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You are here: Home / Chicken / Tomatillo Chicken

Tomatillo Chicken

Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

Pollo Entomatado

Tomatillo chicken, called pollo entomadado, is prepared with skinless chicken thighs and legs, and white potatoes simmered with tangy tomatillos and chipotle chile in adobo sauce. Chicken doesn’t have to be dull. This dish has layers of flavor. The chicken is lightly browned, and the tomatillos sauteed then all the ingredients are simmered together to create a rich sauce. It’s even healthy as an added bonus.

Mexican Tomatillo Chicken Dish

We like to serve it with Mexican Rice or white rice as a side dish but it’s so good it doesn’t need a side. A stack of warm corn tortillas is always welcome too.

Mexican Tomatillo Chipotle Chicken Recipe

How to Make

Ingredients:

Gather all your ingredients.

  • 4 chicken legs
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 ¼ lb. tomatillos or green tomatoes
  • 2 large white potatoes
  • ¼ large white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 sprigs cilantro
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. salt + to taste
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
Ingredients to Make Mexican Tomatillo Chicken

First, remove the skin from the chicken.

Chicken Pieces with Skin Removed on Prep Table

Then, generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prep the potato, tomatillo, onion and other ingredients.

Salted Chicken Pieces

Cut the potato into ½″ cubes. Cut the tomatillo into ½″ pieces. Slice the onion lengthwise into thin strips. Finely chop the cilantro, garlic, and chipotle chile.

Chopped Vegetables on Cutting Board

Preheat a large frying pan to medium-hot then add 3 tbsp. of olive oil. In the hot oil, lightly brown the chicken pieces on both sides.

Skinless Chicken legs and Thighs in Frying Pan
Chicken Legs and Thighs Browning in Frying Pan

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside while you work with the other ingredients.

Browned Chicken Legs and Thighs Being Removed from Frying Pan

In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute until the onion just starts to turn translucent.

Sauteeing Onions Garlic in Frying Pan
Sauteed Onions and Garlic in Frying Pan

Then add the tomatillo and cook for 5 minutes until it has softened and is changing in color from bright green to pale green.

Chopped Tomatillo Cooking in Frying Pan

Add the chopped chipotle and stir. The chipotle adds a little smoky heat. It’s just enough to give the sauce a hint of heat but not make it burn-your-mouth hot.

Chopped Chipotle and Tomatillo in Frying Pan
Simmering Tomatillo Chipotle Sauce

Add the potatoes and cilantro stir well.

Adding Potato and Cilantro to Tomatillos

Add the chicken broth.

Adding Chicken Broth to Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Add the water.

Adding Water to Tomtillo Chicken Stew Cooking in Pan

Add the oregano and salt and stir.

Adding Oregano to Chicken Tomatillo Stew Cooking in Pan

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Simmering Tomatillo Sauce

Add the chicken pieces. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Simmering Chicken Tomatillo

The tomatillo sauce reduces and intensifies in flavor.

Chicken Tomatillo in Pan

Serving

Spoon the tomatillo potato mixture on a plate and place 1 thigh and 1 leg on top. Serve with white rice or Mexican rice as a side dish.

Tomatillo Chicken Dish Closeup

This will become one of your favorite chicken dishes. It’s easy to prepare and has depth of flavor.

Mexican Chipotle Tomatillo Chicken Dish

Provecho!

Tomatillo Chicken Dish Closeup
Print Pin
4.42 from 31 votes

Tomatillo Chicken Recipe

Tomatillo chicken, called pollo entomadado, prepared with skinless chicken thighs and legs, and white potatoes simmered with tangy tomatillos and chipotle chile in adobo sauce.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword how to make tomatillo chicken, Mexican chicken recipe, tomatillo chicken recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 367kcal
Author Andrés Carnalla

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken legs
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 ¼ lb. tomatillos or green tomatoes
  • 2 large white potatoes
  • ¼ large white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 sprigs cilantro
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. salt + to taste
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

  • First, remove the skin from the chicken.
  • Then, generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prep the potato, tomatillo, onion and other ingredients.
  • Remove the papery husk from the tomatillos then rinse under warm water.
  • Cut the potato into ½″ cubes. Cut the tomatillo into ½″ pieces. Slice the onion lengthwise into thin strips. Finely chop the cilantro, garlic, and chipotle chile.
  • Preheat a large frying pan to medium-hot then add 3 tbsp. of olive oil. In the hot oil, lightly brown the chicken pieces on both sides.
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute until the onion just starts to turn translucent.
  • Then add the tomatillo and cook for 5 minutes until it has softened and is changing in color from bright green to pale green.
  • Add the chopped chipotle and stir. Add the potatoes and cilantro stir well.
  • Add the chicken broth, water, oregano, and salt then stir well.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil then add the chicken pieces. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  • To serve, spoon the tomatillo potato mixture on a plate and place 1 thigh and 1 leg on top.

