Easy Pork Chile Verde Recipe

Mexican food is so good in Los Angeles, and I often had amazing tacos for a dollar from the taco trucks growing up. Of course, when I began cooking and trying different recipes I asked my friends if they could share their family's traditional Mexican recipes with me and they happily gave me their recipes.

The first recipe I tried making was guisado, with pork and potatoes in green sauce, then it was cheese enchiladas in red sauce and chicken enchiladas in chile verde. But, the tastiest dish I have made is this easy pork chile verde recipe. 

Like any other stew, it starts with browning the meat first, then the vegetables and aromatics before boiling on the stove until everything is nice and flavorful. I recommend buying pork stew cut with bones because the bones will make the broth extra flavorful, and the meat and fat will become so soft and amazing. 

I must admit I was really impressed with this recipe and so happy with how such an easy recipe tastes fantastic. It just has a really long cook time to get everything perfect for a main dish with tender pork and green chile sauce. I like it with rice, but a warm tortilla is nice to sop up the chile verde sauce. 

Easy Pork Chile Verde Recipe

Ingredients

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds or cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon dried oregano or Mexican oregano 

1 teaspoon black peppercorns or black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 1/2 pounds (2kg) pork stew cut with bones 

1 white onion, chopped

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 chile poblanos, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

6 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered

2 large jalapeños, stemmed and seeded 

6 garlic cloves, chopped

4 scallions, root ends trimmed, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped

Rice or tortillas for serving

Directions

1. In a mortar and pestle, grind bay leaves, cumin, coriander, oregano, and peppercorn. Set aside.

2. In a large heavy pot over medium-high, heat olive oil until very hot. Add pork and cook until browned on at least two sides. Set aside in a large bowl.

1. To the same pot, add the onion, season with salt, and cook until the onions are tender and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. You might have to lower the heat if the onions are browning too fast.

2. Add the spice blend and saute, stirring frequently, until fragrant. 

3. Add poblanos, tomatillos, jalapeños, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until tender and just beginning to brown. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

1. Add pork and two cups water (or enough to cover the pork) to the pot. Bring the flame up to high and bring it to a boil. Continue to scrape up most of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. 

2. Cover the pot, reduce the flame to medium-low, and simmer until pork is very tender and falling off the bones, two hours or until the meat is tender.

3. Stir in scallion and cilantro. 

4. Serve with rice or warm tortillas. Other toppings like fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and green onion can be added. 

Variations on pork chile verde

Each family has their own way of making this traditional Mexican dish, and there are other options for the recipe:

pork - some say to use pork chops, pork loin, boneless pork shoulder, or pork butt

broth - to get a flavorful broth, some use chicken broth instead of water

chili - for heat lovers, they include the seeds and add serrano peppers too.

tomatillo - if fresh tomatillos aren't available, try looking for canned tomatillo

way of cooking - because of the long cook time, some use a pressure cooker or instant pot to shorten the time. Or, for a less involved way of cooking, they use a crock pot and leave it for an even longer time to cook.