Although we call it Chile Verde (Green Chili) north of the border, the dish is known as Carne De Puerco En Salsa Verde (pork in green sauce) in Mexico. Like many dishes that have worked their way north, such as Migas, and Chile con Carne, Chile Verde has taken some twists and turns turning it into something uniquely delicious.
It’s hands-down one of my favorite Mexican-American dishes when properly made, and comfortably makes it into my list of favorite meat dishes as well. Unfortunately, many restaurants take shortcuts. Using canned chiles, or cooking leaner cuts of pork for shorter periods of time, may be more profitable, but they just don’t do this fantastic dish justice.
A great Chile Verde has pork that pulls apart with a fork and yet it remains incredibly juicy. The sauce, while comprised of ingredients that are initially pungent, sour, and spicy, mellows out, finding a mouthwatering equilibrium during its slow braise, which adds savory and sweet tastes to the mix as well. Together they make for a comforting stew that’s sublime, bordering on the divine.
I’ve been working on my Chili Verde recipe for over a decade now, and I have developed a few tricks that turn these ordinary ingredients into something extraordinary. The first is to use a variety of green chili peppers. I like a combination of Poblano chiles for their earthy flavor, Anaheim chiles for their fresh chili flavor and Jalapeños to add heat.
My second trick is to brown all the ingredients. This amplifies the inherent umami of each element thanks to the Maillard reaction. It also smoothes off the rough edges of some of the ingredients, bringing out their sweetness while adding depth and complexity to this relatively simple dish.
Finally, I like to add a touch of honey. Not enough to make it sweet, but the small amount is enough to reign in the tartness of the tomatillos allowing the flavor of chiles and umami of the pork to shine.
While the dish isn’t complicated to make, it does take a while to develop the flavor of the sauce while rendering the pork tender. That’s why one batch should be enough to feed 8-10 people. If you don’t have that many people to feed, don’t worry. The leftovers have so many uses you could make 3-4 meals out of this.
Stuffed into masa and rolled in corn husks, this makes amazing tamales. Thinned out with some chicken stock and loaded up with veggies, the Chile Verde makes for an amazing tortilla soup. But perhaps my favorite use of these leftovers is to make Huevos Rancheros Verdes.
Ingredients
-
326
grams
Poblano chili peppers (3 large peppers)
-
222
grams
Anaheim chili peppers (2 medium peppers)
-
140
grams
Jalapeño peppers (3 large, to taste)
-
40
grams
garlic (6 cloves, unpeeled)
-
375
grams
onion (1 x-large onion, peeled and quartered)
-
1200
grams
tomatillos
-
25
grams
cilantro
-
2
teaspoons
vegetable oil
-
1700
grams
pork shoulder (cut into 2-inch cubes)
- 4 cups
-
2
teaspoons
honey
-
1
teaspoon
cinnamon
-
1
teaspoon
cumin
-
1
teaspoon
Mexican oregano
-
1 1/2
teaspoons
salt (to taste)
-
cilantro (for garnish)
-
cotija (for garnish)
Steps
-
Preheat your oven to its highest setting (or turn the broiler on)
-
Wash the Poblano, Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers and cut slits in them to prevent them from popping. Put them on sheet pans along with the garlic, and onions.
-
Remove the husks from the tomatillos and wash them thoroughly to remove as much of the waxy residue from their surface as you can. Cut slits in them to prevent them from popping in the oven and put them on sheet pans as well.
-
Put the green chili peppers in the oven and roast until the skin has blistered and started to blacken. Flip them over and roast until the second side matches.
-
Put the tomatillos in the oven and roast until they're lightly scorched on top.
-
When the green chilies are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool until you can handle them. Remove as much skin as you can from the peppers (you don't have to get it all). Then remove the stems and seeds along with any light-colored membranes. Peel the garlic.
-
Put the roasted green chilies, tomatillos, onions, garlic, and cilantro into a food processor and process until no large chunks are remaining.
-
Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until hot. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the pork.
-
Add the vegetable oil to the preheated pot and add the pork in a single layer, leaving a bit of space between each piece of pork (if it doesn't all fit, then do this in two batches). Let the pork brown on one side undisturbed and then flip and brown the other side.
-
Add the green chili and tomatillo puree to the pot, along with the chicken stock, honey, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, and salt. Scrape up the browned bits of pork juice from the bottom of the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the Chili Verde simmer until the pork is fall-apart tender (about 2 1/2 hours).
