This authentic Mexican Chile Verde recipe is made of tender pieces of pork simmered in a flavorful tomatillo and chile broth. Serve it in a bowl with some rice and beans for a traditional Mexican meal! (low carb, gluten-free, paleo, freezer-friendly)
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Chile verde will always hold a special place in my heart.
When I was in middle school, I used to walk home after school instead of taking the bus. After my little walk, I’d step inside my house and be greeted by my dad and the wonderful smells of whatever he decided to cook for me that day. One of my favorite things he made for me after school?
Mexican pork chile verde and a batch of homemade flour tortillas.
Coming home to this after school was pure heaven! It was one of my favorite things. He made it spicy, but not too spicy, and perfectly salty and savory every single time. I loved it so much that I thought I’d take a shot at recreating the recipe! Personally, I think his will always be the best, but my recipe is a very close second.
The Best Chile Verde
The trick to making chile verde that’s rich and fall-apart tender is the idea of building flavors at each step in the cooking process.
The first flavor builder – roasting the tomatillos and peppers under a broiler. This gives the chile verde sauce a slightly smokey flavor and cuts down on the sourness of the tomatillos. (Learn more about tomatillos here.)
The second flavor builder – searing the pieces of pork on all sides. This caramelizes the outside of the meat, seals in some of the juices, and creates that finger-licking good flavor that everyone loves.
The last flavor builder – simmering the meat in the chile verde sauce for 2ish hours. This makes the meat super tender and juicy, reduces even more of the sourness from the tomatillos, and further melds all the flavors together.
The final result is a bowl of chile verde goodness that words can’t do justice.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to eat chile verde is in a bowl with flour tortillas, but here are a few other ideas!
- on a plate with Mexican rice and refried beans
- in a burrito with rice and cheese
- in tacos, gorditas, sopes, or huaraches
- you can also shred the meat and add it to your morning eggs
How to make Chile Verde {VIDEO}
More Mexican Recipes
Ingredients
For the chile verde
- 12 ounces tomatillos, husked and rinsed (about 6 tomatillos)
- 3 jalapeños, stemmed
- 2 large poblano peppers, stemmed
- 1 serrano pepper, stemmed
- 2 medium onions, halved
- 3 cloves garlic
For the pork
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut into bite sized chunks
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or grease with oil. Place the tomatillos, jalapeños, poblanos, and serrano peppers on the baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil on high for 10 minutes, flipping the vegetables over halfway through.
- Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Uncover and remove as much of the skin from the peppers as possible. At this point, you can also remove the seeds from any of the peppers if you don't want it too spicy.
- Add the tomatillos, peppers, onions, and garlic into a large blender and blend until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and season generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides until nicely browned.
- Stir in the blended salsa verde, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon so you get all the brown bits. Cover, reduce the heat to low, simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 hours until the pork is tender.
- Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- If the chile verde is too thick after simmering on the stove, stir in 1/2 cup of water at a time until it has reached your desired consistency.
- To freeze, cool the chile verde in the fridge. Once chilled, scoop into freezer-safe storage bags or containers and freeze. When ready to eat, let the frozen container thaw completely in the fridge or defrost in the microwave. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until completely warm.
Nutrition Information
I’m allergic to pork, any recommendation for protein substitute?
Hi Andrea! You can also use beef or you can check out our chicken Chile verde recipe.
I never realized how hard it was to find a great Chile Verde recipe. This is awesome because of the variety of peppers in there. Just great flavor!
I made this recipe exactly how it was written and it was SOOOO AMAZING! OMGosh! I even made the homemade tortillas you suggested, and they were great too! Thanks so I h for sharing!!!
I’m looking to try your Chili Verda, I remember making it when my kids were small.
That was 30 years ago:). I’ll rate the recipe after making the meal. Thanks for the help👍
Could I substitute pork butt for pork shoulder in this recipe?
Hi Christy! Yes, you can!
Great recipe for a non-Mexican cook
We liked this recipe. Great flavor! Mine turned out much more green than your pictures. 🤷🏼♀️ i may try chicken broth instead of water next time. I wish there was some kind of crunch to it – another texture. Any suggestions for add-ins?
Hi Heather! You can eat it along with tortilla chips or tostadas, or you can top with tortilla strips if you want to add some crunch.
Hi!
I am gearing up to make this recipe but want to make sure that I’m reading it right – you add the water AFTER the 2-3 hour cook time?
Hello! Yes you would add it after. If your Chile verde is simmering and you see that it needs more liquid, you can definitely add it earlier.
I make this at least once a month!!! I made some minor changes, but it’s pretty true to the original. It’s my favorite meal, ever! I can’t live without it.
So much flavor! Your recipes are so easy to follow and always delicious
Delicious and relatively easy chili verde recipe. I made the chili verde the day before for convenience. I substituted chicken broth for water and it turned out great. Very flavorful. I received many compliments. Thank you.
Thank you Jason!
My Thanksgiving supper 😋
I make this all the time and it is truly outstanding. Amazing how much flavor the recipe packs in without the use of dried spices. I have followed more complicated, demanding Chile Verde recipes and they were not any better. Isabel’s is truly excellent and relatively simple. Its also forgiving – I have used various cuts of pork, stopped measuring the ingredients and occasionaly added potatoes or beans and it still comes out great every time. Thank you!
I make this all the time and it is truly outstanding. Amazing how much flavor the recipe packs in without the use of dried spices. I have followed more complicated, demanding Chile Verde recipes and they were not any better. Isabel’s is truly excellent and relatively simple. Its also forgiving – I have used various cuts of pork, stopped measuring the ingredients and occasionaly added potatoes or beans and it still comes out great every time. Thank you!
Thank you so much Michael! We definitely appreciate it and are glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This recipe kicks ass
I wanted a easier looking chili Verde recipe my first time making it and this did not disappoint! My husband said he could eat this every night! Made me feel like a chef….thanks for Sharing recipe!
Made a double batch for our church chili cook-off last Sunday. It was delicious. I added a little extra heat with 2 diced chipotles and a couple tablespoons of the adobo they were packed in. Also added some cumin and chopped fresh Mexican oregano. No. I didn’t win, but there wasn’t any left in the crockpot either. That’s good enough for me. So glad I found your website. I’m making the air-fryer taquitos for a Halloween party next.
Thank you so much, Shannon!
I love this recipe but I think I might have used too many tomatillos, as it’s a little more sour than I like. Excellent spiciness for me and I’ll make it again, and try maybe one or two less tomatillos.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This was AMAZING! I’d never tried it because I thought it looked weird, but its my husbands favorite so I decided to try making it! Truly delicious. I did it in the crock pot for several hours after I fried the meat.
Made this and came out delicious. Only used half an onion for my preference. 😉