This crock pot chili verde recipe couldn't be easier to prepare. Just imagine tender chunks of pork, simmered in a tangy, savory, and lightly smoky green sauce that's just spicy enough to keep you coming back for more. If you're short on time, try my Instant Pot chili verde instead!
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I don't know about your family, but around here we love Mexican food. And while Montana isn't exactly known for authentic Mexican cuisine, let's be honest, not even close, we avoid Mexican food withdrawals by cooking the good stuff at home.
This easy crock pot chili verde recipe is a great beginner-friendly recipe that delivers authentic flavor with minimal effort. When cooked low and slow, the pork turns out juicy, tender, and downright succulent.
There's a little prep work upfront, such as roasting the veggies and browning the meat, but after that, everything goes into a slow cooker and time does the rest. Then try slow cooker country style ribs!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pork: You'll need 4 lbs of pork shoulder or pork butt, trimmed and cubed into 2" chunks.
- Veggies/Fruit: Poblanos, serranos, yellow onions, garlic, and tomatillos. I didn't have fresh tomatillos, so I used the ones I canned this past summer. You'll also need one lime, juiced.
- Spices: Salt, black pepper, ground cumin, and ground coriander.
- Broth: Chicken broth, canned or homemade.
- Herbs: Fresh cilantro, dried Mexican oregano, and fresh purslane (optional). If you don't have Mexican oregano, substitute regular oregano.
- Misc: All-purpose flour for coating the meat and olive oil or lard for searing it.
How to Make Crock Pot Chili Verde
Step 1: Wash peppers and fresh tomatillos, then add to a large foil-lined baking sheet. Add peeled and quartered onion and a head of garlic (sliced in half). Spray generously with olive oil, then broil on high for 5 minutes or until charred. Flip ingredients as needed. Remove from oven and cover with Saran Wrap to allow the peppers to sweat.
Step 2: Chop pork into 2"-3" chunks, trim off excess fat, and pat dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl, mix salt, black pepper, and flour, then add cubed pork and coat with flour mixture. Add olive oil to a hot skillet and sear pork on all sides, then transfer to slow cooker with pan juices.
Step 3: Peel charred skin from poblano peppers and add the peppers to a food processor along with onion, serranos, tomatillos, peeled garlic, and half of the broth. Pulse until roughly chopped, then pour over the pork.
Step 4: Chop cilantro and purslane (if using) and add to the pot, along with cumin, coriander, oregano, and chicken broth. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the crock pot and mix the ingredients to incorporate. Cook for 7 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high. Skim fat off the surface before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Slow cooker chili verde can be served in a variety of ways. Serve it with corn tortillas or sourdough discard tortillas, creamy guacamole, sour cream, and green chili salsa.
Another way to serve it is to pour it over Mexican rice. Diced white onion, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, and these amazing spicy Mexican pickled carrots will round out this meal quite nicely!
Leftovers can be used for quesadillas, tacos, or added to a Mexican breakfast burrito. Or, make green enchiladas or chile verde nachos!
Recipe FAQs
To cook chili verde in a crock pot, it takes anywhere from 4-6 hours on the high setting and 6-8 hours on the low setting.
Not skipping a few crucial steps like browning the meat first and roasting the vegetables. Doing so not only deepens the flavor but adds sweetness, smokiness, and depth.
Chili verde is traditionally made with pork shoulder (also called pork butt). It's the perfect cut because it has enough fat and connective tissue to become incredibly tender during long, slow cooking. As it simmers in the tomatillo-pepper sauce, the meat breaks down into juicy, flavorful chunks that give chili verde its signature richness.
Pro Tips
- To tame the heat, use fewer serranos or substitute them with jalapeños or Anaheim peppers.
- Slow cookers can dull flavor. Stir in fresh cilantro, lime juice, or jarred tomatillo salsa right before serving.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Mexican Recipes
If you enjoy this crock pot chili verde, check out these other delicious Mexican recipes.
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Wash peppers and fresh tomatillos, then add to a large foil-lined baking sheet. Add peeled and quartered onion and a head of garlic (sliced in half). Spray generously with olive oil, then broil on high for 5 minutes or until charred. Flip ingredients as needed. Remove from oven and cover with Saran Wrap to allow the peppers to sweat.
- Chop pork into 2"-3" chunks, trim off excess fat, and pat dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl, mix salt, black pepper, and flour, then add cubed pork and coat with flour mixture. Add olive oil to a hot skillet and sear pork on all sides, then transfer to slow cooker with pan juices.
- Peel charred skin from poblano peppers and add the peppers to a food processor along with onion, serranos, tomatillos, peeled garlic, and half of the broth. Pulse until roughly chopped, then pour over the pork.
- Chop cilantro and purslane (if using) and add to the pot, along with cumin, coriander, oregano, and chicken broth. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the crock pot and mix the ingredients to incorporate. Cook for 7 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high. Skim fat off the surface before serving.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- To tame the heat, use fewer serranos or substitute them with jalapeños or Anaheim peppers.
- Slow cookers can dull flavor. Stir in fresh cilantro, lime juice, or jarred tomatillo salsa right before serving.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Brenda Cawaling says
This was amazing! I couldn’t find poblano chilis, so I used Padilla chilis, I used a pork loin instead of butt, and one large jalapeño in place of the serrano chilis. I followed all else as written, and it just has a beautiful flavor! I did thicken it a little with cornstarch because I was using it in burritos. This will definitely be added to the rotation.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you so much, Brenda! I really appreciate your feedback!
Terry says
I serve Chili Verde over shredded cabbage (diabetic friendly) to give the dish some crunch and top with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks for the helpful suggestion, Terry!
PJ Fournier says
This is one of my favorite recipes and making it in the crock pot makes it so much easier and the pork is oh so tender!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi PJ, you and my husband both, Chile verde is one of his favorite dishes and using a crockpot makes it so simple to make. Thanks for your review!
Brenda Bautista says
Vary similar to my family's recipe. Delilcious. We serve on rice. Thank you. This recipe will be a favorite as people try it!!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Brenda. I appreciate your sweet comment!
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you try this recipe soon!