-
Adjust seasoning to taste and serve the Chile Verde with warm tortillas, fresh cilantro and cotija cheese for garnish.
Tim Schiffer says
I made this dish for friends and was afraid it would have too much spice, but they loved it. Roasting the vegetables separately gave it great flavor and the chile flavor was unique. Thank you!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Tim, glad to hear you and your friends enjoyed it! This is one of my favorites.
gjg97 says
Your Chile Verde recipe has been one of our go-to favorites for years now. It is spectacular! The original recipe (sorry, I know *no* recipes), which I can no longer find on this website, had Serrano peppers instead of Jalapenos. After trying this version, we find we prefer the old recipe and we think the Serrano pepper is the difference. (It also had other steps like marinating the pork.)
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi gjg97, thanks for the feedback. The reason I changed the Serranos to Jalapenos is because I received a couple complaints that the Serranos made the Chile too spicy to eat. In my own testing I found Serrano’s to have a much wider range of spiciness (i.e. range of capsaicin levels) than jalapeños, which is why I decided the later were a safer option. You can always either add or substitute in Serrano’s if you like more heat. As for the marination, it’s an extra step in an already long process and I’m not really sure why it would make a big difference which is why I cut it out. One possibility is that the marinade had an extra tablespoon of kosher salt, so if you’re not adding that much when you salt and pepper the pork, it’s possible your Chile is not getting enough salt (which would make it taste blander). It’s always my intent to improve recipes when I iterate on them, so that’s for keeping me on my toes!
Leslie says
I’m in the process of making this as I type. When I was seeding and peeling the roasted peppers, I had my doubts whether it was all worth it, however, now that everything is simmering, and the aroma of all that deliciousness fills the air, I’m glad I put in the effort! The cumin, cinnamon and honey add just the right flavor. I reduced the amount of chicken broth to 1 1/2 cups to start, but will add the rest as needed. So far, I think it’s a winner and I’m certain it’ll become a family favorite! It smells like a real Mexican restaurant in here! Yum!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Leslie, thanks for checking in. I’m all about value for effort, and am the first to take shortcuts if there isn’t a ton of value in doing it the long way, but some dishes just turn out that much butter for the effort you put in and I think this is one of those dishes😉 I hope you enjoy it! The leftovers are great for making a green Huevos Rancheros https://norecipes.com/huevos-rancheros/
Joe says
Marc, I really enjoy your site. Thank you!! I know you continually evolve your recipes. I’ve been making Chile Verde for years now using an earlier version (original?) of your recipe. Can you share your thoughts (more relating to flavor profiles than ease of prep) around moving away from marinating the pork, coarsely chopping the veg and from Serranos to Jalapeños?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Joe, you’re welcome! Good questions. I stopped marinating because I found it didn’t make a noticeable difference in the finished dish. Marinating does too things, it infuses flavor to the core of the meat, and there are enzymes in certain ingredients (like garlic and onion) that can tenderize meat. Since this is braised for so long, you get plenty of flavor in the meat, and it gets tenderized by cooking. Coarsely chopping makes for a more chunky sauce which I like. As for the peppers, I switched to Jalapeños to make this more kid friendly (Jalapeños are significantly less spicy, but still have that nice green chili flavor). The thought here being that people who want heat can add hot sauce to it after it’s done. I hope that helps!
Cindy says
Make this recipe! It is exceptionally delicious. I’ve made it many times and it never disappoints.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Cindy, I’m so glad to hear you’re been enjoying this! It’s one of my favorite stews!
Dennis K Blair says
I love the chile, easy and good,but I cant cover the cinimine up, I put 1 teas. but its overpowering my chile. What can I use to tone it down a little?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Dennis, sorry to hear you felt the cinnamon was overpowering. You can just cut back on the amount, or leave it out entirely if it’s a taste you don’t enjoy.
Viola Schott says
Can you put bell pepper in chilli Verde
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Viola, green bell peppers will work as a substitute for the Anaheim chili peppers.
Kathie Odom says
Have they discontinued the chili verde at the stores i love it where can iget i right now
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kathie, I don’t understand your question. Are you asking where you can buy pre-made Chili Verde?
Ron says
Instead of simmering it on the stovetop, can I cook it in the oven with my cast iron Dutch oven? Say, 275°F for 2.5 hours?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Ron, I haven’t tried it, but that should work. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try.
Ron says
Thanks, I will. That’s how I make my Carne Adovada, which is similar, but a red chile sauce.