The goal: a quick green chile distinctive enough not to taste like you forgot to add beef and tomatoes.
Traditional green chile – often hearty, spicy blends of pork shoulder, white beans and tomatillos – were out. Dealing with a pork shoulder would slow things down considerably.
To get this in under 45 minutes, poultry seemed a better way to go. Ground chicken or turkey was a good start, but precooked chicken sausages were perfect for rounding out the flavor and heft of the dish.
The danger was that the chile could end up tasting like spicy chicken soup. To avoid that, cumin, smoked paprika, chile powder and oregano are heated in a bit of oil to ensure deep, rich flavors you’d never confuse with soup.
To further differentiate this chile from chicken soup, beer (a common ingredient in red chile) is used for part of the liquid.
This provides a subtle sweetness and prevents the liquid from having too strong a flavor from broth.
Some people add a jar of tomatillo salsa to take care of the hot peppers and tomatillos. Don’t do this. It results in a watery chile without much flavor. Take the couple extra minutes to chop fresh tomatillos (though jarred jalapeños are fine).
Tomatillos resemble small green tomatoes (and usually are found next to them at the grocer). They should be covered in a dry, papery husk and be quite firm. Some varieties can have a purple hue, but pass on any that have turned yellow.
To prepare tomatillos, peel away the husk, then rinse them under water. They can be eaten raw and add a delicious acidic bite to salads, salsas and guacamole.
To brighten the flavors of this chile, lime juice and fresh cilantro are stirred in just before serving. If you know you won’t eat the entire batch, reserve some of these ingredients for mixing in later.
