn.

I tried some pre-cooked tortillas.

I'm not sure if I like them. I think they are supposed to be closer to homemade tortillas. They were a little too thin. I like the handmade tortillas at Casa Guadalajara.