Green Chili Recipe (New Mexico Chile Verde)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 23, 2025 
Our Pork Green Chili Recipe (also know as New Mexico Chile Verde) is savory and bold made with tomatillos, green chilies, and poblano peppers, it is perfect for spicy chili lovers!
What is Green Chili?
Chile Verde (Green Chili) is a stew popular in New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona. It is known for not having an official recipe. It consists of slow-cooked green chiles and pork; all other ingredients are optional.
Locals would avidly tell you that the chile peppers you use matter quite a bit. The long green “New Mexican” style chiles are a state treasure. They say the dry barren soil of New Mexico produces the hottest and most flavorful chiles. Known commonly as Hatch Chiles (grown in Hatch) or Big Jims, these chiles are a source of great pride.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Why We Love This New Mexican Green Chili Recipe
New Mexicans are proud of their agriculture and the history behind their dishes. Their kitchen creations scream adaptability and survival. In blazing arid climates, what can you grow? Chiles.
And what can you make with an abundance of chiles?
The BEST Chile Verde.
For generations, locals have chosen to honor the chiles with great exuberance. The state question after all is, “Red or green?” As in, “Do you prefer to eat red or green chile?” Chiles are not just produced, they are a way of life.
New Mexico Chile Verde, also known as Green Chili, Green Chile Stew, or Green Chili with Pork, is a dish I discovered years ago on a cross-country trip. A native New Mexican friend made it for me, and I was baffled by the concept of chili that wasn’t red… And didn’t contain tomatoes, beans, or beef.
What a wonderful creation!
Ingredients You Need
I’ve prepared my version of New Mexico Green Chili with locally grown green chiles. I substituted a mixture of Anaheims (a milder New Mexican style chile), Poblanos for depth of flavor, and a couple of jalapeños for heat.
Here is what you need for green chili with pork:
- Oil – your preferred oil for sautéing
- Pork butt – or pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed
- Onion – peeled and chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Seasonings and spices – cumin, coriander, oregano, bay leaves and salt
- Peppers – Hatch chilies (or Anaheim peppers, poblano, and jalapeno)
- Tomatillos – peeled, cleaned, and chopped
- Cilantro – chopped
- Masa – aka corn flour
- Lime wedges – for garnish
How to Make Green Chili
Find the full New Mexico Green Chile recipe wit ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Tips & Tricks
- Let it cook low and slow! To get super tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork, you have to let the pork green chili cook low and slow, for at least 3 hours! This will also give the sauce time to develop lots of flavor.
- For added flavor, you can use chicken broth instead of water. Just be careful when adding more salt. Make sure to taste the green chili before adding more salt at the end!
- This green chili with pork recipe gets most of its heat from the jalapeños. If you aren’t a fan of spicy foods, you can add just one jalapeño, and make sure to deseed it well! If you like it spicy, add two jalapeños and you can even add the seeds if you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stored in an airtight container, this green chili will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
It also makes a wonderful meal prep and freezer meal! Leftovers can be stored in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers wrapped in tin foil and frozen for up to 3 months.
While I have not personally tried this New Mexico Chile Verde recipe in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, I believe it would work very well.
You’ll need to use the Sauté function to first cook all of the ingredients per the recipe below, making sure to deglaze the pot before adding the masa-coated pork and water. Pressure cook on HIGH for 7 minutes and then do a Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes.
Similarly, to prepare in a slow cooker you’ll first need to sauté the pork, onion, peppers, and tomatillos with seasonings on the stove. Then, transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker, stir, cover, and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours.
It is gluten-free! Because I make this Green Chili with masa, there are no wheat-based ingredients.
If you don’t have masa on hand, you can either make your own quickie version by pulverizing corn tortilla chips in a food processor or try a simple swap like corn grits or rice flour to keep the recipe gluten-free.
You can also substitute with traditional wheat flour for a non-gluten-free version.
