Pork Chile Verde is a classic Mexican stew you can prepare on the stovetop, in the oven, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot. Tender cubes of pork shoulder simmer in a vibrant sauce made from tomatillos, green chiles and aromatic spices, producing a savory, slightly smoky dish with just enough heat to be memorable.
If you enjoy Mexican dinners, try other favorites such as Authentic Pozole, Instant Pot Carnitas, and a fresh Mexican Salsa recipe.
✔️ Pork Chile Verde
A steaming bowl of braised meat in a rich sauce is hard to beat on a chilly evening. Like a hearty chili or a classic Chile Colorado, this green chile pork stew is comforting, easy to make, and full of flavor.
⭐️ Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- This dish adapts to many methods—stovetop, oven, slow cooker, or pressure cooker—so you can choose the pace that fits your schedule.
- Pork shoulder (pork butt) is the ideal cut: affordable, well-marbled, and forgiving during long braises, producing melt-in-your-mouth meat.
- The sauce comes together quickly without roasting or charring chiles, saving time while keeping bright, fresh flavors.
- This recipe scales easily for a crowd, reheats well, and makes excellent leftovers.
- Fresh chiles can be swapped for what’s available in your area without losing the soul of the dish.
✔️ Chile Verde Ingredients
- Pork: Use boneless pork shoulder (pork butt) or boneless country-style ribs. Pork loin can work with adjusted cooking times but is leaner and may dry out if overcooked.
- Oil: Olive oil or a neutral oil such as vegetable or canola oil for searing.
- Chiles: Hatch chiles (or Anaheim/cubanelle) for a savory base, jalapeños (or serranos for more heat), and poblanos for depth.
- Tomatillos: Fresh tomatillos give a bright, tart flavor. If unavailable, use 11–12 ounces canned tomatillos or one pound of green tomatoes plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice.
- Aromatics: Yellow or brown onion and fresh garlic.
- Seasonings: Ground cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.
- Fresh Cilantro: Adds brightness; substitute flat-leaf parsley if you dislike cilantro.
- Broth: Chicken broth adds flavor; water can be used in a pinch.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice brightens the sauce—avoid bottled juice when possible.
🔎 How To Make Chile Verde
Below are the main steps for making chile verde on the stovetop. Full details and exact measurements are provided in the recipe card.
- Season: Season pork cubes with salt and pepper.
- Sear: Brown the pork in batches until golden to develop flavor. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté: In the same pot, sauté onions and chiles until soft, then add tomatillos and cook a few more minutes.
- Spice: Add cumin, coriander, oregano and garlic; cook until fragrant.
- Add Liquid: Stir in broth, cilantro and lime juice and bring to a light boil, then remove from heat.
- Blend: Purée the chile-tomatillo mixture with an immersion blender or in a regular blender until smooth (careful with hot liquids).
- Simmer: Return sauce to the pot with the pork, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until pork is fork-tender, about 2½–3 hours on low.
- Finish: Taste and adjust seasoning, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
How Do You Thicken Chile Verde Sauce?
Tomatillos naturally thicken the sauce with their pectin. If you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk together a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1–2 tablespoons water) and simmer until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
Is Green Chile A Colorado Thing?
The terms can be confusing. “Chile” refers to the pepper, while “chili” usually refers to a stew. Chile verde is a green chile stew popular in parts of Mexico, New Mexico, and Colorado, each region putting its own spin on the dish.
🔎 Is It Chile Verde or Chili Verde?
In short: “chile” names the pepper; “chili” names the stew. Pork Chile Verde is a stew named for the green chiles that make its sauce. Similarly, Chile Colorado refers to a stew made with red chiles.
🔎 How To Serve Chile Verde
Serve chile verde over rice, with warm corn tortillas for scooping. It also pairs well with tortilla chips for dipping.
🔎 What To Eat With Pork Chile Verde?
Chile verde is a satisfying meal on its own, but for a larger spread serve it with beans, Mexican-style salads, homemade tortilla chips and guacamole for a festive table.
