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Meat, Americas

Salsa verde chicken with rice

Salsa verde chicken with rice is a Mexican style braise made with chicken thighs and tomatillos, serving 4, ready in 55 minutes, rated easy, for €3.00 per person. The key is blending the green sauce with chile, garlic, and cilantro, then letting the chicken simmer long enough to soak it all up.

Chicken simmered in a bright green, tangy sauce with chile, cilantro, and lime. It's fresh, a little spicy, and tastes like sunshine.

Salsa verde chicken with rice
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.00
Calories per person
460 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Spring, Summer
The kids
They generally like it

The salsa verde is what gives this dish its character, a tangy sauce made from blended tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño. The chicken simmers right in it until tender, soaking up that bright, citrusy flavor sharpened with cilantro. Plain white rice underneath balances the heat without dulling it.

This is a weeknight dinner that breaks away from the usual roast chicken, simpler to pull off than its name suggests. Kids tend to like it if you go easy on the jalapeños, and adults can always add more heat at the table. Mon Chou likes this dish for how fresh it tastes in warm weather and how little hands on time it actually needs.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Chicken thighs 8

Pantry

  • Canned tomatillos 600 g
  • Cuminoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Chicken brothoften in the pantry 20 cl
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 1
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Jalapeño peppers 2
  • Fresh cilantro 1 bunch
  • Lime 1

The step by step recipe

  1. Brown the salted and peppered chicken thighs in an oiled pot, then set them aside. 10 min

    Skin side down, don't move them until they're well browned.

  2. Blend the tomatillos with the onion, garlic, jalapeños, half the cilantro, and the cumin.

    If you can't find tomatillos, use green tomatoes or sweet pickles instead.

  3. Pour the sauce into the pot, add the broth, return the chicken, and let it simmer covered. 35 min

    Flip the thighs halfway through, they'll soak up more sauce.

  4. Cook the rice in salted water, then drain it. 11 min

    For more flavor, add a bay leaf to the cooking water.

  5. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, add a squeeze of lime, and serve over the rice.

    A dollop of sour cream at the table tames the heat.

Our tips to get it right

  • Seed the jalapeños if you want a milder sauce, most of the heat lives in the seeds and white membranes.
  • Hold back some fresh cilantro for the end, the kind that simmers loses its bright flavor and turns mellow.
  • Use a pot wide enough that the chicken thighs sit in a single layer, mostly covered by sauce.

The variations

  • Swap the chicken thighs for boneless skinless thighs, they'll cook a bit faster.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with cooked white beans and cut the simmer time to 15 minutes.
  • For kids, skip the jalapeños and just add a pinch of cumin, the sauce stays green and flavorful without the heat.

What to serve it with

  • Warm corn tortillas
  • Avocado or homemade guacamole
  • Ice cold limeade

Storage

Salsa verde chicken keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well, sauce and chicken together, for up to 2 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can you substitute the tomatillos with something else?

Yes, green tomatoes or sweet pickles make a decent stand in for tomatillos. The flavor will be slightly less tangy but the texture holds up fine.

Can you make the salsa verde ahead of time?

Yes, you can blend the sauce the day before and store it in the fridge. It actually tastes better after resting a few hours.

How do you make this milder for kids?

Remove the seeds and white membranes from the jalapeños, or use just one instead of two. The sauce stays green and flavorful, just less spicy.

Do the chicken thighs need to be boneless?

No, bone in thighs hold together better during simmering and stay juicier. You can easily debone them once cooked if you prefer.

How long does it take to make a salsa verde chicken with rice?

Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a salsa verde chicken with rice?

About 460 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a salsa verde chicken with rice cost?

About €3.00 per serving, or €12.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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