Pork Chile Verde
Tender chunks of pork shoulder simmered in tangy tomatillo salsa verde with poblano, jalapeño, green chiles, cumin and cilantro. Serve it as a stew or spooned over cauliflower rice.
Nutrition per serving
about 1¼ cups with toppings- Net carbs
- 8.3g
- Calories
- 597kcal
- Protein
- 35g
- Fat
- 45g
- Total carbs
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 4.3 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Chicken chile verde: Boneless chicken thighs simmer in the same tangy green sauce and are ready in well under an hour.
- Brown the chicken briefly, 2–3 minutes per side, then simmer it in the sauce for 25–30 minutes, until tender and at least 165°F (74°C). Shred it with two forks if you like.
New Mexico green chile stew: Thinner and brothier, with turnip chunks in place of the potatoes in the New Mexican classic.
- Add the turnips and extra broth after the pork has simmered for 1 hour, then cook 45–60 minutes more, until both are tender. Don't reduce it at the end — it should be a spoonable, brothy stew.
- Pork
- Chile verde
- To serve
- Pork
- Chile verde
- To serve
- Pork
- Chile verde
- To serve
- Also add
Estimated cost $18.17 for 6 servings ($3.03 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Pat the pork dry and toss with the salt, pepper and cumin.
-
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the pork in 2–3 batches, 5–6 minutes per batch, until golden on a couple of sides, adding more oil as needed. Transfer to a bowl.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, poblano and jalapeños and cook 5–6 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until soft. Stir in the garlic and oregano for 30 seconds.
-
Add the salsa verde, green chiles and broth and return the pork with its juices. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender enough to cut with a spoon — far past the 145°F (63°C) safe point.
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Uncover for the last 15–20 minutes if the sauce looks thin, so it reduces to a thick, spoonable stew. Stir in the lime juice and most of the cilantro and taste for salt.
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Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, avocado and the remaining cilantro. It is also excellent over Mexican cauliflower rice or wrapped in coconut flour tortillas.
Tips for success
-
Check the salsa verde label: most are simply tomatillos, chiles, onion and spices, but a few add sugar. Look for about 2 g of carbs or less per 2 tablespoons. - Pork shoulder is the right cut here: its fat and collagen melt into the sauce over the long simmer. Lean pork loin turns dry and stringy.
- Slow cooker: brown the pork and soften the vegetables on the stove, then cook everything on low for 7–8 hours.
Nice to have, not needed
- A Dutch oven is ideal; a slow cooker works too (see tips).
- Broiling a few fresh tomatillos until charred and blending them into the jarred salsa gives a brighter, homemade flavor — the jar alone is fine.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Warm in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, or microwave 2–3 minutes; add the sour cream and avocado after reheating.
Prep tip: Freeze it without the toppings; it thaws overnight in the fridge and tastes even better the next day.
Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. The flavor improves overnight.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosChicken chile verde
ProteinBoneless chicken thighs simmer in the same tangy green sauce and are ready in well under an hour.
- boneless pork shoulder (butt) → boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8.3 g net · 379 kcal · 40 g protein · 19 g fat · ≈$3.14 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
New Mexico green chile stew
VeggiesThinner and brothier, with turnip chunks in place of the potatoes in the New Mexican classic.
- + 3 medium turnips
- + 2 cups extra chicken broth
11 g net · 618 kcal · 36 g protein · 45 g fat · ≈$3.44 per serving (+2.9 g net carbs vs the original)
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