Tomatillo Chicken

Pollo Entomatado

Nov 12, 2026

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.

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.

How to Make

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

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.

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 while you work with the other ingredients.

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. 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.