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.
Gary says
Just took it off the heat and it smells great. I’m going to refrigerate overnight. When should I add chili powder?
Mike Hultquist says
Gary, the chili powder is used to season the meat before searing. However, you can also just add it when adding the sauce. If you missed it, you can swirl it in and simmer a bit longer to cook it into the chili.
Janie says
made your spicy noodle recipe last night but substituted with Udon noodles,
and it was fantastic!!!
Thank you so much Mike!
Janie
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Janie! Sounds wonderful! I appreciate it. =)
Dani says
I have been making this for years. I follow it exactly - except I at least double it. It is so delicious every time!
Mike H. says
Awesome, thank you!
Dennis says
Hi Mike, greetings from Germany. I love your recipes and I really want to try the chilli verde. Unfortunately there are no tomatillos in Germany. Except sometimes in the can. Can i cook it with that too? how much of it is needed?
Mike Hultquist says
Dennis, yes, you can use canned. Use 1 kilo (close to 2 pounds).
Dennis says
Thanks for your reply! Can I smoke them in the oven? Or do they come straight from the can into the pot?
Mike Hultquist says
Dennis, I would just dump them straight into the pot, as they'll be very soft. You can still roast the peppers, though. Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy!
Scott Swanbery says
I made this recipe and added the optional ancho chile powder. The night I made it I thought it was too ancho-y. But the leftovers the next day were amazing !! Mike - do you think maybe I didn't cook it long enough to fully meld the acho flavor? Keep up the great work !!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Scott. Yes, you might have simmered a bit longer, but you've come across a cook's secret to big pots of chili and slow cooker dishes like beef stew - let the whole dish sit overnight in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld, then reheat it and enjoy the next day. It really does add flavor to the final dish. I appreciate it!
Steve says
This was my second recipe from you. Wow! Amazing flavor. It was delicious before adding the last two ingredients. With them, cilantro & lime juice, the dish exploded with flavor. This is going to be part of my permanent short list. Our neighbors across the street are Dutch from Surinam. They are both excellent cooks. We are constantly showing up on each others doorsteps with foods prepared from our respective heritages. Theirs Dutch/Caribbean and mine Austrian and whatever else catches my eye. Can’t wait to share a bowl of this chili with them.
Mike Hultquist says
Steve! I love to hear this! I love cooking for my neighbors. It's a wonderful gift to people. Food is meant to be shared. Very happy you are enjoying my recipes. Cheers.
Mike Dory says
This came out great. 2 jalapeños and 2 Serrano peppers didn’t over heat. I am adding more chopped peppers as I eat it. Thanks Mike
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it, Mike! Thanks for sharing.
Fay Ybarra says
Made this yesterday and it is wonderful. I’ve made Pork Verde in the past but was never satisfied with the final flavors. This is perfect. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Fay! Yes!
Ava Lansbery says
This was delicious. My husband always offers in in Mexican Restaurants. Said mine was better….I’m in trouble.
I did leave out cumin, I’m not a fan….
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Simon says
Hi Mike,
It has just turned winter here in Adelaide Australia, and we've had a slow season. So I've got some chilis still on the plants that haven't ripened. Can I use the unripened chilis for this dish? There's just a few scotch bonnets, a couple of chocolate bhutlahs (not looking very chocolaty though!) and some birds eye's - all green still.
Also, in lieu of pork, would you recommend chicken or turkey? For beef chili I usually use a combination of diced chuck and mince, so I'm thinking diced chicken breast and minced turkey. Does this sound ok? Or would you suggest minced chicken or diced turkey breast etc.
Thanks, Simon.
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Simon. Yes, green chilies will work just fine here. I do the same thing, often freezing them or processing then freezing for recipes like this, sauces, etc. They're still good. Also, your usual combo of ground meats will work just fine here, though different texture. Still tasty. Seared chicken as well. Though adjust your cooking times. Enjoy!!
Glen says
Fantastic! This recipe is SO good. I've made it 3-4 times, and now I'm wanting it every week. I've mixed up the pork a bit, getting whatever cheap, kinda fatty, pork I can find--triangle, shoulder, butt, it all seems to work. I could not find the ancho chili pepper, but I found a bag of ancho chilis and the coffee bean grinder made quick work of that. Veggies in the oven, then into the pot. It is great in the pressure cooker too (I ran out of time the other day). My wife wanted some beans added--I know, I know, beans and chili? But it's all good and goes down just fine! So I added a mix of dry beans and did it in the pressure cooker for 45 minutes. Meat and beans are done to perfection! Over rice, into tacos, it is great. THANK YOU!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Very awesome! Glad you enjoy it that much, Glen! All sounds perfect!
Corey says
I've made chile verde a 1/2 dozen times maybe. Never tried ancho powder in it. I will definitely try that in a week or 2 when I plan on making some. You have so many great recipes!
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Corey! I love the ancho addition. Very tasty!