Pork Chile Verde is a comforting Mexican dish made with tender pork simmered in a bright, tangy tomatillo sauce with green chiles and cilantro. Perfect with rice and warm tortillas.
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Pork In Salsa Verde
I grew up eating this kind of dish on repeat; tender pork simmered in a tomatillo salsa verde, always with rice and tortillas on the side. My mom would make something similar on weekends when there was time to let it simmer and really come together. It’s simple, but so satisfying.
And now that I make it in my own kitchen, it always brings me back.
This Pork Chile Verde is all about tender chunks of pork cooked low and slow until they soak up every bit of a tangy, slightly spicy salsa verde. You start by simmering the pork with onion, garlic, and bay leaf until it’s soft and ready to brown. Then it gets smothered in a salsa made with roasted tomatillos, jalapeño, serrano, and fresh cilantro. The tomatillos bring that classic tartness, the chiles add a nice kick (nothing crazy), and the broth rounds it out so it’s not too sharp. It’s saucy, cozy, and made for spooning into warm tortillas.
🩷 xoxo, Ana
How To Make Pork Chile Verde
**Here are some visuals for how to make it. You’ll find the complete recipe and ingredient list in the card at the end.**
Step 1) Grab a large pot and add your cubed pork. Pour in enough water to cover it completely. Toss in a chunk of onion, a couple of garlic cloves, a bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Let everything come to a boil. You’ll see some white foam rise to the top, just skim it off with a spoon and toss it out.
Step 2) Let it cook low and slow
Once the foam is gone, lower the heat and cover the pot. Let the pork simmer gently for about an hour until it’s fully cooked and super tender. By the end, most of the liquid will have evaporated, just keep an eye on it.
Step 3) While the pork is doing its thing, roast the tomatillos, chiles, garlic, and onion in a large skillet lined with foil (or straight on a dry pan if you prefer). Turn everything occasionally until the skins are blistered and the veggies are soft. This step gives the salsa its rich, smoky flavor.
Step 4) Once the roasted ingredients have cooled down a bit, throw them in a blender along with the cilantro, chicken bouillon, a pinch of sugar, and about 1 cup of pork broth. Blend until smooth. You can add a little more broth if needed to get the consistency just right.
Step 5) Pour the salsa over your browned pork. Then pour the remaining ½ cup of broth into the blender, give it a swirl to catch all the leftover salsa, and add that to the pot too. No flavor gets left behind.
Step 6) Stir everything to combine, cover the pot again, and bring it to a low simmer. Let it cook for another 20 minutes or so, just enough time for the pork to soak up all that flavor and the sauce to thicken slightly.
Serve and enjoy! That’s it! Serve it hot with some fluffy rice and warm tortillas on the side. You can even add a few slices of avocado or a sprinkle of queso fresco if you’re feeling extra.
Ana’s Recipe Tips
- Use lean pork: Pork tenderloin or loin work great for this recipe. You’ll get that fall-apart texture without too much fat in the sauce.
- Roast everything: Don’t skip the roasting step for the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chiles. The char adds depth to the salsa.
- Adjust the heat: Leave the seeds in the jalapeño or serrano if you like a spicier version. Otherwise, removing them gives you a more mild (but still flavorful) sauce.
- Let it simmer: After everything comes together, don’t rush that final simmer. The pork absorbs the flavor best during this last step.
⭐️ I love to hear from readers and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow along on Instagram for all the latest updates!
Print Recipe:
Pork Chile Verde
Ingredients
To cook the pork
- 2 pounds tenderloin or any other lean pork - cut into small cubes
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ medium onion (yellow or white)
- 1 dry bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the salsa verde
- 9 large raw tomatillos
- 1 large jalapeño - remove the stem and seeds
- 1 serrano pepper - remove the stem and seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ medium onion (yellow or white)
- ½ cup packed fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chicken bullion
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- 1 ½ cups pork stock (reserved from the cooking pork)
- kosher or sea salt to taste
Instructions
Cook the pork
- In a large pot, add the pork and enough water to cover it. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-high heat.Tip: As the pork begins to boil, skim off the white foam that rises to the top using a spoon.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 1 hour. Reserve 1.5 cups of the cooking water (pork stock) for later. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
- When most of the pork liquid has evaporated, uncover, raise to medium-high heat and brown the meat a little bit.
Make the salsa verde
- While the pork cooks, make the salsa. In a large skillet lined with foil, roast the tomatillos, onion, peppers, and garlic. Turn them occasionally until all sides are charred and softened. Set aside until cooled.
- Add the roasted veggies to a blender, the cilantro, 1 teaspoon chicken bullion, ½ teaspoon sugar and 1 cup pork stock. Puree until you can't see any vegetable chunks.
- Add the salsa verde to the browned pork.Tip: Use the remaining ½ cup of stock to rinse out the blender, pour it in, swirl it around to catch any leftover salsa, then add it to the pot.
- Mix to integrate the pork with the salsa, cover with a lid and cook over medium-high heat. When the meat starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
- Cover and continue to cook over medium-low heat to let all of the flavors integrate. About 20 minutes.
- Serve while warm with a side of rice, fried beans and warm tortillas.
Notes
- Use lean pork: Pork tenderloin or loin work great for this recipe. You’ll get that fall-apart texture without too much fat in the sauce.
- Roast everything: Don’t skip the roasting step for the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chiles. The char adds depth to the salsa.
- Adjust the heat: Leave the seeds in the jalapeño or serrano if you like a spicier version. Otherwise, removing them gives you a more mild (but still flavorful) sauce.
- Let it simmer: After everything comes together, don’t rush that final simmer. The pork absorbs the flavor best during this last step.
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
More Mexican Recipes with Salsa Verde
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. In fact, it tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had more time to settle in. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes! It freezes well for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and reheat on the stovetop or microwave when ready.
Rice is a classic side, and I always throw in some warm corn tortillas. You could also serve it with beans or spoon it into a burrito bowl.
do you have directions for cooking this in a crock pot on low all day?
Hi Jessica, Yes, you can definitely make it in the crock pot on low all day. I’d brown the pork first for extra flavor, then add it to the slow cooker with the chile verde sauce. Cook it on low for about 7 to 8 hours, or until the pork is very tender and easy to shred or break apart with a spoon. If the sauce seems a little thin at the end, leave the lid off for a bit or stir in the pork and let it sit so everything thickens up a little. Buen provecho!
Want to try your Verde recipe next week. Would a pork butt I have in the freezer work?
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why it would not work! pork butt is a great cut of meat. Enjoy!
Hoping to try your recipe next week. Can I use pork butt I happen to have in my freezer?
Hoping to
This is a fabulous recipe full of flavor and easy to prepare!
Perfect for a Fall day ( if you happen to live where there’s a change of seasons)!
You always go back for more!
This is was a great recipe. Easy to follow with clear instructions. The outcome was delicious too. Will make again.
Made the pork chile verde and it was rich, tender, and packed with flavor.
I’m so happy to hear this Claudia! Thanks for the kind review. xo, Ana
The pork turned out so tender and flavorful, and the salsa verde added just the right amount of tang and spice. Definitely will make again.
So delish!! We’ll be making these again!
We love chili verde, and this pork version is full of wonderful spices. So aromatic and delish!
I made this Pork Chile Verde and it was incredible! The pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and that tangy tomatillo sauce had just the right kick. Served it with warm tortillas and it disappeared fast!
Can’t wait.
I hope you like this recipe! Do you have any questions I can help you with? Or if you made it, I would love it if you leave a comment or rating below. ⭐️
Gracias!!!! xx, Ana