🔎 Can Chile Verde Be Made Ahead?
Yes. Once cooled, store chile verde in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It also freezes well for up to 2 months.
🔎 How Long Does Chile Verde Keep?
Refrigerated in an airtight container, chile verde keeps up to 5 days. Frozen, it will stay good for about 2 months.
🔎 Can You Freeze Pork Chile Verde?
Yes. Cool completely, then freeze in airtight containers or resealable freezer bags. Portion into single servings if you like; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
👀 How To Pick The Best Tomatillos
Tomatillos are related to tomatoes but have a unique tart flavor. Choose small-to-medium tomatillos—about walnut to golf-ball size—since larger ones can be less flavorful or bitter. They should fill their husks and feel firm, not hard.
✔️ Tomatillo Substitutions
- Canned Tomatillos: Use 11–12 ounces of canned tomatillos (already cooked/puréed).
- Green Tomatoes: One pound green tomatoes plus about 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice helps mimic tomatillo acidity.
- Unripe Tomatoes: Use only as a last resort.
✔️ Instant Pot Recipe Instructions
Sear the pork and sauté onions, tomatillos and chiles on the pressure cooker’s Sauté setting. Purée the sauce, return the pork, seal and cook on high pressure for 28 minutes. Allow a 10-minute natural release.
✔️ Slow Cooker Instructions
Sear the pork and sauté the vegetables in a skillet. Blend the sauce, transfer everything to the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 4–5 hours.
✔️ Oven Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Follow the stovetop steps through combining meat and sauce, then cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Bake until the pork shreds easily, about 2½–3 hours.
Chile Verde Recipe Tips
- Choose well-marbled cuts like pork shoulder or boneless country ribs; the fat keeps meat moist and flavorful during long cooking.
- Pat meat dry before searing to achieve a good brown crust and deeper flavor.
- Puréeing the cooked tomatillos, chiles, and aromatics creates a silky sauce and melds the flavors.
- If Hatch chiles aren’t available, Anaheim or cubanelle peppers are good substitutes.
Try these other easy Mexican recipes:
- Carne Asada
- Instant Pot Carnitas
- Shrimp Ceviche
- Mexican Spaghetti
Pork Chile Verde Recipe
Kathy McDaniel
Pin
Equipment
-
Dutch oven (7–8 qt)
-
Immersion blender or countertop blender
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 2 Hatch or Anaheim peppers, stemmed and chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and chopped
- 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed and halved
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth (more to adjust sauce consistency)
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1 cup packed)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
To serve:
- Corn tortillas, radishes, tortilla chips and lime wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Season the pork with salt and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the pork on all sides in batches; transfer to a plate and reserve about 2 tablespoons fat in the pot.
- Sauté onions, jalapeños, Hatch and poblano peppers about 4 minutes until they soften. Add tomatillos and cook 3–4 more minutes.
- Stir in cumin, oregano and coriander, then add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add broth, cilantro and lime juice, bring to a light boil, then remove from heat.
- Blend the mixture until smooth using an immersion blender or transfer carefully to a countertop blender.
- Return the sauce and pork to the pot, scrape up browned bits, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until pork is tender, about 2½–3 hours. Adjust seasoning and garnish with cilantro before serving.
Pork Chile Verde in the Instant Pot
- Sear pork and sauté vegetables on Sauté mode. Blend the sauce, return pork to the pot, seal and cook on high pressure 28 minutes. Allow a 10-minute natural release.
Pork Chile Verde in the Slow Cooker
- After searing and sautéing, transfer pork and blended sauce to the slow cooker. Cook on low 6–7 hours or high 4–5 hours.
Pork Chile Verde in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine pork and sauce in an ovenproof pot, bring to a simmer, cover and bake until pork shreds easily, about 2½–3 hours.
Nutrition
, Carbs 9 g, Protein 33 g, Fat 19 g