This green chili recipe is perfect for the upcoming fall days, football games, and other cold weather festivities!
Made with a warm combination of green chilis, tart tomatillos, and tender pork shoulder, this satisfying dish is filled with flavor.
What is Green Chili?
Green chili is a delicious pork stew (and very different than our traditional beef and bean chili recipe). Green chiles, tomatillos, onions, and cilantro are all blended to create a fabulous base for this recipe. Going into the pot it’s a bright green but it turns a beautiful golden color as it cooks.
Ingredients
Pork: The pork used in this recipe is a pork shoulder, the same melt-in-your-mouth cut of meat used for pulled pork and Pork Carnitas. I recommend choosing a fattier cut of pork (even pork steaks work), as lean cuts like pork tenderloin will dry out and become tough.
Tomatillos: Broiling the tomatillos adds an extra layer of flavor but you can also cook them along with the onion or skip broiling if you’re short on time.
Seasonings: Adjust the flavors by adding a few more chopped green chilis, jalapeños, and some extra salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Green Chili
This green chili recipe takes a bit of time but most is hands-off spent simmering.
- Broil tomatillos until golden.
- Sear pork shoulder in a bit of olive oil.
- Blend sauce ingredients (recipe below).
- Simmer until pork is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
What to Serve With Chili
Like most chili recipes, this is great with toppings!
- Chili toppers we love include sour cream, jalapenos, green onions, and slices of lime.
- Green chili stew is a meal unto itself but it’s great with tortillas or bread for dipping! Dinner rolls, Garlic Bread, and thick slabs of French bread are great for dipping and soaking, but flour tortillas are the standard if you want to keep it classic!
- Try adding a hand full of crushed tortilla chips adds automatic crunch!
Reheating Green Chili
Green chili is one of those recipes that freezes and reheats beautifully!
- Refrigerate: Leftover green chili will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Freeze: Freeze in individual portions for lunches or meals for one in freezer bags or tightly sealed containers. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Mexican Inspired Soups
Did you enjoy this Green Chili Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Green Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless pork butt extra fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch chunks,
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 pound tomatillos husked and quartered
- 12 ounces mild diced green chilies canned (or frozen), not drained
- 2 cups cilantro packed, leaves and stems
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 jalapenos seeded
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 4 cups chicken stock divided
- 15 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes diced
Instructions
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Preheat broiler. Toss tomatillos with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Broil 5 minutes or until browned on top.
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Season pork with salt and black pepper.
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Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
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When the oil is hot add half the pork to the pot and brown. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and brown remaining pork. Set aside.
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Add onion and cook 4-5 minutes or until softened. (Reduce heat if they begin to brown). Remove from heat.
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In a blender add tomatillos, undrained green chilies, cilantro, garlic cloves, jalapeños, oregano, cumin, and 2 cups chicken stock. Puree on high until smooth.
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Pour the blended mixture, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and browned pork along with any juices and remaining 2 cups of chicken stock into the pot.
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Stir to combine, turn on to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally.
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Cook 3 to 3 ½ hours or until the pork is fork tender and starting to shred.
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Serve hot and optionally top with sour cream, minced cilantro or tortilla strips.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican
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Absolute favorite of mine! I can’t compare to other green chilis since this is the only one I’ve tried, but I’ve made this many times and it might be my favorite recipe that I’ve found online (bold statement). My mother and I adore this recipe with the tomatillos, and I can never go too long without making it again.
I’m so glad you love this recipe as much as my family does Benji!
Hi Holly, I made your green chili recipe because it looked easy and delicious. I was right, absolutely delicious and easy to make. My husband said it’s the best batch ever. Thank you for sharing another one of your wonderful recipes.
This is the most delicious recipe. The recipe is simple and I have made it over and over again and it freezes beautiful.
My husband loves burritos and if you used a slotted spoon to lessen the amount of liquid it makes a great one.
I’m considering pressure cooking this with one cup less liquid.
I would love to hear how it turns out!
Hi! I love your recipes and would love to make this for dinner this next week, but I would be at work (for 4 hours) could I make this all steps the same and then put in crockpot while I’m gone instead of simmering on the stove? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
I think this would work well in a slow cooker however you might like to reduce the chicken stock by 1 cup as there is less evaporation ina slow cooker. Let us know how it goes!
How much is one serving?
Approximately 2 cups. Enjoy Andrea!
Give you 5 bc changes are based on personal preference. I like a LOT of cumin. Have hatch chilis frozen to use and prefer regular to fire roasted tomatoes. Just finished roasting tomatillos, onion, jalapeños and garlic. Have a couple thick pork chops ready to smoth n cook low n slower…just me so no roast. Can’t wait!
Best thing I’ve made in awhile!! I did sub a local Hatch chili salsa for the tomatillos and cut the liquid down in the blended mixture as a result. Pork was melt in your mouth tender and we loved every bite. Thank you!
Excellent recipe – I live at high altitude and I did not make any changes. Serve wish sour cream, grated cheese and warm flour tortillas. Will continue making this one, for sure!
I have been looking for a recipe like this & am so excited to have found it! My favorite Mexican restaurant here in the town where I live has a recipe called enchiladas rancheros. It is three cheese enchiladas with a thick pork stew poured over the top. It is one of the best Mexican dishes I have ever eaten & I have wanted to re-create it at home. I’m going to make this very soon & do that!
Oooh, that sounds yummy! I hope this green chili recipe lives up to that memory. You will have to keep us posted. Enjoy, Paula!
The green chili is wonderful.
Glad you enjoyed it, Christine!
For those people who used salsa verde instead. How much did you use? I poured a 16 oz jar in there. Is that too much? Got 3 more hours to find out. :-D
Hi Jennifer, that amount should work well. We would love to hear how it turns out!
This turned out great. Instead of tomatillos and jalapeño I used a salsa Verde(Which had these in it). I still put garlic and onions in the recipe. I had frozen hatch chilies. I browned the pork. And blended the ingredients as said to. I used the Insta pot. For 45 minutes. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
This is the 2cd time I made this and I have added chunky of potatoes. This is sooooo good it’s in my family’s Sunday dinner rotation and the leftovers for lunch is a bonus
Incredibly delicious recipe! Will definitely make it again and again! My husband plans on taking some to work tomorrow to share! And my picky 6yr old LOVES it!
Could you use pulled pork in this recipe?
Hi Glenda, we haven’t tried this recipe with pulled pork but I think it would turn out well! You will have to let us know what you think.
Great recipe! Thank you ☺️
Thank you, Sandy! Glad you enjoyed it.
I love your recipes, here in NM I would add frozen hot green chili instead of jalapeno and medium to large chunks of potatoes. I also put porkchop meat, just cut the meat off of bone instead of having alot of fat or muscle. Pork chop meat is used in posole as well.
Jackie do you use tomatillo? I’m from southern NM and I’ve never heard of using them in green chile stew. I also add potatoes, and a bit of masa harina to thicken it a bit. Hubs doesn’t like tomatoes in it. Jalapeño cheddar cornbread muffins go great with this stew.
Great recipe that I would make again. I don’t like a lot of heat and this was just right. Flavor was great but it was a little too tangy for me. Is that from the tomatillos? I did brown them under the broiler. Should I use fewer tomatillos next time?
Tomatillos are quite tangy, so reducing them will help with that Mike.