Absolutely! A large beef chuck roast or 3-4 chicken breasts would work as a great swap for the pork butt.
Let me know in the comments if you give this recipe a try or use any substitutes!
I highly recommend serving this hatch green chile stew with warm flour tortillas, homemade corn tortillas, or tortilla chips. Don’t forget to top it off with a squeeze of lime and fresh cilantro, or go big with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped avocado, and scallions.
Looking for More Satisfying Stew and Chili Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Paleo White Chicken Chili Recipe
- Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew
- Original Jamaican Curry Chicken
- Best Turkey Chili Recipe
- Mexican Street Corn Chicken Chili
- Turkey Soup with Poblano Peppers
- The Best Beef Stew Recipe
New Mexico Green Chili Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oil
- 4 pounds pork butt, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Hatch peppers, chopped (or Anaheims)
- 2 Poblano peppers, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 pound tomatillos (peeled and cleaned), chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch cilantro (large), chopped
- 3 tablespoons masa (corn flour)
- 4 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon salt, divided
- Lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork and 2 teaspoons of salt. Brown the pork on all sides, stirring regularly. Remove the pork from the pot and pour out all rendered fat, saving about 1 tablespoon.
- Add the onions, remaining salt, cumin, coriander, and oregano to the pot. Sauté for 3-5 minutes. Then add the garlic and peppers. Sauté another 3-5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatillos, bay leaves, and cilantro. Toss the pork with the masa and add back to the pot. Stir well.
- Finally add the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 3 hours, or until the pork is falling apart, stirring occasionally.
- Take 2 forks and break the pork up even more. Salt and pepper to taste.
This chili looks fabulous! I bet that Guinness tastes good with it!
Looks great, but the pic of all the different green chiles scares me! Is it really spicy/hot, or not so much if you cut out the seeds?
This just looks oh so good. Thanks for the recipe. You have a wonderful blog. Really like it!
ooh, Spicy, this does look amazing! I must be missing the gene that likes cilantro, but everything else about this recipe speaks to me. thanks…definitely gonna skip over here the next time I make soup & use your spice combinations for a veggie soup. yum, can’t wait!
and I must NOT forget the cooking class in 2 days. thx for reminder!
lovely picture and presentation
This makes me miss New Mexico! I’ve visited a few times, and I always eat the most amazing bowls of green chile. I want some right now! Thank you for sharing. I hope you are having a day of sweet treats and love. Happy Valentine’s!
Gorgeous bowl of yumminess! I have eaten but not made chile verde. It looks so delicious and inviting…I will have to check out the pepper section next time I’m in the produce section. Thanks for the inspiration, Sommer!
I adore tomatillos in chile. Are they a common ingredient in New Mexico-style chile? Actually, I’m scratching my head and wondering how I didn’t know that New Mexico has it’s own kind of chile. I’ve never been there but this gives me another reason to go (on top of the freshly-smoked chilies I’ve heard a ton about).
I love Hatch chilies too but as a substitute that mix sounds good. Have you noticed lately that jalapenos don’t seem as hot as they used too? I am wondering if the variety you can get in the stores is different now and has less heat? I don’t know but I think something is up. I also have the exact same fiesta ware that you do and I always use mine for chili – the bowls are the best size. Good luck Wednesday- I am going to try to watch.
I had my first chili verde in New Mexico and yours enchants just as much. Talk about your green chilies! Love the heat for the day!
This looks soooo delicious Sommer! I could eat a plate now with a cold beer. ;)Happy Valentine’s to you too! xxoo
Wow. This looks SO good. It looks even better because you have beer and fritos served with it. *drooool*
Thought Id try this because it had a high star rating. Should have read them beforw I dished out the $30 to make it. Most of the high ratings are from people who didnt even make it but thought it looked “yummy” DONT RATE SOMETHING YOU HAVENT MADE!!! ITS MISLEADING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE IT! I will come back and adjust my rating once I have made this recipe.