Description
Super zippy, bright, & fresh salsa verde chicken (pollo verde) made with just 10 ingredients on 1 sheet pan! A versatile sheet pan chicken dinner that can be transformed into any of your favorite Mexican meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6, see Recipe Notes)
- 1/2 pound husked tomatillos, rinsed & quartered
- 1 small red onion, quartered
- 1 poblano pepper, roughly chopped (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 limes, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- for serving, as desired: brown rice or quinoa, shredded cabbage or lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, pickled red onion, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeno, lime wedges, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment, as desired, for easy cleanup.
- Prep the chicken & veggies: Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer on half of the prepared baking sheet. Arrange the tomatillos, red onion, poblano & jalapeno on the other half of the baking sheet. Season the veggies with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Drizzle the olive oil & squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the chicken thighs. Season the chicken with the cumin, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Use your hands to toss the chicken, ensuring it’s coated in the seasoning.
- Roast the chicken & veggies: for 15-20 minutes, until the veggies have softened and the chicken is cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Carefully remove from the oven (there will be juices in the pan!) & set aside.
- Shred the chicken: Allow the chicken to cool slightly, to handle, then transfer to a large plate. Using two forks or a pair of tongs, shred the chicken to your desired level (chunky vs fine – up to you!). Set aside.
- Blend the salsa verde: Carefully transfer the roasted tomatillos, onions, & peppers to a blender or food processor. Squeeze in the juice of the remaining 2 limes and add the cilantro. If there are any juices leftover in the pan you can add those to the mixture as well – they’re full of flavor! Blend until pureed. Taste and season with additional salt as needed.
- Mix the pollo verde: Pour the salsa verde over the shredded chicken, reserving any as desired for serving. Toss to combine.
- Serve! Serve up the pollo verde as desired – tacos, nachos, burrito bowls, taco salads – you name it! Pictured here is a burrito bowl-meets-salad, with shredded cabbage & lettuce, some quinoa, avocado, tomatoes, & tons of extra salsa verde, lime juice, & cilantro. YUM. Enjoy!
Notes
- Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Sure! I prefer thighs since they’re flavorful & stay really nice & juicy through roasting, but you can swap them out with breasts. I would suggest either pounding the breasts out flat, cutting the breasts half lengthwise (butterflied), or dicing into bite sized pieces to ensure they roast up evenly & don’t dry out.
- Make it creamy pollo verde: Take your pollo verde to the next level by blending avocado into the salsa verde. Creamy salsa verde is dreamy!
- Make-Ahead & Storage: If you’re one to cook in advance, salsa verde chicken is an awesome option! This pollo verde will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
- Freezer instructions: Pollo verde is a great freezer staple. You can easily thaw it out and use it on tacos, nachos, taco salads, burrito bowls, etc. for an easy dinner down the road. To freeze, transfer cooled pollo verde to a freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost by placing in the refrigerator overnight to thaw, or by submerging the freezer bag/container in room temp water for 20-25 minutes.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this sheet pan chicken is chopping the salsa verde veggies. Chop them up in advance to get a head start on your salsa verde chicken – it’ll take 10 minutes, tops. Store in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. At dinnertime all you have to do is toss them on a sheet pan & get roasting – so easy!:
- Husk, rinse & quarter 1/2 pound tomatillos
- Peel & quarter 1 small red onion
- Deseed & roughly chop 1 poblano pepper
- Deseed & roughly chop 1 jalapeno pepper
