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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