Pork Green Chile
This Pork Green Chile is packed with roasted chiles and succulent pork to create an easy and warming stew. Try it smothered over breakfast burritos or eat it as a stew with warm tortillas. This Colorado-style pork green chile recipe makes a lot, so cut the recipe in half or prepare it as-is to stock your freezer.
This Stew is Perfect for Chilly Weather!
I moved to Colorado in 1998, and I’ll never forget the first time someone asked me if I knew how to make chile. Um, hello, I’m Mexican; of course I know how to make all kinds of chile dishes!
Then they said, “No, green chile!” I was confused. “Yes, I know how to make salsa verde, salsa casera, chile verde con carne y papas, and green enchilada sauce.” “Which green chile are you talking about?” Then, they said, “No, pork green chile, Colorado-style. It’s thick like a gravy or stew made with spicy fire roasted long green Pueblo chile peppers from Pueblo, Colorado combined with chunks of pork tenderloin, tomato, and onion. We use it to ‘smother’ our dishes.” “Smother?” I was very confused.
Then I went to my first Mexican restaurant in Denver and ordered chile rellenos and the waitress asked me if I wanted them smothered. I kept hearing about this green chile and the term smothered and finally had to give it a try. To be completely honest, I was not a fan.
It took me years, but I have finally come to appreciate this unique thick green Colorado-style chile, and I have to admit it can be quite addictive.
This recipe was adapted from my cousins’ husband’s recipe, who is from Pueblo, Colorado. He makes a mean green chile, so I knew I had to ask him for his popular recipe. (Thank you Augi!)
What chile peppers are needed?
If you live in Colorado be sure to look for a farm stand or go to the Chile & Frijoles Festival to stock up on some fire-roasted chile. If you don’t live in Colorado, you can purchase online from this Pueblo chile farm or try making it with Hatch Chile peppers or readily available Anaheim or for a mild pepper try poblanos. Whatever you do, don’t use canned chiles. I guess technically, you can, but fresh is honestly best.
How to roast chiles for green chile stew
If you don’t have roasted chile in your freezer like I do, then you’ll need to do it yourself. Luckily for you, I have a video showing how to do just that from start to finish.
What is Colorado-Style Pork Green Chile?
Green chile stew is a simple, yet flavorful dish, comprised of seared chunks of pork, onions, garlic, chicken broth, and roasted green chile. It’s brothy, yet filling, and a great meal to make on busy weeknights or lazy weekends alike.
This stew has the distinct flavor of green chiles, but it isn’t necessarily very spicy unless it has been made with dynamite chiles from Pueblo or extra hot chiles from Hatch.
I invite you to make a big pot of this spicy pork green chile stew. I especially love it while camping. You can make a big batch of it and freeze it, and reheat it on your campfire or Coleman stove. Something about this pork green chile lingering through the Colorado mountain air is a beautiful thing.
I especially love this chile smothered over eggs or a breakfast burrito in the morning. Yes, I said smothered. After all, I’m a Coloradan now!
How To Make
- Cook the Pork: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the chopped pork, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the meat is browned (but not cooked through).
- Sauté the Veggies: Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender about 5 minutes.
- Add the Liquids and Spices: Add the chicken broth, salt, coriander, oregano, tomatoes, and chile. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.
- Make the Slurry: In a separate dish, combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry, and continue to stir. Add a little of the cornstarch mixture at a time to the stew. The stew will thicken as it cools.
- Serve: Once the stew has thickened, it’s ready to serve! Serve as a stew or smother it over eggs, burritos, chile rellenos, or make loaded nacho fries. Enjoy!
Storing and Reheating
- Store this pork green chile recipe in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze any cooked and cooled leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container or plastic bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheat from frozen by letting it thaw in the fridge or on the counter, and then warm the chilled pork green chile on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through and bubbling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Try this Chile Verde Con Carne y Papas recipe.
You can use your favorite variety, such as Pueblo, Hatch, Anaheim, poblanos, or a mix.
Named “Mirasol” for its upward-reaching (rather than downward-hanging) fruit that grows “facing the sun,” the Pueblo chile is typically meatier than the long and slender Hatch chile. It’s also more pungent due to the higher levels of the chemical capsaicin, which determines a chile pepper’s heat index.
Yes! But you’ll need to cook the pork and veggies in a separate skillet before transferring them to the crock pot to ensure the meat is safely cooked through. I like to make this stew and then transfer it to a slow cooker to simmer all day on low.
More Pork Recipes To Try
- Asado de Chile Colorado (Pork in Red Chile Sauce)
- Orange Pork Tacos with Grilled Peaches
- Tacos al Pastor with Roasted Pineapple Salsa (Grilled Pork Tacos)
- Instant Pot Pork and Roasted Green Chile Tamales
Are you planning to make some pork green chile stew this fall? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to tag me (@muybuenocooking) if you post pics of your tasty creations to Instagram!
Pork Green Chile (Colorado Style)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 pounds pork tenderloin or butt, diced
- 2 onions, chopped
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 quarts chicken broth, fresh or packaged
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 30 to 35 Pueblo, Hatch, or Anaheim chile peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped
- 2 ½ cups cold water
- 1 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or casserole. Place the pork and cook for about 10 minutes, until pork is browned. Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, salt, coriander, oregano, tomatoes, and chile. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile in a separate dish combine water and cornstarch and continue to stir. Add a little of the cornstarch mixture at a time to the stew. The stew will thicken as it cools.
- This recipe can also be transferred to a slow cooker for all day simmering on low.
Notes
- Feel free to cut the recipe in half. This recipe freezes wonderfully for a low-stress dinner after work.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Use your favorite variety of chile peppers, such as Pueblo, Hatch, Anaheim, poblanos, or a mix.
- Serve as a stew or smother it over eggs, burritos, or chile rellenos.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: August 2013.
458 Comments on “Pork Green Chile”
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I would make this chile! I’m in New Mexico and the chiles are just appearing now….yum!!
I would make a roast or even try making some carnitas.
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Thanks for your offer,
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I am in Puebla, Mexico right now have enjoyed many local guisos and sopas. I have your cookbook, too, so anything is fair game! Thanks for all you do,
Shari Shaw
Coq au Vin in the slowcooker and pork green chile! Yum!
And I am so stoked to finally have this recipe, I can vouch- Augi’s green Chile is the best!
Everything!!!
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I would have to try your Pork Green Chile recipe in this pan!
This recipe looks amazing! Will be trying it today. Would be better in this pan.
I can hardly wait for cooler fall weather to make this recipe. The only difference will be Hatch chiles instead of the Mira Sol chiles since I have about five 1 gallon bags in my freezer! Thank you so very much for your wonder blog and all your recipes!!
Im going to try this recipe, and many others
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Oooh, I’ll try this recipe in the multi cooker
If I owned this cooker the first thing I’d make in it in Brooklyn Chiles Pork Stew
I will make all my favorite muy bueno recipes in this cooker! Muy Bueno is my favorite cookbook!
I would make the green chili in this pan, I have never seen Mira Sol or the other kind named here. Are they like the anahiem green chilis?
Yes Neva, you can use anaheim green chiles. Just don’t use canned chile 😉
Cant wait to make this!! I will make this recipe in this pan!! =)
Can’t wait to try the chili! Will try paella in this pan!