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.
Your recipe was ok. Just not your typical New Mexican. Our variations are very plain and simple and don’t require all these ingredients. So why would you call it new Mexican Chile?!
“New Mexico Chile Verde (Green Chili) is known for not having an official recipe. It consists of slow-cooked green chiles and pork; all other ingredients are optional.”
Because it is New Mexican chile.
Why do people have to be so darn negative….. smh.
YUM, this one is a keeper! Five stars!
Mods: I left out the masa, and used leftover shredded pork from a pit-roasted pig, which gave a good smoky flavor. As another commenter suggested, I roasted my peppers (red and green jalapenos, poblanos, Anaheims) to blister the skins and removed them before chopping and adding to the onions. Since the pork was already well-cooked, we let everything simmer for 1.5 hours instead of 4. Delicious with fresh cilantro, lime, scallions, sour cream, and avocado cubes, and a glass of red wine on the side.
I lost my brother in April to cancer – every fall he’d make Chile Verde (he lived in Denver) with Hatch Chilis. I never could make it because I live in Ohio and had never seen Hatch Chilis in the store. Hatch Chilies are an essential ingredient for NM Chile Verde (per my brother) This year Hatch Chiles appeared in my local grocery store…out of no where (NM I’m sure). So I bought some and used this recipe as my base. 4 Hatch chilies, 2 poblanos and 1 Serrano along with 3lbs pork and a lengthy simmer later, I did my brother proud. Thank you.
This was delicious! I looked at many different green chili recipes, and this was the most authentic I could find! Would highly recommend.
Excited to try this! I have so many poblanos and hot banana peppers to harvest before first frost (MN).
Would corn meal vs corn flour work? When to add I’d using slow cooker – at start or later?
Hi Leslie,
The masa or corn flour is used to thicken the base a bit. I would probably use all-purpose flour over cornmeal if you can’t find masa. If using a slow cooker, set on Low for 8-10 hours.
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Yum! My husband and I make chili con carne all the time, but had never made a green chile until we found this recipe. We were unable to find Hatch or Anaheim peppers, but used jalapenos, poblanos, and a can of green chillies. It was amazing and tasted even better the next day. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I made this last night in Instant Pot and we all loved it. I have been searching fir an all green, green Chile recipe. So many have red tomatoes and I don’t get the look I want. I’m still in search of a more gravy line consistency, so I’ll be making again today and dredging pork in flour. Loved your use of coriander which was a big surprise and a bonus!!😀
How long did you cook yours in your instapot?! I want to make this but dont want to cook it for 4 hrs on the stove.
Haven’t made it yet, but I will. At present, on a chili colorado kick based on Bon Appetit’s Rick Martinez. That is the best red chili I have ever tasted. Only caveat is to cut back on the salt if you use prepared chicken broth. I used Better than Bouillon and the salt level by the time I reduced it about knocks my socks off.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be back for more.
Oh my my my! Fantabulous! Made it as written except I had 1 jalapeño and 2 Serranos on hand. The last 20 minutes I threw in white hominy and served it with sour cream and cilantro on top and made corn bread. This is an instant family favorite! Thank you so much.
Delicious! I made it with 2 chicken breasts and added 2 cans of white beans and 1 can of corn and it was amazing!!
Very tasty! Everyone enjoyed this one.