Your slow cooker does all the hard work for you in this authentic New Mexican pork chile verde recipe. Hatch chiles are the star of this soup, but jalapeños can be used if needed!
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. I like to think that expression is applicable to this slow cooker Hatch chile verde recipe. This hearty dish features tender chunks of slow cooked pork, bathed in a killer spicy, zesty, verde sauce that’s made with roasted tomatillos, onions, and of course, Hatch chiles. It’s by far my favorite thing to do with these special chiles, which are grown in New Mexico’s Hatch Valley, and not always easy to come by. But when I am lucky enough to happen upon them, I jump at the chance to make this dish (and you should too).
Hatch chiles are versatile and an excellent balance of sweet and spice, and range from mild to extra hot. This easy homemade salsa verde sauce has a similar flavor profile to my totally delicious weeknight-friendly chile verde burritos, but instead of doing a quick sauce, we go full out here, making the sauce totally from scratch, and I promise you, it’s worth the extra effort.
What’s in This Pork Chile Verde
To make this flavorful and deceptively simple chile verde recipe, you’ll need:
- Tomatillos
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Roasted Hatch chiles—I love the heat Hatch chiles pack, but if you’re hesitant, you can always make this with mild green chiles instead (FYI green chiles are the same thing—Hatch chiles are just a specific variety of green chiles).
- Fresh cilantro
- Pork pork sirloin roast
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Butter
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to Make Pork Chile Verde
Roasting your veggies is the key to making this sauce sing, as the slight char lends a depth of flavor that accentuates each ingredient’s inherent sweetness. Roasting the tomatillos also mellows the tartness or bitterness some folks find in these little cousins to the gooseberry.
Roast your veggies. Slightly char the onion, garlic, and tomatillos. Carefully transfer the roasted veggies to a blender and pulse until smooth. Add the cilantro leaves and kosher salt and pulse a few more times until mixed.
*Note: To get a head start, I already roasted my Hatch chiles (find out how I roast chiles here)
Brown the pork. Cut the pork into small bites, season it generously with kosher salt and pepper, and brown it in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. By using both olive oil and butter, I was able to raise the temperature to sear the pork rather than steam it (the combo results in a higher burn point).
Let the slow cooker work its magic. Then, the pork and salsa verde goes into a slow cooker to cook for a few hours until the pork is tender and its juices infuse the sauce with exactly the flavor we were looking for.
Note: Wait, no chicken broth? No liquidy salsa? NOPE! One of the rules of cooking anything in the slow cooker is that the juice you add will most likely be the same at the beginning of the cooking time as it will at the end. There’s no place for the liquid to evaporate since it’s covered the whole time. That’s why there’s no need for extra liquid in this recipe.
Can I Make This on the Stovetop?
Yes, but you’d want to add about a cup of chicken stock to the chile verde and add more throughout the cooking process as needed. Use a heavy bottomed saucepan and keep the lid on the entire time this soup is simmering on your stovetop.
Can I Freeze Pork Chile Verde?
Yes, let it cool completely before freezing it in freezer-safe containers or bags. If you freeze this chile verde in medium-sized mason jars, you can reheat them one at a time any time you need an individual serving of soup.
3 Tips for Making Pork Chile Verde
- Adjust the amount of Hatch chiles in the sauce according to your own heat index. My chiles were pretty spicy this time around, but that may not be the case next time.
- And if you don’t have fresh Hatch chiles, roast 1 or 2 jalapeños with the tomatillos, onion and garlic, then blend together. And at the end of the dish, if you’re craving more heat, simply add a few more chopped roasted chiles to kick it up.
- Also note that you need to buy tomatillos for this recipe and NOT green tomatoes. They look similar, but they have very different flavors and textures.
What to Serve with Pork Chile Verde
- The BEST Spanish Rice (Mexican Rice)
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- THE BEST Refried Beans
- Tortilla chips and Pico de Gallo
- THE BEST Pinto Beans
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatillos , husked and rinsed
- 1 medium yellow onion , peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled and smashed
- 2-4 roasted hatch chiles , or one fresh jalapeño, stemmed
- ⅓ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 pounds pork sirloin roast
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and place the tomatillos, quartered onion, and garlic cloves on the sheet pan. If using a jalapeño, add it with the other veggies.
- Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes flipping them at the 10 minute mark. The tomatillos should be lightly charred and the onion beginning to brown.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables and roasted Hatch chiles (or jalapeño) and any remaining juice on the sheet pan to a food processor or blender. Blend until almost smooth. Add the cilantro leaves and kosher salt and pulse a few more times until mixed. Set aside or place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Cut the pork roast into ½-inch by 1-inch pieces of pork. Season well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the butter. Transfer half of the pork to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, turning once or twice until the pork is browned on all sides. Transfer to a slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.
- Add all of the cooked pork and any bits and juice to the slow cooker. Pour all of the salsa verde on the pork and cover with lid. Set slow cooker to high and cook for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
- Serve warm with tortillas or use as sauce for enchiladas.
Notes
Nutrition
More Slow Cooker Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Corn Chowder
- Thai Chicken Soup
- Vegetarian Lasagna Soup
- Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale
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Loved this recipe. Instead of crock pot used pressure cooker method for 35 minute cook time. Paired with cilantro lime rice. This is a keeper recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed it Lara!
Hi Heidi,
May I respectfully suggest that any time you use New Mexico chiles you spell it chile with an “e” and not an “i”. That is the correct spelling in Spanish which is the way to spelled it in NM. With an “i” is the way it is spelled in Texas and often Arizona.
Thank you, gracias, Monica
Great use of chilis. Can we add capsicum too?
Hello, do you know if this could be made in the InstaPot, if so, how would you adjust the timing? Thank you!
Tried this, didn’t like it. I followed the recipe precisely. I used fresh vegetables from my garden. The chili verde was bland and had no flavor. Possibly add onion, garlic or chili powder? I set the crock pot on low for 7 hours. The pork came out dry. This is a very lean cut of meat so I think the meat can get dried out fast, especially since the pieces are cut small. The cooking time needs to be cut way back or a fattier cut of pork needs to be used or don’t cut the meat into pieces, slow cook it whole and cut it up when it is done.
Ms. Heidi, don’t change a thing.
If you google ‘salsa verde receta’ you can read recipes in spanish. You are there. No bells and whistles. Just a combo of fresh ingredients. THE END.
I was as guilty as your bro-in-law at one time with all the doctoring,
Anyway. Followed your recipe to a ‘t’ it was one my best chili verdes. You know what else? I didn’t even bother browning the cut-up meat.
PS. A pinch of cumin never hurt nothin
This recipe was extremely helpful. Although I did make some adjustments. I used 2 lbs of tomatillos, 5 hatch green chilles, 2 large fresh jalapeños, and two yellow onions. I placed everything in the oven to roast then blended without cilantro.
I then cubed sirloin steak and generously seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Once meat was browned with olive oil (no butter) I then added freshly minced cilantro and let cook for a few seconds then transferred to the crockpot. I made sure to transfer all the juices from the browned meat into the crockpot. Once I added the salsa verde to the crockpot I seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. The end result was amazing and spicy. My fiance loved it. I made burritos with some homemade refried beans.
I also roasted fresh garlic in the oven with the other vegetables. I love garlic so I roasted a full bulb of garlic.
Great recipe but tomatillo and chiles aren’t vegetables, they’re fruit!
Thanks for the clarification John.
I just stumbled upon this recipe and am looking forward to trying it! I have made chile verde in the past, and while it was definitely good, I always like trying new recipes – sometimes there are subtle differences that make a big difference between good and great. BTW, I have the All Clad slow cooker with the cast aluminum insert – it is AWESOME for recipes that require browning or sautéing – and then you truly have a one pot cooking experience. It’s a little pricey, but since I got it, I find that I use it much more often than a traditional slow cooker with ceramic insert :)
I’m eager to make this recipe. I want to use some frozen roasted Hatch chiles that we bought at the market (Trader Joes). They already liquified. Do you know how many cups of liquified Hatch chiles correspond to the four whole chiles called for in your recipe?
You may want to fix your title. “verde” means “green”, so “Green Chile Verde” does not make sense.
I am so grateful to find this recipe! It’s what I’ve been searching for for many years! Thank you!
My wife’s family uses a comal (an iron skillet that is flat) to make the tomatillo salsa. So if you don’t have an oven, that works great.
Smart CarloS! Thanks for the tip.
We just purchased our first Hatch chiles and I found your recipe while searching for what to make with them. I couldn’t wait and was dipping chips into the salsa while it was still warm and in the blender, delicious! We put the pork and salsa into the crockpot overnight, and the kitchen smelled wonderful when we got up this morning, yummmm. I’m eating some of the chili on my fresh eggs, and having some chips and salsa on the side. Thank you for a fabulous, fresh, and easy recipe!
I love this over eggs too, great minds Patty!