Tomatillo Chicken Chili

It's soup season! My favorite time of year. During the fall and winter months there is usually either a Tupperware in the fridge or a freezer stocked full of it. I'm kicking off the soup season with this tasty Tomatillo Chicken Chili. The fresh tomatillos and lime juice give it a little extra kick that I think you'll all enjoy.

To be perfectly honest, the butcher at Whole Foods inspired me to make this. I ordered some chicken breast and ground chicken at the counter and he asked whether I was making chili. I was like, yes! Good idea. Chicken cubes and ground chicken. Yum. Remember this Chicken Chili recipe I posted back in 2012? That one's a keeper too.

Tomatillo Chicken Chili
makes 1 large pot

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into small cubes)
1/2 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 lb ground dark meat chicken
1 medium yellow onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
2 small cans or 1 large can diced green chilies
6 fresh tomatillos
2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans (drained)
8 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth
1/2 lime (juice)
spices: cumin, coriander, green chili powder, dried oregano
salt and pepper
olive oil 

for serving
plain Greek yogurt
cilantro
lime wedges

Start by charring the tomatillos. Pop the tomatillos onto a baking sheet and put under the broiler. Shake around a couple of times, most of the tomatillo skin is charred. Remove and pop into a blender. Puree until completely smooth.

Get a soup pot out and heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken cubes with good shake of cumin, coriander, green chili powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Let cook for about 6 minutes until golden. Remove from heat to a plate and set aside.

Lower heat just a bit and add a dash of olive oil. Add both ground meats to the pot and sprinkle with same spice mix, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is cooked through. Remove to plate with chicken cubes.

Add a dash more olive oil if necessary and add onions. Let cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Next, add garlic, green chilies, pureed tomatillos, spice mix, salt and pepper. Let cook for another 5 minutes.

Add cannellini beans, chicken broth and squeeze half a lime in. Add a good amount of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add chicken back to pot,  taste the broth and adjust salt as necessary.

Let chili simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.

Serve chili with fresh cilantro, a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.