Easy Colorado Green Chile recipe using tasty New Mexico roasted Hatch green chiles, jalapeños, pork, tomatoes and spices; slow cooked to release the best flavors! Rich, thick Colorado Green Chile can be served alone like a chili or soup, used for smothering, in enchiladas, with eggs and potatoes or as a side for any Mexican dish!
Add a tablespoon or two of oil (vegetable or olive works) to a large frying pan (this is my favorite pan!), over medium-high heat, add pork in batches, don’t crowd the pan, you don’t want to steam the meat, but get a quick, crisp sear on the outside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large soup pot, add a tablespoon of oil and cook the chopped onions until caramelized and translucent; then add minced garlic, cumin and smoked paprika, stirring around for one minute to bloom the spices.
Add the tomatoes, the green chilies and jalapeños. Bring to a simmer on low, then stir in the browned pork.
TFC PRO TIP | I used a 26 oz box of diced tomatoes, which tends to overpower the “green” in the chile, but I like tomatoes and thought it will yield a slightly milder flavor. If you want it greener, then add a standard 15 oz can.
Meanwhile, add the butter to the skillet you browned the pork in (don’t wash it, you want all of those flavorful brown bits), over low heat, once butter is melted, add the masa flour to the melted butter, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, until flour is lightly browned. Add chicken stock slowly whisking constantly until thickened. This is a roux, which will thicken the stew.
Add the roux to the green chile, stirring to combine, and simmer for at least 2-3 hours. See notes below for Oven cooked green chile and Crock Pot versions.
Notes
The biggest difference is that Chile Verde uses tomatillos in place of the diced tomatoes used in this recipe, they are both "green chiles" which is what Chile verde means (chile green), but using tomatillos is more traditional and keeps the chile recipe all green. If you want to use tomatillos, use about 12-18 ounces, husked, rinsed and halved. Cut in half and place cut side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. Remove from oven, let cool enough to handle. Puree in blender and add to chile verde. You may opt to not roast the tomatillos and puree them raw as well, but the flavors will be better if you roast them.*Pork | If preferred you can sear a 1-3 pound pork roast or pork butt, place in Chile verde soup, and cook for a minimum of 3 hours, covered. Removed, shred pork and return to green chile.*You can roast your own Green Chiles! You will need about 24-32 oz (3-4 cups), each chile once roasted, seeded and chopped yields about 1 oz of chiles, so you will need between 18-24 roasted green chiles. TFC PRO TIP | Do not wash the peppers after blistering or removing the skin, this will wash away some of that delicious smoky flavor!
How to make Slow-Cooked (Oven) Colorado Green Chile
My stovetop tends to get pretty hot even on simmer, so for tomato based recipes, like my Grandpa Frank’s Spaghetti Sauce (so yummy), I tend to finish simmering in the oven. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and place the (oven safe) covered pork green chile in the oven. I let mine stew (get it) for 6-7 hours so that the pork just fell apart.
Crock Pot Chile Verde
A couple of tips so you attain the same great results as slow cooking this tender Colorado green chile.
Saute the onions in a large frying pan until translucent, add the garlic and spices, stirring around until bloomed. Remove from pan and add to crockpot, add tomatoes, green chiles and jalapenos.
Add a little oil to the same pan, increase heat to medium-high, salt and pepper the pork pieces and brown in batches, remove and add to crock pot.
Make the Roux | Add butter to the same pan over medium-low heat, melt, then quickly whisk in the masa (flour) until browned and bubbly, about a minute.
Whisking constantly, slowly whisk in chicken stock until it’s thick, like a gravy. Stir into a crock pot, cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
Gluten-Free Pork Green Chile | This recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as you are using Masa Flour. You may also substitute the Masa with a good GF All-purpose flour.
Vegetarian and Vegan Green Chile | Omit the pork, substitute oil for the butter, reducing by a couple of teaspoons when making the roux, replace the chicken stock with vegetable broth.
Roast your own chile peppers (see above)!
Can’t find Hatch or Colorado Green Chiles? Use Anaheim peppers instead.
If you absolutely cannot find fresh or frozen green chiles, then purchase high quality canned Hatch Green Chiles, using the same amount.
Storage
Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days, and up to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw and use however you like!