This chili verde recipe is made with tender pork shoulder cooked low and slow in a rich verde sauce of roasted tomatillos, poblanos and jalapeno peppers.
Pork Chili Verde
If you enjoy green chili, you'll love my hearty Pork Chili Verde. This is a Mexican-style dish I've been making for well over a decade, and it rivals any of my favorite Mexican restaurants.
The pork is so tender from the low and slow cooking, and the verde sauce is perfection, everything you want in an authentic chili verde.
The verde sauce is KEY here, made from roasted tomatillos, poblanos and jalapeno peppers, very much like salsa verde, which can definitely be used to make this recipe.
Ingredients
- FOR THE VERDE SAUCE
- Tomatillos.
- Poblano Peppers. Anaheim peppers are a good use here as well, as are any of the Hatch Chile varieties.
- Jalapeno Peppers.
- FOR THE CHILE VERDE
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Pork Shoulder. You can use other pork roasts as well.
- Seasonings. Ancho chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt and pepper. Use "green chili powder", like Hatch, for more green color to your final chili.
- Onion and Garlic.
- Chicken Stock.
- Cilantro.
- Lime Juice.
- For Serving. Extra limes sliced jalapeno peppers, fresh chopped cilantro, crumbly white cheese, spicy chili flakes, sour cream.
How to Make Chili Verde - Step by Step
Make the Chile Verde Sauce. Preheat your oven to broil.
Slice the peeled and rinsed tomatillos in half through the horizontal center (not up and down) and arrange on a lightly oiled baking dish with the skin sides up.
Place the poblano chiles and jalapeno peppers on a separate lightly oiled baking sheet skin sides up.
Roast the Peppers and Tomatillos. Bake the peppers and tomatillos about 12 - 15 minutes until skin side is blistering on both the tomatillos and green chiles. Rotate the baking sheets if needed.
You may need up to 20 minutes, depending on your proximity to the heat element.
Remove from heat and cool slightly. They will look like this.
Peel off the pepper skins and discard them.
Learn more about How to Roast Tomatillos and How to Roast Chili Peppers.
Add the tomatillos and peppers to a food processor. Season to taste with salt. Process until smooth.
Make the Chili Verde. For making the chili verde, heat a large pot to medium-high heat and add a bit of olive oil. I like to use my Dutch oven for this.
Sear the Pork Shoulder. Season the pork shoulder with ancho powder, cumin, salt and pepper, then add the pork. Sear the cubes 2-3 minutes to brown the pork on all sides, until each side is nicely browned, stirring here and there.
I like to get a good crust seared into the meat. Do this in batches if you need to.
Onions and Garlic. Add the onions and stir. Cook them down about 5 minutes to soften.
Stir in the garlic cloves and Mexican oregano and cook another minute.
Time to Simmer. Add the reserved tomatillo sauce along with ½ cup chicken stock, or up to a cup if you’d like a thinner chili verde. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 2 hours (you may need longer), until the pork is fork tender. It's SO good when slow cooked.
Remove the chili verde from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and juice from 1 lime.
Serve It Up! Serve it up in bowls and top with your fixings - Extra limes, sliced jalapeno peppers, fresh chopped cilantro, crumbly white cheese, spicy chili flakes. Whatever you like!
BOOM! DONE! I hope you love your pork chile verde recipe! It's the perfect Mexican stew.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Slow Cooker Chili Verde. If you'd like to make it in a slow cooker or crockpot, follow the seasoning instructions and still sear the cubed pork in a pan, then add it to the slow cooker.
Make the salsa verde per the recipe, then add that to the slow cooker. Then, cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the pork is fork tender.
Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Chili Verde. You can also make chili verde in a pressure cooker or instant pot very easily.
Simply season and brown the cubed pork along with the vegetables in the pot, then cover and pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Naturally release the pressure, then stir up your chili. It is extremely easy and delicious.
How to Thicken Chili Verde. If your chili is too thin, a great way to thicken it is to stir a tablespoon or two of cornstarch in water and swirl it into the pot.
Simmer until it thickens up. If your sauce is too thick, swirl in some chicken broth.
Serving Chili Verde
You can serve up your chili verde in a bowl on its own and you'll love it. Or, serve it over a bit of rice to help absorb all that verde sauce.
Try serving it with warm flour tortillas or corn tortillas so you can enjoy it as tacos or burrito style. Don't forget your favorite toppings.
It's also great served over chips as sort of a chili verde nacho bowl.
Storage & Leftovers
Store chili verde in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To enjoy again, reheat it in a pot on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of water or stock to loosen it up if needed.
You can easily freeze your leftover chili by transferring it to sealable freezer containers and setting them into the freezer.
Frozen chili will last 6 months easily this way.
Try Some of My Other Popular Chili Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Chili Verde Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE VERDE SAUCE
- 2 pounds tomatillos husked and rinsed
- 2 poblano peppers stemmed and sliced in half lengthwise
- 3-4 jalapeno peppers stemmed and sliced in half lengthwise
FOR THE CHILI
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil or lard)
- 3 pound boneless pork shoulder cubed (do bite sized cubes)
- 2 tablespoon green chili powder optional (or use ancho powder, though it can affect the final "green" color)
- 1 teaspoon cumin optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large onion chopped (white or yellow)
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- ½ - 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Juice from 1 large lime
FOR SERVING
- Extra limes, sliced jalapeno peppers, fresh chopped cilantro, crumbly white cheese, spicy chili flakes
Instructions
- Make your verde sauce first. Preheat your oven to broil.
