This Pork Chili Verde recipe makes a warm and comforting pot of Whole30 green chili inspired by authentic Mexican-style stew. Tender morsels of pork simmered on the stove top in a tomatillo-jalapeno broth with potatoes.
Up until recently I preferred tomato-based Mexican dishes. I love red salsa, enchiladas with red sauce and red chili, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about green chili. Turns out, I love tomatillo-based Mexican dishes just as much.
This pork chili verde recipe uses tomatillos which are less acidic and less sweet than tomatoes -and because this is green chili, naturally it also has green jalapenos and fire roasted green chilis.
What is Chili Verde?
Chili Verde is a Mexican-style stew that is made of tender morsels of pork simmered in a tangy-hot broth made of roasted tomatillos, jalapenos and green chilis.
Is it spelled Chili Verde or Chile Verde?
The name of peppers can vary from region to region, hence the different spellings. Depending on where you go, it is either “chili pepper”, “chilli pepper”or “chile pepper”. “Chile” is actually the Spanish spelling and pronunciation of the word.
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💗 Why You'll Love this Recipe
Budget-friendly. This chili verde uses pork tenderloin, an affordable and tender cut of pork.
Great for meal-prep. Make pork chili verde once and eat all week.
Tastes gourmet! Make a restaurant-quality pork chili verde at home.
Diet-friendly. This hearty Mexiccan stew is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and Whole30 compliant.
🥘 Ingredients
For the Verde Sauce Base:
- Tomatillos - cut in half length-wise.
- Jalapenos - cut in half length-wise. Seeds optional.
- Roasted Green Chiles - canned.
- Fresh Cilantro - for crisp, fresh flavor.
- For Chili Base:
- Pork Tenderloin - diced in ½ inch cubes.
- Yellow Onion - small dice.
- Garlic - minced.
- Green Bell Pepper - diced.
- Golden Potatoes - medium diced.
- Coconut Milk - canned coconut milk thickens the stew and gives it a creamy texture.
- Chicken Broth - liquid base.
- Avocado or Olive Oil - for coating the stockpot to prevent sticking.
- Salt & Ground Black Pepper - enhance flavor.
- Chili Powder, Cumin, Dried Oregano - add classic Mexican flavors.
🧄 How To Roast Tomatillos, Jalapenos & Garlic
The first component of pork chili verde is roasting the tomatillos, jalapenos and garlic for the verde broth base.
1️⃣ Preheat broiler on HIGH.
2️⃣ Lay halved tomatillos and jalapenos flesh side down on a rimmed baking sheet.
3️⃣ Place baking sheet under broiler and broil for 5 to 7 minutes or until the skins begin to crinkle and char.
4️⃣ With tongs, move roasted vegetables to a blender. Add canned green chilis and cilantro. Blend on high speed until a sauce forms but still has some visible pieces of veggies. Use the sauce in recipe below.
📖 How to Make Chili Verde Pork
1️⃣ Brown pork: In a large stockpot, over medium heat, warm oil until hot but not smoking. Add diced pork tenderloin and saute until the pork is no longer translucent but not cooked through (about 5 miniutes).
2️⃣ Saute vegetables: To the stockpot, add garlic, onion, potatoes, bell pepper, salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder and cumin. Continue sauteeing together with pork until the vegetables begin to soften (5 to 7 more minutes).
3️⃣ Add verde sauce: To the stockpot, stir in blended verde sauce and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high, bringing the liquid to a boil. Let liquid boil for 5 minutes before lowering the heat, bringing the liquid down to a low-simmer. Simmer until potatoes are fork-tender and the pork is cooked through (about 30 minutes).
4️⃣ Adjust seasonings and serve. Stir in coconut milk, adjust seasonings to taste and serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro.
👩🏻🍳 Chef's Tips
Roasted tomatillos and jalapenos give the chili a subtle smokey flavor. Let the veggies broil until you begin to see charred edges. Be careful not to let them burn.
You can make the verde sauce base up to 2 days in advance or freeze it in and thaw it in the fridge before using in recipes.
To adjust how spicy your chili verde turns out, remove as little or as many seeds as you want from the jalapenos.
🔁 Variations
Chicken Chili Verde - Simply swap out the pork for diced chicken breast.
Chili Verde con Carne - Make chili verde with cuts of sirloin steak instead of pork.
Vegetarian Chili Verde - Hold the pork and chicken stock and add use veggie stock and a blend of white beans, black beans, corn, etc.
If you really want to amp up the heat, you could add serrano pepper or habanero pepper.
♻ Storing & Freezing
Storing - Let pork chili verde cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing - Store cooled verde chili in a freezer-safe airtight container in the freezer for up 4 months.
More Soup & Chili Recipes
African Beef Stew
White Chicken Chili
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili
Buffalo Chicken Chili
❔ FAQ
In this recipe for pork chili verde, I used pork tenderloin because I love how tender and lean it is. You could also use pork shoulder or pork butt with the fat trimmed off.
You can find roasted green chilis in the international aisle of major grocery stores. For a Whole30 compliant pork chili verde, make sure your canned chilis are free of non-compliant ingredients.
Tomatillos are a Mexican husk tomato. They are green in color and have a papery husk on the outside. Technically a fruit, tomatillos are used in variety of Mexican dishes likes sauces and salsas.
Pork Chili Verde
Ingredients
For Verde Sauce Base:
- 3 Tomatillos about 2 cups
- 2 Jalapenos medium
- 16 oz Roasted Green Chiles canned
- ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
For Chili Base:
- 2 pounds Pork Tenderloin diced in ½ inch cubes
- 1 medium Yellow Onion small dice
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced
- 1 pound Golden Potatoes medium diced
- 5 oz Coconut Milk
- 6 cups Chicken Broth or Stock
- 1 tbsp Avocado or Olive Oil
- ½ tbsp Salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
Instructions
For Verde Sauce:
- Preheat your oven to broil on HIGH
- Cut your tomatillos and jalapenos in half and lay them flesh side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the seeds from the jalapenos if you want to keep the spice mild.
- Broil for 5-7 minutes or until skin begins to roast or blacken. Watch carefully so they do not burn
- Add the roasted tomatillos and jalapenos whole to a high speed blender along with canned green chilis and cilantro.
- Blend until fully combined but still a little chunky in texture.
For Chili Base:
- In a large stock pot, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add the diced pork and saute for about 5 minutes until all pork turns white.
- Add garlic, onion, potatoes bell pepper, salt, ground pepper, oregano, chili powder and cumin and saute for another 5-7 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften making sure that the seasonings are stirred evenly throughout.
- Add blended verde sauce and chicken stock and stir to combine.
- Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil for 5 minutes before turning down the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat or until pork and potatoes are fully cooked through.
- Add in coconut milk and stir to combine.
- Adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Serve hot & garnish with cilantro
I love green chili!
Me too!