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.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
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, or other green chile.
- 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. Drain excess fat if needed as well.
Onions and Garlic. Add the onions and stir in a pinch of salt. 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!
I love to serve it with warm flour tortillas.
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.
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
Try Some of My Other Popular Chili Recipes
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 10/13/25 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 11/23/18.
Natalie says
I made this last night, and it was/is so delicious (I have leftovers to enjoy)!! Mine didn't stay green though (I'm not mad!), and I think it's because of the ancho chili powder I used, and the meat I used was seasoned already (that's all I could find yesterday). This is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Natalie! Glad you enjoyed it! So good!
Hollis Ramsey says
How serendipitous! I bought a Heritage boneless pork butt from D’Artagnan a couple of weeks ago, intending to make a chili verde with half and either carnitas or rillettes with the other half. So I’ve been reading lots of chili verde recipes.
Yours has most of the ingredients I want in mine. I like the nice amount of tomatillos, jalapeños, and poblanos, but I also like to add a bunch (or more) of cilantro and scallions to the sauce before blitzing. I like to use whole cumin seeds in mine instead of ground, and a generous amount of dried Mexican oregano. And I’ll probably add 1/2-3/4 c. chicken stock because I also like it on the thick side.
But it’s the add-ins that make it the best IMO: sour cream, pickled jalapeños, fresh-chopped white onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, sliced radishes, hot sauces, and warm tortillas. The D’Artagnan recipe even adds peeled and diced Yukon gold potatoes, and adding potatoes is never a bad idea.
Hollis Ramsey says
P.S. Since I last made chili verde, I’m no longer able to tolerate as much heat as I used to. No matter, it doesn’t need to be super hot to be super good.
Mike H. says
Absolutely - just adjust to your preference. Thank you!
Mike H. says
Thank you, Hollis - enjoy!
Jordyn says
I love this recipe and have made it several times, it always comes out great! However, I have family visiting now that can't eat pork, I was wondering if I could substitute the pork for beef? And if I did this how would the cooking times change?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jordyn. This will definitely work with beef. I would use beef chuck or brisket, basically a fattier, tougher cut that will benefit from the low and slow cooking. You can also make this with chicken, but cut the simmering time to 45-60 minutes tops. Let me know how it goes for you. Enjoy!
Santa says
Taste great
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Santa! I appreciate it!
Diggsies says
When you have experience cooking you can tell if a recipe is trash or if it will do great. I am going to the market to pick up a few things and I'll be making this recipe. It seems great.
And from what I'm reading this may be my new favorite website. Can't wait to update this with an actual review!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Diggsies. I greatly appreciate it. I definitely test all my recipes and have been cooking quite a number of years. Enjoy!
Nancy Buckley Murphy says
Have not tried it yet. . .but I will. I LOVE your green chili pork stew. I am hooked now on the green peppers on the lower end of the heat scale. Never had a tomatillo so this will be fun.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes! Thanks, Nancy. We LOVE that stew recipe. A favorite here.
Hollis Ramsey says
This recipe sounds so delicious and so easy. True story: my husband’s BFF ate his first bowl of chili verde in New Mexico, with roasted Hatch green chili peppers and lots of garlic. Although tears were streaming down his face, he somehow managed to eat four bowls. 😉
That’s exactly how hot I like my chili verde, so I use serranos, unseeded, in the sauce and sliced jalapeños as a topper, along with plenty of chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and dollops of sour cream (The Cooler lol). Ancho chili powder and cumin are not optional. I also prefer the brothier version when eating it in a bowl but I like it thicker when using with the aforementioned toppings in corn tortillas.
Mike, you always succeed in whetting my appetite. Thanks so much, dude!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Hollis. I appreciate it!
jamie parisi says
quick question. - how much salsa verde does this recipe make. I have a number of canned salsa from your recipe. can i use this and what amound would i need?
thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jamie, this makes about 8 small bowls of chili verde, or 4 larger bowls for more of a full meal. Yes, you can use canned salsa. I would probably use 2-3 cans. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Michael Kohrn says
I made this for a chili outing and it came out exceptionally good. Amazing recipe for sure. I did some tweaks (chipotle powder, smoked paprika, smoked salt and smoked pepper on the shoulder, mezcal at the onion and garlic phase) I also slow cooked the shoulder for a bit longer maybe 4hrs. Instead of chicken stock I used a pork/beef bone broth. I also added black beans towards the end of the simmer stage. I really wanted to have a smoky under lying flavor in there!! This chili is great on its own or with tortillas or chips, some folks enjoyed it with cotija cheese... great job and will for sure make it again and again!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding, Michael! I love the tweaks. Glad you enjoyed it!!
Sandra says
This was sooo good. We smoked the tomatillos and peppers on the Traeger grill first then blistered the peppers on the grill. The flavor was fantastic. Easy recipe to make. Will definitely make this again.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Sandra! Smoking the tomatillos first = AWESOME. I love it.
Carol says
Mike, your Chili Verde recipe is phenomenal. However, it took me two plus hours to get it to the simmer stage. I used a pork loin which melts in your mouth after an hour and a half. Do you think it would be almost as good using roasted Hatch Chili Peppers? Love your newsletters.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yep, that's quite a long time to get to a simmer. Definitely would be GREAT with Hatch peppers. I love it! Thanks!
Julie Vanderwekken says
Awesome, my new favorite Chili Verde recipe! Inspired me to make my own Ancho Chili powder from the poblano chilis we grew. Can't wait to try out your Ancho Jalapeno hot sauce using it also. Made a quadruple batch of the sauce to freeze to use throughout the winter.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice! Super happy you enjoy it. Always a good time for a good verde chili! I love that you make your own ancho powder, too. Very satisfying.
Margaret says
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. My first attempt at green chili and making my own green enchilada sauce and it was yummers! We are still smacking our lips. Followed recipe to a T if you don’t count not knowing what peppers I used. The jalapeño’s were a given but the gal at the green house didn’t know what the big green ones were. I had to grind up dried peppers to make the one seasoning but found the Mexican oregano! What a hit, these two seniors loved it! Thanks again for great directions and recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Wonderful! Thanks, Margaret! Super happy you enjoyed them.
Cynthia says
Just finished having this for dinner. My family loved it, so Delicious. I made this in my Instant Pot. I used 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin cut into 1 1/2" pieces. 1 lb tomatillos but still used about the same seasonings. Added to Instant Pot with 1 cup chicken broth cooked on high for 15 minutes, with 10 minute natural release, and it was perfect. This recipe will be made time and time again. Thank you for the recipe, it is beautifully written, with outstanding step by step pictures.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Cynthia! Glad you enjoyed it!