Slow Cooker Chile Verde is spicy tender pork, wonderful just wrapped in a tortilla!
My dad’s been here often visiting from California, so I know his eating habits well. He’s always ordering chile verde when we go out for Mexican (and fish and chips EVERYWHERE else).
Maybe I’ve been blind my whole life, but I’ve never acknowledged chile verde on menus until recently. It’s very spicy and flavorful, and great on tortillas, doesn’t even need toppings. I tested out this recipe so I’ll be ready the next time my dad visits, though this recipe makes a lot and I’ll have to invite the rest of my family.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chile Verde:
You will need these ingredients:
- Pork shoulder
- Cooking oil
- All-purpose flour
- Poblano peppers
- Anaheim peppers
- Jalapenos
- Garlic
- Tomatillos
- White onion
- Cilantro
- Salt and pepper
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Chicken broth
Start by roasting peppers, garlic, tomatillos and onion in the oven under the broiler.
Until they are roasted and tender and slightly charred.
Then I blend up those veggies and that makes a green salsa that I pour over the pork. I also add seasonings and a touch of chicken broth. Below is what the chile verde looks like before cooking.
How long to cook:
I cook this chile verde for 9 hours low. After 9 hours the pork is very tender and the sauce has simmered to a beautiful perfection.
Is chile verde spicy?
Yes! I would say on a scale to 1 to 10 that this recipe is an eight in heat. It has a very good kick to it. To tone down the spiciness I suggest serving with rice, cheese and sour cream.
How to serve:
- on warmed tortillas
- great as is or topped with cheese, sour cream and diced onion
- wrap in flour tortillas for burritos
- great for nachos
Slow Cooker Chile Verde
Equipment
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. pork shoulder, trimed and cubed
- 2 Tbsp. cooking oil (approximate amount)
- 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 Anaheim peppers
- 2 jalapenos
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 tomatillos, husks removed
- 1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 bunch cilantro, bulk of stems removed
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the peppers, tomatillos, garlic, and onion onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven 2 racks down from the broiler. Let the veggies roast for 20-25 minutes or until the veggies are charred, keep an eye on them so they don't overcook. Let cool down a bit before moving on to step 2.
- Place the veggies into a blender and place the cilantro on top. Place on lid on blender. Pulse until a fine salsa forms, you can make this any texture you desire. If your salsa is too thick to blend up properly, add a splash of the chicken broth from the recipe.
- On a baking sheet or in a ziplock bag coat the pork with the flour. Set a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the pan and oil are hot, brown the flour coated pork on all sides, no need to cook through. You may need to cook the pork in batches if your pan isn't large enough to do all at the same time.
- Add the meat to the slow cooker. Pour over the salsa, add the salt, pepper, cumin and oregano. Pour over the chicken broth and stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 9 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Serve over tortillas with desired toppings, enjoy!
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Chelsea Nelson says
June 8, 2018 at 3:40 pmHi Sarah! What would be an alternative to the pork shoulder if I don’t eat pork?
Sarah Olson says
June 8, 2018 at 3:55 pmI would do boneless chicken thighs
Guadalupe Love says
June 9, 2018 at 12:54 pmHi, do you think I can cook on HIGH for half the time instead?
Sarah Olson says
June 9, 2018 at 1:30 pmYes, I think that would work fine.
Guadalupe Love says
June 9, 2018 at 1:50 pmThank you! I just threw everything in the crockpot. I can’t wait! Smells amazing already
Devin Alsobrook says
July 1, 2018 at 11:47 amHow did it turn out?
Rosie says
June 14, 2018 at 8:46 pmWhat peppers can I use so that it does not turn out so spicy (hot) but yet it still has flavor?
Lori says
September 11, 2018 at 10:56 amWhen you pick your jalapenos, or any peppers, pick ones with rounded bottoms. Avoid poiny tips, ones with little cracks, or ones that have different colors like yellow and red. You could also toss in a green pepper, and make sure to remove all seeds from all peppers, as seeds are super spicy. Hope that helps!
PM says
February 7, 2019 at 9:09 pmActually most of the capsaicin is in the ribs (placenta), not the seeds. After roasting the chiles I like to cut them in half and remove the seeds and ribs (wear gloves if you’re sensitive to heat). I’ve done jalapenos this way and the dish didn’t end up spicy. Most recipes recommend removing the skin from the chiles after roasting as well, though I’m not sure why.
Renee says
July 28, 2018 at 10:56 pmCould you prep the Verde salsa the night before?
Sarah Olson says
July 29, 2018 at 8:14 amYes!
Janine Nymann says
September 4, 2018 at 9:36 amMade this yesterday…came out Uh-Mazing!!! I cut the pork into thick slices for pan frying bused coconut oil on medium heat. Didn’t cut it up any more, left them in 5 big slices. After 9 hours, it just pulls apart. I did, however, empty the juice before I pulled it apart. Then add juice to your desired consistency. I didn’t want soup! Excellent recipe, highly recommend!
Karie says
October 3, 2018 at 4:22 pmAbout how many did they serve? I have very hungry boys
Sarah Olson says
October 3, 2018 at 4:50 pmThis makes a lot. But my advise is to use as much pork as you think you would need. There is plenty of liquid to cover a lot.
Andrea Anderson says
October 24, 2018 at 1:11 pmdoing this tonight for hubs pot luck tomorrow. wish me luck… I have never made chili verde before.
Anonymous says
November 2, 2018 at 6:07 amAny ideas on time if using an Instant Pot?
Jennifer Bowen says
December 17, 2018 at 11:10 amMade it in my Instant Pot and it came out amazing. Did everything the same; cook on high for 45 min and let it release pressure for 10 min.
Sarah Olson says
December 17, 2018 at 11:34 amThank you for the info Jennifer! I will have to try.
Victoria says
January 4, 2019 at 7:52 pmOHMYGOSH this turned out SOOOO good! Just the right amount of spice! The only seasoning I used was salt and it was DELISH!
Krissy says
January 30, 2019 at 8:31 amMy sauce came out super thick and pretty much burned in the crockpot. Any suggestions on thinnning the sauce
Sarah Olson says
January 30, 2019 at 10:04 amwater or chicken broth would do great.
Anonymous says
January 30, 2019 at 5:02 pmMy sauce is thinner than I would like ideas on something that will thicken it?
Sarah Olson says
January 31, 2019 at 8:22 pmYou could leave the lid off for a bit, or you could mix a few tablespoons of cornstarch with water and stir in.
Laurie Pellerite says
February 2, 2019 at 2:47 pmAdding some (2-3 tablespoons? ) of corn meal might work well, too thicken; I’ve done that with some taco-like soups. Just add to simmering soup and let cook a bit. — Getting ready to make the chili for tomorrow!! — Anyone ever add a can of pinto bean to this recipe…I’m feeling compelled to try??
Shelly in Sunny San Diego says
March 29, 2019 at 3:21 pmTo go along with the Cuban theme try adding a rinsed can of black beans.
Autum says
April 6, 2019 at 9:57 amThis feels like a silly question, but did you remove stems before you threw this in the blender?
Sarah Olson says
April 6, 2019 at 2:06 pmYes, thanks for asking!
Shelby says
May 24, 2019 at 1:02 pmAny way to make the verde not spicy? Could switch out for different types of peppers?
Sarah Olson says
May 24, 2019 at 1:32 pmYou could try using bell pepper peppers and anaheims, though anaheims do have some heat.