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This award-winning Pork Chile Verde recipe is bursting with authentic Mexican flavor. With tender pork simmered in a spicy green chile sauce, it’s a true crowd-favorite that will knock your socks off!
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Thank you for a great recipe. I made it for a chili contest at work and came in first place. I will be making it again, soon.” – Betsy
“This was a killer recipe!! I made it tonight. Easy and scrumptious!! My brothers favorite dish and I made it for his birthday “ Restaurant quality Sis” so happy.” – Gina
“EXCELLENT! I received a ton of compliments and took home the “Fan Favorite” award in my company’s Chili Cook Off. Thank you for posting!” – KJ
An Award-Winning Recipe From a Friend
This recipe actually comes from a sweet friend in our church, Diana, who once brought a big pot of it to a chili cook-off. It was such a hit that she won first place by a landslide! I begged her to let me share it here, and she kindly said yes. Since then, many of our readers have written in saying they won their own chili cook-offs with this recipe! So when you’re enjoying a bowl of this flavorful, spicy goodness, you can thank Diana for her award-winning recipe.
I like to serve this dish with Mexican Cornbread, Mexican Street Corn, or to cool things down a bit – Grilled Corn Salad. It’s time to see what all the fuss is about, you’ve gotta try it!
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Pork – Use boneless pork ribs, pork shoulder, pork butt, boneless pork shoulder, or basically any cut of pork will work. If you prefer chicken, you can use chicken thighs instead.
- Jalapeño – Jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers can be pretty spicy. Cut down on some of that heat by removing the seeds from the jalapeños which is where the heat lives.
- Green chiles – You’ll find that 27 ounces is a lot when looking for chiles, so you can buy them whole in large cans at the grocery store. They chop up easily in the food processor or blender and it’s much cheaper than buying several small cans. You can also roast your own chiles if you prefer (see the following paragraph or the notes in the recipe card below).
- Add flavor – For extra flavor, add a bay leaf, ground coriander, some garlic cloves or dried oregano to the sauce.
Using Fresh Roasted Chiles
If you can’t find canned or pre-roasted chiles, it’s easy (and extra flavorful) to roast your own at home. Anaheim, Hatch, and poblano all work great in chile verde, and you can mix and match depending on how spicy you like it. To roast, place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and broil them in the oven, or char them directly over a gas flame or grill, turning occasionally until the skins are blackened and blistered. Transfer the hot peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and let them steam for about 10 minutes. This makes the skins loosen up. Then simply peel off the charred skins, remove the seeds and stems, and chop them up for your sauce. Use about 6 cups of roasted, prepared chiles for this recipe or use a kitchen scale to weigh out the amount needed and you are good to go!
How to Make Pork Chile Verde
- 1. Brown the pork: In a large pot, brown the pork and drain.
- 2. Add onion & broth: Add onion and chicken broth (broth will not cover meat). Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring often.
- 3. Season & simmer: Stir in garlic powder, celery salt, cornstarch, oregano, cumin, jalapeño, cilantro, chili powder, and green Tabasco. Cover and simmer another hour, stirring often.
- 4. Add enchilada sauce: Stir in green enchilada sauce and simmer 30 minutes.
- 5. Add chilies & beans: Stir in chopped and puréed green chilies, white beans, and salt to taste. Simmer 15 minutes.
- 6. Serve & enjoy: Serve with cheese, sour cream, rice, chips, limes, avocado, and/or flour tortillas.
Crock Pot Instructions
Whether it’s on the stove top or in the Crock Pot, this recipe is so simple to throw together. For the slow cooker version, start by searing the pork in a hot skillet, then drain any excess fat. Sauté the onion in the same pan until softened, and add both the pork and onion to your slow cooker. Pour in the chicken broth, cover, and cook on low for about 3 hours. Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue cooking on low for another 2 hours, until the pork is tender
How To Serve Pork Chile Verde
- No toppings – just soup.
- Traditional – topped with shredded cheese (white cheddar or Monterrey Jack is delicious), avocado, jalapeños, and sour cream.
- Enchilada style – Wrapped up in warm flour or corn tortillas. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the meat into tortillas, roll them up, then spoon the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until bubbly. Seriously, it’s so good!
- Nacho style on top of a pile of crisp tortilla chips and salsa verde on the side.
- Over rice
- With a side of Mexican Rice and beans topped with fresh cilantro or diced jalapeños.
How To Make the Sauce Thicker
If your chile verde turns out a little thinner than you’d like, don’t worry, it’s easy to fix. One quick method is to whisk a spoonful of cornstarch with cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the pot and let it simmer until the sauce thickens. If you prefer, you can also let the chile simmer uncovered for a bit longer, which allows the liquid to reduce naturally and concentrate the flavors. On the other hand, if the sauce gets too thick, simply stir in a splash of chicken broth until it reaches the consistency you like. The goal is a rich, velvety sauce that clings to the pork and makes every bite flavorful.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe gets its name and rich green color from green enchilada sauce and green chiles along with a shot of green Tabasco sauce. A traditional Chile Verde dish is made with tender pieces of pork, chunks of beef, or a blend of both, sort of like a stew. Chicken is a delicious option, too.
