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The Magical Slow Cooker » Recipes » Pork » Slow Cooker Chile Verde

Slow Cooker Chile Verde

by Sarah Olson on April 20, 2022 | Updated June 19, 2022 151 Comments

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Make Slow Cooker Chile Verde for dinner tonight! It has tender pork cooked in a spicy green chile tomatillo sauce. Excellent with tortillas or just over rice.

Green chile recipes are made perfect in the slow cooker. We also make Green Chile Pork Loin and Green Chile Cheesy Chicken.

pork chile verde in slow cooker with wooden spoon in it.

Can pork verde be made in the slow cooker?

Yes, and it is one of the best things you can make in it too! The low and slow cooking time creates very tender pork chunks, and the flavor of the green chile sauce only gets better the longer it is cooked.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Pork shoulder – Use cubed pork shoulder (often called pork butt).
  • All-purpose flour – This is used to coat the pork cubes; it will thicken the sauce.
  • Cooking oil – For browning the meat.
  • Peppers – Poblano peppers, Anaheim peppers, and jalapeno peppers.
  • Other vegetables – White onion, garlic, tomatillos, and cilantro.
  • Seasonings – Salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano.
  • Chicken broth – This thins the sauce. I choose not to use water, for that can dilute the flavor of the sauce. You can use chicken stock if that is what you have on hand.

Step-by-Step Directions

2 images on how to roast vegetables for chile verde

Step One – Start by roasting peppers, garlic, tomatillos, and onion in the oven under the broiler on a baking sheet.

Step Two – Cook until they are roasted and tender and slightly charred. Next add the cubed pork to a ziplock bag and add the flour. Shake. Add oil to a pan set to medium high heat on the stovetop. Brown the pork, then add to the slow cooker.

browned pork cubes and chile sauce before cooking in slow cooker.

Step Three – Add the roasted chile peppers, onion, garlic cloves, tomatillos, and cilantro to a blender (or can use a food processor), and that makes a green salsa. Pour that chile verde sauce over the pork. I also add seasonings and a touch of chicken broth. Below is what the chile verde looks like before cooking.

Finished cooking chile verde in the slow cooker with tortillas and cilantro on the side.

Step Four – I cook this chile verde for 9 hours low. After 9 hours, the pork is very tender, and the sauce has simmered to beautiful perfection. If you have excess fat or grease on top, soak it up with a paper towel.

How to serve:

  • Tacos – Make classic pork chile verde tacos by putting the filling on warmed corn tortillas.
  • Burritos – Wrap the green chili pork in flour tortillas along with rice and beans.
  • Nachos – Great for nachos. Spread out chips on a sheet pan. Spoon over the pork and sauce, top with cheese, then broil until the cheese is bubbly.
  • Toppings – Great as is or topped with cheese, sour cream, diced onion, chopped cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.

Recipe FAQs

Is chile verde spicy?

Yes!  I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 that this chile verde recipe is an 8 in heat. It has a perfect kick to it. To tone down the spiciness, I suggest serving with rice, cheese, and sour cream.

How can I make this milder?

You can use green bell pepper in place of most of the peppers. The jalapenos and poblanos are the hottest.

How can I make an easy version of this?

Suppose you are short on time, use two 16-ounce jars of salsa verde instead of the fresh vegetables. It will do in a pinch if you are craving chile verde.

How can I make this into a green chile stew?

You can add sliced carrots and quartered gold potatoes to this recipe at the beginning of the cooking time for a beautiful and flavorful green chile stew.

Can I overcook chile verde?

Chile verde in the slow cooker is very flexible. You can cook a few more hours and it only gets more flavorful and the pork even more tender. Though eventual you can burn it if left too long.

How do I thicken?

This recipe has added flour that will make a nice thick sauce. After your dish is completed and you want a thicker sauce, make a cornstarh slurry with two tablespoons of cold water and two tablespoons of cornstarch. Add to the hot sauce and cook for 15 minutes longer.

2 tortillas on a plate with pork chile verde on them.

This is the BEST chile verde recipe, great for any day of the week, get togehters and even parties!

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pork chunks cooked in slow cooker in a green chile sauce.

Slow Cooker Chile Verde Recipe

4.95 from 90 votes
Tender pork cooked in a green chile and tomatillo sauce.
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Sarah Olson

Equipment Needed:

  • 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
US Customary – Metric

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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Recipe Notes:

Is this spicy? 
Yes!  I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 that this chile verde recipe is an 8 in heat. It has a perfect kick to it. To tone down the spiciness, I suggest serving with rice, cheese, and sour cream.
How can I make this milder?
You can use green bell pepper in place of most of the peppers. The jalapenos and poblanos are the hottest.
How can I make an easy version of this?
Suppose you are short on time, use two 16-ounce jars of salsa verde instead of the fresh vegetables. It will do in a pinch if you are craving chile verde.
How do I thicken?
This recipe has added flour that will make a nice thick sauce. After your dish is completed and you want a thicker sauce, make a cornstarch slurry with two tablespoons of cold water and two tablespoons of cornstarch. Add to the hot sauce and cook for 15 minutes longer.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 493mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 23.8mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1.9mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Made this recipe?I want to see your photos! Tag me on Instagram @themagicalslowcooker

More slow cooker Mexican style recipes

  • Slow Cooker Jalapeno Pineapple Pork Tacos
  • Slow Cooker Mexican Beef
  • Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken Casserole
  • Slow Cooker Refried Beans
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga
  • Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

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    Filed Under: Dinner, Pork

    Comments

    1. Chef Christopher R., Sacramento, CA says

      June 4, 2022 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      Excellent recipe! After browning the pork, I deglazed the pan with the 1 cup of chicken stock in order to enhance the flavor…Added this stock and the seasonings to the food processor while chopping up the roasted vegetables. Poured the entire mix over the pork and slowwww cooked 9 hrs.!

      Reply
    2. Marie says

      April 25, 2022 at 9:59 pm

      Can you make the sauce the night before?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        April 26, 2022 at 8:47 am

        Yes! It’s just like making a salsa, so will be fine.

        Reply
    3. Stephen says

      April 11, 2022 at 5:58 am

      I smoked a 4 lb pork shoulder yesterday. Bark was excellent and pork incredibly moist. Used half for shredded pork yesterday and planning to cube the leftovers for this recipe. Assuming since pork is already done, I could add it (cut into cubes) the last couple hours on low? Thanks for any thoughts you can offer.

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        April 11, 2022 at 11:00 am

        That is what I would do! It will be great.

        Reply
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