Notes

Substitutions
  • You can leave the skin on the chicken if you prefer. Follow the same steps for browning and cooking.
Storage
  • It will keep well in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 2pieces | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 662mg | Sugar: 6g

More Mexican Chicken Recipes

  • Chicken Tinga
  • Chicken Fajitas in Adobo
  • Chicken Tacos with Avocado Salsa
  • Chicken Tostadas
  • Chicken Taquitos (Flautas)

 

More Mexican Chicken Recipes

  • Mole Poblano
  • Mexican Sopes with Chicken
  • Chicken Fajitas [Easy in 30 Minutes]
  • Chicken Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathleen says

    August 05, 2018 at 9:57 pm

    Hi! This says to add cilantro and oregano, but doesn’t give amounts?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      August 05, 2018 at 10:02 pm

      Kathleen, it’s 2 sprigs cilantro and 1/2 tsp. Mexicano oregano. Thanks for the heads-up!

      Reply
  2. Linda Henry says

    October 26, 2018 at 12:36 pm

    Made this keto-friendly last night by just omitting the potatoes and using half the amount of tomatillos (suggest reducing liquid since there’s no potatoes to soak it up) – it was a hit! Served with guacamole to tame my overuse of the chipotle in adobo ;) YUM!

    Reply
  3. Matt G says

    March 26, 2019 at 5:37 pm

    5 stars
    This is a big hit for the whole family. The kids (2 and4) enjoyed the chicken enough to power through the slow simmering heat that made their lips tingle. My wife keeps going back for more. I was glad to gobble up anything left on plates (almost nothing) and and am super excited for leftovers.

    Reply
  4. deborah k crary says

    August 24, 2019 at 4:29 am

    when it says a can of chipotle in adobo.. do I use the whole can? it says chopped chipotle..

    Reply
    • Jon says

      January 03, 2022 at 4:48 pm

      5 stars
      No! Your face will explode into flames. Just 1 pepper out of the can. :-)

      Reply
  5. eatchimac says

    December 21, 2020 at 10:57 pm

    It’s the best recipe ever!
    Make for Christmas – delicious!

    Reply
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  7. ol says

    May 11, 2021 at 10:25 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is excellent. Shockingly flavorful and easy. I didn’t have fresh tomatillos, so I used canned and it was still good. I will try with fresh next time and also try it with pork.

    Reply
  8. ol says

    May 11, 2021 at 10:30 am

    5 stars
    I used 1-2 chiles from the canned adobe chiles.

    Reply
  9. Eric says

    August 17, 2021 at 6:02 pm

    5 stars
    I planted tomatillos in my garden and I needed something to make with them, and – wow, this is delicious.
    I just cut up a fresh chili instead of the canned, and I used boneless chicken thighs, and cut them up after browning them. (I like having the smaller chicken pieces rather than a couple huge ones). Worked great; I’ll absolutely make this again.

    Reply
  10. Laura Alatorre Parks says

    September 27, 2021 at 10:23 pm

    5 stars
    Wow…just wow. I grow tomatillos…and am always looking for new ways to use these delightful fruits. My changes were minimal: boneless skinless thighs (next time I will chop smaller before serving) and I added a few cayenne peppers, whole, for heat and color, and I doubled the chipotle pepper from the can…because they are just so sexy! We served with corn torts (how I was raised) and a simple garnish of avocado with lots of fresh cut cilantro. Yummy factor off the charts on this one!

    Reply
  11. Laura says

    August 30, 2022 at 10:37 am

    4 stars
    This was a good dish even though it’s not what most people would consider typical Mexican food. My modifications were to add a bit more chipotle and because I was out of regular potatoes, I substituted a medium sweet potato. It worked out fine and the tiny bit of sweetness it added complimented the chipotle nicely.

    Reply

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Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

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D. Cullen Profile Picture

Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

More about me →


Most Popular Recipes

  • Classic Salsa Verde
  • Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Traditional Sopa de Fideo
  • Red Pork Pozole
  • Chicken Tinga
  • Agua de Jamaica
  • Tres Leches Cake
  • Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Citrus Balsamic Viniagrette
  • Red Enchilada Sauce
  • Mole Poblano

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