- Slice the peeled and rinsed tomatillos in half through the horizontal center (not up and down) and arrange on a lightly oiled baking dish with the skin sides up.
- Place the peppers on a separate lightly oiled baking sheet skin sides up.
- Bake the peppers and tomatillos about 12-15 minutes until skin side is blistering on both the tomatillos and peppers. Rotate the baking sheets if needed. You may need up to 20 minutes, depending on your proximity to the heat element.
- Remove from heat and cool slightly. Peel off the pepper skins and discard them.
- Add the tomatillos and peppers to a food processor. Process until smooth. Set aside for now.
FOR THE CHILI
- Heat a large pot to medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Season the pork shoulder with ancho powder, cumin, salt and pepper, then sear the cubes a minute or 2-3 on each side, or until each side is nicely browned. I like to get a good crust seared into them. Do this in batches if needed to not overcrowd the pan.
- Add the onions and stir. Cook them down about 5 minutes to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and Mexican oregano and cook another minute.
- Add the reserved verde sauce along with ½ cup chicken stock, or up to a cup if you’d like a thinner chili verde. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 2 hours (you may need longer), until the pork is fork tender.
- Remove the chili verde from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and juice from 1 lime.
- Serve in bowls and top with your fixings - Extra limes, sliced jalapeno peppers, fresh chopped cilantro, crumbly white cheese, spicy chili flakes
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 10/13/25 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 11/23/18.
Sharon Raymond says
Making this tonight...can't wait to dive in! Because I know it will be as delicious as all your other dishes I have made as well. Thanks Chef Mike!!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes!!! Enjoy, Sharon!! I LOVE this recipe!! I am hungry now.
Wendy & Chris Hunsicker says
Hi Mike,
What a fabulous recipe! My husband cubed and seared the Boston butt meat while I prepared the broiled peppers and tomatillos. This was our first experience cooking with tomatillos, had never even bought them before. Something new to us. All we can say is this chili verde is absolutely amazing! You are so right about the house filling with a tantalizing aroma. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe which will be made over and over. One more of your recipes that are all definitely keepers.
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, BOOM!! I love that you both enjoyed it! Glad it will be part of your rotation moving forward. I appreciate it, Wendy and Chris!
Melissa says
I made it in the crockpot, and it was absolutely delicious. Thanks Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome!!! Thanks, Melissa!!
Reese Fahey says
Mike, I cannot wait to make this recipe of yours! All of your recipes I've made have been nothing short of...phenomenal.
My disclaimer: I will simmer the Verde sauce with bone in, skin on chicken breasts and thighs. Then, shred the meat from those two. I am not a huge of fan of pork shoulder.
I'll update this, once I've made and no doubt, devoured a healthy portion.
Mike Hultquist says
I hope you enjoy it, Reese!! Cheers!
Mike R says
My recipe is similar although I use 1 dozen Poblanos' and after I brown the meat I use a cup of dry vermouth to clean the fond in the bottom of the pan and use 1 -2 jalapeno and 1 serrano
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds wonderful, Mike! Very nice.
Kathy Hayes says
I've made this numerous times with the tomatillos, poblanos and jalapeños I grow in my garden and it's DELICIOUS! My whole family loves it. Thanks for the yum, Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding!! I love to hear it, Kathy. Very happy you're enjoying it that much! BOOM! Thank you.
Lenora Wadsworth says
Looks delicious!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Lenora! YUM!!
Jack says
Great timing as I made this last week and had the remainder last night for dinner. It’s definitely a keeper. I used some smoked pork shoulder out of the freezer and that was fantastic.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Jack! I love it. Smoked pork shoulder would put this over the top. Nice!!!
Tracy Giddens says
Being retired, I have lots of free time and I love to cook. Mike, your recipes are easy and step by step. I have tried quite a few and this one is right up there with your Carne Adovada (my personal favorite) and your Chili Colorado. The flavor is outstanding!
Mike Hultquist says
This is really great to hear, Tracy. Very happy to be helpful. Happy cooking!! Thanks!
Oregon Kay says
Hi Mike.
2 questions:
What other cut of pork can I use to avoid having to trim all of the fat and connective tissue? I know that fat = flavor but I 'm very picky about eating fat attached to meat. (we all have our own weirdness!)
You mention that chix could be used. I only like breast meat. What, if anything, would I need to do to have the meat turn out tender and flavorful? Would searing dry out the meat?
Thanks for your expertise and wonderful website!
Blessings, Kay
Mike Hultquist says
Kay, you can use leaner cuts or pork, like loin or tenderloin. Just adjust cooking time to cook until done. You won't need as long of a simmer. Same with chicken breast. You can sear them, but you might try a marinade on them (I have several on the site) or a simple brine, to help keep them moist. Let me know how it turns out for you.