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”
Thank you! There were a lot of recipes out there that looked funky. This one looked best and came out muy bueno.
I am from Pueblo CO but i am in the military and everywhere I go nobody has ever heard of hatch green chili so every season I have to order it online and stock up. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe.thank you
Can I use boneless pork butt/shoulder instead of the pork tenderloin?
I used a pork shoulder bone in. The trimming took some time but the results were outstanding!
10 family members are renting a house in Moab, UT. I am making this to bring for huevos rancheros breakfast. I moved to Pueblo a year ago Feb and attended the Chillie Fest and have roasted Pueblo Chilies in the freezer! I also had one of the local farm stands roast tomatoes for me……this is gonna be epic!
That is so nice of you! You are an amazing person!
I think the oregano spoiled it other that that it came out good. Will just take that out next time.
Sounds really good! I think I’ll make some. This dish is very similar to the green chile my mom and dad would make. They used fresh roasted red tomatoes, though. Always! They are from New Mexico. I enjoy your site. Thank you.
How many portions does this recipe include?
This recipe makes 20-30 servings. Feel free to half this recipe.
Crazy love it really couldn’t understand what all the fuss was when I moved to Pueblo Co in-laws friends and many love it .Today I’m making it for dinner and its Great.I’m from California and make different types of Chile and Thanks for the recipe
Sorry. You lost me at “can. No canned chilis, you say, then you use canned tomatoes? Nope. Nope. Nope.
When using proper tomatoes, try “garden peach” “Amana” or “pineapple varieties. Excellent flavor, and because they are not red, they don’t muddy the color.
1 cup of cornstarch? Don’t you mean 1 cup cornstarch slurry? I can just imagine an inexperienced cook putting in an entire cup of cornstarch. Lol
Hi Pam, as the recipe says – 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.
And yes, this recipe calls for 1 cup of cornstarch. Its a very large batch and the entire recipe can be cut in half if needed.
We are very proude to live in Bangladesh
It’s also good if you make a roux to throw in after cooking the meat. I also like to throw in a can of hominy in to the mix.
This is awesome! I’ve been wanting a recipe like this for, well, forever. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much, I love your recipes, they are straight forward & always a hit here…thanks for making me look like a chef.
If you were halving this recipe, would you half the canned tomatoes, or still use the 15oz can? I was surprised that you used so little tomatoes to pork to start with, so just wanted to verify…thanks
Hi Rob,
I would go ahead and keep the entire can of tomatoes. Can you send me some? Enjoy!
I would make green chile, of course! Love the photo of your eggs with green chile. I am going to make myself some of those right now. 🙂
I REALLY want to try this green chile recipe….. Looks yummy….although I would maybe use the tomatillos instead.
Pollo con calabazita!
always looking for a unique chili recipe!
This is very similar to my grandfathers recipe. I use tomatilloes instead of red tomatoes and I add potatoes. My family loves their green chilli.
This was the best pork green chile that Ive ever eaten! My husband had 3 plates full of it. I halved the recipe for two, but next time I may have to make the full recipe because there may not be enough to freeze after he finishes. Oh! He is in the kitchen eating it out of the crockpot!
So happy to hear the recipe was a hit and that your hubby is a happy man. Yay!
I want it..it have to win..
This looks like the perfect dish to make in a multi cooker!
I bet this green chile makes the best chile cheese fries on the planet.
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