This version has a medium kick. For a milder dish, skip the jalapeño or cut back on chili powder and hot sauce. For more heat, add extra jalapeños, serranos, or a dash of cayenne.
Yes! Chicken thighs work well and cook a little faster. Beef chuck roast is also a good substitute but will need extra simmering time for tenderness.
Definitely! It actually tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen. Just reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.
It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To freeze, cool completely, then freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Pork Chile Verde freezes great, and can last up to three months in the freezer. I like to make two batches at once, and freeze one for later. To reheat, thaw it out in the refrigerator, then warm up on the stove or in individual servings in the microwave.
More Delicious Chili Recipes
We adore soup season around here. Nothing beats a cold evening like a bowl of warm, nourishing soup or chili. Check out some more of our favorite chili recipes:
This award-winning Pork Chile Verde is comfort food at its finest. It’s hearty, flavorful, and sure to impress. Give it a try and drop a comment below, letting me know what you think! 🌶️💚
Chile Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork diced (I used boneless pork ribs)
- 1 cup onion diced
- 14 ounces chicken broth
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon jalapeno
- 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ½ tablespoon chili powder more or less, to taste
- 1 tablespoon green Tabasco sauce
- 10 ounces green enchilada sauce
- 27 ounces canned green chiles chopped or diced
- 8 ounces canned green chiles pureed
- 1-2 cans white beans drained and rinsed (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown the pork and drain.
- Add onion and chicken broth (will not cover meat entirely). Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring often.
- Add garlic powder, celery salt, cornstarch, oregano, cumin, jalapeno, cilantro, chili powder, and green Tabasco sauce. Stir. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring often to avoid sticking.
- Add green enchilada sauce and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add chopped green chilies and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add pureed green chilies, white beans and salt to taste.
- Serve with cheese, sour cream, rice, chips and/or flour tortillas.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
This recipe was amazing! My family loved it. I would double the meat without doubling anything else next time, but that’s my only comment. Fantastic!
Excellent recipe! Funny story. A lady at church made an excellent chili verde recipe but she was not sharing it. I was on a mission to find one just as good as hers or better. I figured it would take me several recipes to find one that was comparable. Nope! It only took one! This recipe exceeds hers!! This is an excellent recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
This is so good! I did the crockpot version and it’s on point! We love beans in our family so I did add like 3 more cans than it calls for. It makes a lot for my family so I was thinking of mixing it with rice and making frozen burritos for another day! Would be a great sauce for green enchiladas as well.
I want to make this on the weekend. You show avocado in the finished soup but do mention it in the recipe.
It is an optional garnish!
Delicious recipe 🙂 Thank you!
I have never used beans in my pork posole. I use a can or two of drained hominy. Either white or yellow. It depends on how much I make.
My mother taught me how to make the traditional Chile Verde recipe in our Hispanic home. One of the things that she taught me was to toss the pork in flour, then brown it slowly when you add your chicken stock or liquid that helps thicken. Made this recipe, it is excellent. A lot faster than traditional with lots of flavor. Great in the crockpot. Thank you for this recipe.
Love your recipes!! Thank you!!
the flavors in this are amazing!!!! and I didn’t even have cilantro. thank you!!!!!!!
Thank you for a great recipe. I made it for a chili contest at work and came in first place. I will be making it again, soon.
Awesome! Congratulations on the win!
I don’t know what I did wrong but it doesn’t taste good. I can’t believe this won awards. I didn’t cover it the first simmer so I added another can of chicken broth. Sorry but not a fan of this one.
Hi Karen, I am so sorry that your chili didn’t turn out well. Unfortunately that first simmer is crucial to the flavor of the soup. Adding an extra can of broth would definitely dilute all the spices and flavors that make this chili so good. Covering the pot keeps the moisture in so that the meat and onions can break down in the listed amount of chicken broth.
I don’t see in your recipe where you say to cover the meat during the first simmer. If not covering is going to negatively affect the dish, you should probably add that to the recipe.
Thanks for catching that – I edited the instructions for clarity.
Great recipe the best
This was a killer recipe!! I made it tonight. Easy and scrumptious!! My brothers favorite dish and I made it for his birthday “ Restaurant quality Sis” so happy.
So glad you guys all loved it!!
I have not tried this yet but am going to on Saturday, is 27 ounces of green Chiles correct?
Yep! It is a lot of green chiles but it is soooo good! You’re gonna love it!
I would use more broth so it’s not so thick, and be a little more generous with the spices per your taste. I like bold flavors. I also took the pork out 15 minutes before, shredded it, and then recombined. This recipe is DELICIOUS. First time making green chili and it was a huge hit.
Great pro tip Amit. I made this for the first time and incorporated a lot of your suggestions but I opted for diced pork and not shredded.
Would shredding the pork make it a pot of mushy pork with sauce?
This is a delicious recipe!! I used pork tenderloin because that is what I had on hand and it was great. I have never had to add salt and it was perfect with some fresh cornbread! 🙂
Made this for dinner last night and my husband and I both loved it!!
Always looking for new recipes and this soup sounds scrumptious!