Easy, green, and beautiful.

Ok let’s talk green chile stew. I love exploring flavors around the world, and here’s a wonderful regional cuisine from my own country! These green chiles are grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico and are a staple of New Mexican cooking. They’re harvested late summer and early fall, so when my friend visited New Mexico in September, I asked if she would bring me some fresh ones back (hey Feldy!). I then used a recipe from a true New Mexican (hey Nathan!) though I adapted it a little. The true, award-winning recipe is pasted at the bottom.

About the meat: The classic recipe calls for pork shoulder. However, I’ve been going vegetarian a few months and pork felt a steep hill to jump. So I opted to use chicken, and I went to shop at a local butcher to buy locally sourced meat. The end result tasted more like a spicy chicken soup, but a delicious one at that.

About the peppers: I used a mix of green and red peppers because that’s what I had, though the classic is just green. Also, I learned the hard way that these peppers need to be roasted and peeled. My attempt on the burner, although it looked cool, did not work. If you are able to buy fresh peppers, here are directions on how to roast in the oven and peel. If you want to buy them in store, Whole Foods sells this brand. There’s also various versions available online.

*yields 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 small roasting whole chicken

• 8 green peeled chile peppers

• 1 large yellow onion

• 2 carrots

• 3 on the vine tomatoes

• 3 medium potatoes

• 2 cloves garlic

Directions

1. Prepare veggies: Chop onion, carrots tomatoes, and potatoes; mince garlic.

2. Cook soup: Add everything to pot. Cover with water.

   1. Crock Pot: Cook 3-4 hours or until potatoes are done.

   2. Instant Pot: Slow cook setting high 5-6 hours.

3. Finish and serve: Remove chicken and let cook. Shred pieces and return back to soup. Top with fresh herbs or a squeeze of lime juice.