Chili Verde is a favorite across the Southwest. A friend dropped me a line to see if I had a recipe, and I was surprised that I had never posted one before! Not only is it a great idea for a blog post, I get to eat the Chili Verde too! It’s perfect for our January weather!
Hatch chiles for Chili Verde
Chili Verde is usually made with Hatch green chiles. Mild or spicy hot, both varieties are available canned in most supermarkets. Hatch chiles are usually harvested in the Autumn, but their flavor is popular year-round. Here in South Texas, we might see fresh Hatch chiles in the supermarket, but then again maybe we won’t. You never know.
If you happen to find fresh Hatch chiles, check out my tutorial on roasting fresh chiles. The tutorial features Poblano chiles, but the roasting process is the same for Hatch chiles. You will need about 6 roasted fresh Hatch chiles to make this recipe. If you can’t find them, simply use canned as instructed above. Here is more info on my blog about roasting chiles.
Fresh is better, but I can always find canned
Also, tomatillos are always better fresh, but they are not always available in every market. If you can find fresh, simply wash and boil 1 ½ lbs/750g of fresh peeled and washed tomatillos to equate the amount of tomatillos in a 28oz/793g can. Drain the water and add as directed in the recipe.
You may notice that this Chili Verde recipe calls for cubes of meat instead of ground meat. I like the texture of cubed meat better. As the meat stews, the cubes tend to fall apart anyway. Also, the bones that you will include with your stew meat will give the Chili Verde a thick, silky sauce. You could add corn tortilla mix or a wheat flour slurry to thicken it, but I prefer the bones for better flavor.
Try this chili served over rice, noodles or over tamales. It’s cold outside tonight, so I’m having mine with fried eggs and beans. So delicious!
Chili Verde (Santa Fe Style Green Chili)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 lbs. bone-in pork chops (1kg)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (30ml)
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 ½ lbs. boneless beef stew meat, cubed (750g)
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped parsley (12g)
5 x 4oz/113g cans Hatch green chiles, hot or mild (20oz/565g total)
28oz can tomatillos, drained (794g)
¼ tsp. ground cloves (<.5g)
1 tsp. ground cumin (2.5g)
¼ cup fresh lime or lemon juice (60ml)
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Garnishes:
Queso fresco
Instructions
Remove the pork meat from the bones and cut the meat into bite-sized cubes. Reserve the bones for stewing.
Heat the vegetable oil in a 4 qt. Dutch oven. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the pork meat, pork bones and beef cubes and sauté until well browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley, and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the canned chiles, tomatillos, cloves, cumin, and lime juice. Stir to combine well while breaking up the whole tomatillos. Season with salt and pepper, cover and lower the heat to simmer. Stew the chili until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Keep an eye on the liquid level, adding 2 cups of water (480ml) if necessary.
Garnish with queso fresco & corn tortilla chips.
Notes
This can also be made in an Instapot, but no extra water should be necessary.
To make tortilla chips, follow instructions in Homemade Tortilla Chips recipe but cut the corn tortillas into 1/4″/.64cm strips instead of wedges.
Can this be made with just pork? Sounds so good.
Hi there! yes, I think pork in place of the beef would be fine. In fact, I might try that too! Enjoy!