Pork Chili Verde Recipe
Nothing hits the spot quite like a slow-cooked meal. When you decide to use your slow cooker to whip up dinner or a lunch, there are two things that are always certain: the recipe will be simple, and it will taste amazing. It's great because you can throw everything in the pot before leaving for work, let it cook while you're gone, and then come home to a wonderful-smelling kitchen and a gourmet meal. This wonderful pork chili verde recipe is simple and incredibly flavorful, and there's no doubt that it will leave you wanting seconds or even thirds.
Recipe developer Kristen Carli came up with this fantastic dish that is perfect for any occasion. "I love serving these in burritos," she says of the meal. "They remind me of my dad's side of the family!" We love the nostalgia factor. If you are looking for a new dish during your Mexican-rotation, this one is perfect! Trust us — this pork will wow your guests and become a staple meal.
Gather the ingredients to make pork chili verde
Are you ready to get things started? If so, head to the grocery store and grab all of the necessary ingredients to throw together this dish. Start with a few small tomatillos, a few jalapeños, and poblano peppers — these will provide a ton of spice. While you're in the produce section, be sure to get a bunch of cilantro and a single yellow onion. You will also need a dash of salt and pepper. While you're in the spice aisle, pick up some cumin and ground chili powder.
Moving down the list, throw some chicken broth and three to five pounds of pork shoulder into your cart. Last but not least, you will need a few things for serving, like tortillas, sour cream, and shredded Mexican cheese.
Preheat the oven and prep the veggies
Like most recipes, you will need to use an oven to make this pork chili verde. Rather than cooking the meat in the oven, you will cook the veggies for the sauce. Preheat the oven to a high broil. It won't take too long for the oven to get hot, so you can get other things ready in the meantime. Grab a large baking sheet and add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and poblanos. "The veggies should be cut in half, stems, seeds and membranes removed," Carli shares. "No need to line the baking sheet." Pop the veggies into the oven and broil them for seven minutes.
Blend the veggies to make a sauce
Once your timer goes off, carefully remove the pan of vegetables from the oven. Then, grab a blender, and place it in a safe spot on the counter where someone can't bump it or pull the cord. With kids and dogs, you would be surprised at how much this happens.
When the veggies are cool enough to work with, put them in the blender with the cilantro and the onion. Blend the mixture until it turns smooth. Now, you have your verde sauce. Not only would this be great as a solo dip, but it adds so much wonderful flavor to the meat.
Add the ingredients to the slow cooker
Okay, you have finished the sauce for the meat, but we haven't talked about the pork itself yet. Don't worry, we're going to show you how to easily cook it during this step. Take out a large slow cooker and place it on your counter. Open the lid and add the pork shoulder first. Next, throw in the spices, including salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. If you want to make it a little bit spicier, you can. "I would add more cayenne pepper and chili powder," Carli notes. Then, pour the verde sauce over the pork, followed by the chicken broth. The liquids will help make the meat nice and tender. Close the lid and cook on high for four hours. You could also cook it for "8 hours on low instead of 4 hours on high," Carli says.
Remove the pork and shred the meat
Once the four hours are up, remove the pork from the slow cooker. If you got a bone-in shoulder, then be sure to slice all of the bone off. If you didn't, then you luckily don't need to worry about that step. Using two forks, shred the meat. By now, it should be pretty tender and fall right off. If you'd rather have a machine do the work for you, you could also use the paddle attachment in your stand mixer to shred the pork. Then, place the shredded meat back in the slow cooker with all the juices and cook on high for an hour.
Serve your pork chili verde and enjoy
Once your hour timer goes off, remove the lid and place the meat in a serving dish or bowl of your choice. Carli recommends serving this in a bowl with sour cream and shredded cheese. You could also use the meat in a burrito and dress it up with any of your favorite toppings.
Anything left? "These store best in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days," Carli says. We hope this recipe was as big of a hit at your house as it was at ours. Now there's only one thing we have to ask... when can we make it again?
- 6 small tomatillos, sliced in half
- 3 jalapeños, sliced in half and seeded
- 4 poblano peppers, sliced in half and seeded
- 1 bunch cilantro, with stems cut off
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 to 5 pounds pork shoulder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
- 2 cups chicken broth
- tortillas, for serving
- sour cream, for serving
- shredded Mexican cheese, for serving
- Preheat the oven to a high broil. Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and poblanos to a large baking sheet. Broil on high for 7 minutes.
- In a high-speed blender, add broiled tomatillos, peppers, cilantro, and onion. Blend until smooth.
- In a large slow cooker, add the pork shoulder. Add the salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder.
- Pour the verde sauce over pork, then add chicken broth. Close the lid and cook on high for 4 hours.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker. Slice off the bone if necessary. Shred the meat using 2 forks, or by using your paddle attachment in your stand mixer.
- Place the shredded meat back in slow cooker. Continue to cook on high for 1 hour.
- Serve the pork chili verde in bowls with sour cream and shredded cheese, or in burritos.