Chicken Chile Verde

From the garden

• 2 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 3 medium poblano peppers, stemmed and halved — swap one for a jalapeño if you want more heat
• 1 large white onion, half quartered for the sauce, half diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, tender stems and all

From the pantry

• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1½ cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 corn tortillas, warmed — or serve over rice
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. Broil the tomatillos, poblano halves (skin-side up), quartered onion, and garlic on a sheet pan 8–10 minutes until charred and softened. Blend with the cilantro and a teaspoon of salt into a slightly coarse green sauce.
2. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, the cumin, and oregano. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high and brown the thighs about 4 minutes per side, in batches if needed. Set aside.
3. Cook the diced onion in the drippings 3–4 minutes until translucent, then pour in the green sauce — careful, it will sputter — and fry it, stirring, 5 minutes until it darkens slightly and smells roasty. Frying the sauce is the step that builds real chile verde depth.
4. Add the stock, return the chicken and its juices, and simmer gently, partly covered, 25–30 minutes, until the chicken is fork-tender and well past 165°F and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
5. Break the chicken into large chunks right in the pot, taste, and sharpen with salt and a big squeeze of lime. Serve in shallow bowls with warm tortillas or over rice, with lime wedges alongside.