This post was updated 4/18/18
We loooooove chile verde over here, especially a chile verde stew with pork meat like this one. It is one of my favorites! Today I’m sharing my favorite chile verde recipe that never disappoints.
Related Recipe: Crock-Pot Chile Verde Turkey Legs
The other day my Nina was talking about how she makes her pork ribs with chile verde and how she adds chile de arbol to hers. I was left with a serious antojo that I had to satisfy ASAP. So I made some later that week.
- 18 Tomatillos
- 3-4 jalapenos (seeds and veins removed if you don’t want it spicy)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds pork butt roast (you can substitute this with chicken breast or beef stew meat)
- 1/4 white onion chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves (or more if you like)
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup chopped cilantro (or more if you like a lot of cilantro)
You will also need foil paper and a potato masher for this method.
Remove the husks and stems from the tomatillos and rinse them in cold water.
Cut two sheets of foil paper large enough to completely wrap half the tomatillos in one, then the other half in the other sheet of foil paper.
Set aside.
For the jalapenos, onion, and garlic, you can always add more of one, or all these. If you like your chile verde salsa hot, you don’t need to do anything to the jalapenos except wash them and remove the stems. I always take the seeds and veins out because I enjoy the flavors of chile verde without the heat. Some salsas I enjoy with mild heat, but not so much in a chile verde stew. So, it’s up to you.
Next time I might try this with chile de arbol (without the seeds of course). If you don’t know what that is, La Cocina de Leslie has a yummy recipe with a great tip on this little chile.
With your griddle on medium heat, roast the tomatillos (almost completely covered) in foil paper with the jalapenos on the side.
You will know the tomatillos are done when they are soft enough to poke easily with a fork and the juices start to seep out of the tomatillos.
The jalapenos should be charred and soft as well.
Rinse and chop enough cilantro to fill 1 cup. Chop the roasted jalapenos as well. Set them aside.
Meat options for this recipe are flexible. If you don’t want to use pork meat, you can also use chicken, a chuck steak or beef stew meat.
Related Recipe: Game Day Green Chili
Trim off any excess fat from the edges and cut the meat into 2-inch square-like chunks. Season with salt, set aside.
In a large deep skillet pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat and brown each side until they start to crisp and turn golden brown.
Remove the meat from the pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Immediately add the chopped onion and garlic, stir quickly to prevent the garlic from burning. (I let mine sit too long without stirring as you can see above.)
As soon as the onion starts becoming translucent, add the tomatillos and any juices with them.
Carefully cut the tomatillos into smaller pieces with a knife and fork. Be careful not to press the knife all the way through and scratch your pan. You can also smash the tomatillos with a potato masher after you’ve cut them in half. That works too.
I’ve tried both methods and prefer to just use the fork and knife to cut them into smaller pieces.
Do what works for you.
Add the chopped jalapenos, smash them as well.
Add two cups of water to the chile verde salsa.
Add the meat to the sauce and stir everything well.
Make sure all the pieces are submerged in the sauce.
Add the salt…
and the garlic salt.
Stir everything well again and simmer on medium-low partially covered for half an hour.
After half an hour add the chopped cilantro and stir well.
Cover partially again and continue simmering on medium-low another ten minutes.
Serve over steamed white rice.
Chile Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 18 Tomatillos
- 3-4 jalapenos
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds pork butt roast
- 1/4 white onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
-
Preheat your griddle on medium heat. Remove husk & stem and rinse the tomatillos in cold water. Slice the jalapenos in half and remove the seeds and stems. If you want the chile verde spicy, add some of the seeds.
-
Cut two sheets of foil paper large enough to completely wrap half the tomatillos in one, then the other half in the other sheet of foil paper. Roast the tomatillos (almost completely covered) in foil paper on the griddle with the jalapenos on the side, making sure to turn them often. You will know the tomatillos are done when they are soft enough to poke easily with a fork and the juices start to seep out of the tomatillos. The jalapenos should be charred and soft as well. Rinse and chop half a bunch of cilantro as well as the jalapenos. Set them aside.
-
For the meat, trim off any excess fat from the edges and cut the meat into 2-inch square-like chunks. Season with salt. In a large deep skillet pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat, brown each side until they start to crisp and turn golden brown. Remove the meat from the pan, set it aside, and lower the heat to medium-low. Immediately add the chopped onion, let it cook for about a minute, then add the garlic. Stir quickly to prevent the garlic from burning.
-
As soon as the onion starts becoming soft and translucent, add the tomatillos and any juices with them. Carefully cut the tomatillos into smaller pieces with a knife and fork. Be careful not to press the knife all the way through and scratch your pan. You can also smash the tomatillos with a potato masher after you’ve cut them in half. Add the chopped jalapenos, smash them as well if using a potato masher.
-
Add two cups of water, salt, garlic salt, and the browned meat to the salsa and stir everything well. Make sure all the pieces are submerged in the sauce. Simmer on medium-low, partially covered for half an hour.
-
After half an hour, add the chopped cilantro and stir well. Cover partially again and continue simmering on medium-low another ten minutes. Serve over steamed white rice.
Recipe Notes
Meat options for this recipe are flexible. If you don’t want to use pork meat, you can also use chicken, a chuck steak or beef stew meat.
Remove the seeds and veins from the jalapenos if you don’t want it spicy.
Additional toppings that pair well with this recipe are queso fresco, avocado, fresh lime juice, and crema Mexicana.
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