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Chili Verde Recipe
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4.98 from 71 votes

Chili Verde Recipe

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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: chili, spicy, tomatillos
Servings: 8
Calories: 306kcal

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
  • 3 pound boneless pork shoulder cubed (do bite sized cubes)
  • 2 tablespoon ancho chili powder optional
  • 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

Heat Factor: Mild-Medium. You’ll get some spicy heat from the jalapenos, but not a lot. Try adding in a few serrano peppers for some added heat, or bring in spicier chili powders and flakes. Hot sauce is a nice addition as well.
The Color: This particular chili is a bit more red in color because of the red chili powder used. Use a green chili powder, like Hatch, for more green color.

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 1094mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 45.2mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3.1mg