Restaurant-style Chili Verde under ninety minutes is totally doable with this Instant Pot Chili Verde recipe! And guess what? You can use the leftovers to make some yummy green enchiladas!
Chili Verde originated in Northern Mexico, where authentic Chile Verde is referred to as "Cerdo Con Verdolagas" or "pork with purslane." However, since not everyone likes purslane, I'm leaving that as an optional ingredient.
Although Chili Verde was traditionally made with pork, these days it's made with a variety of meats including chicken, beef, and seafood. However, my family prefers it with pork so how I make it.
The deep and complex flavors in this Instant pot Chili Verde are achieved by first broiling the vegetables, searing the pork, then adding just the right amount of seasoning. After that, just sit back, relax, and let your Instant Pot (or Ninja Foodi) do the rest!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making Chili Verde can seem intimidating to some, but it's much easier when you use a pressure cooker to prepare it!
- This recipe can be prepared over a few days to make it even more manageable.
- You can make this Instant Pot Chili Verde recipe ahead of time and reheat it just prior to serving it.
- Leftovers can be used in tacos, quesadillas, or to make amazing Chili Verde enchiladas!
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingrediens & Substitutions
- Pork: Pork shoulder or pork butt can be used in this recipe. Trim excess fat while slicing the meat into 2 to 3 inch chunks.
- Chiles: You'll need 3 large poblano chiles and a few jalapeno peppers or serranos (for extra heat).
- Other Veggies: Tomatillos are a traditional ingredient, but if you can't find them, green tomatoes can be substituted. You'll also need a large yellow onion and one head of garlic.
- Herbs: Fresh cilantro, dried oregano, and fresh purslane, which is optional.
- Spices: Sea salt, black pepper, cumin powder, and coriander powder.
- Broth: Canned chicken broth, or even better, homemade! May substitute beef broth or vegetable broth.
* A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
🥘 How to Make Pork Chili Verde
Step 1: Peel and wash tomatillos, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Add peeled and quartered onion, a head of garlic, and peppers. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Broil on high for five minutes or until the veggies begin to char.
Step 2: Remove tray from oven and flip veggies on the other side. Broil for a few additional minutes or until charred, then allow to cool.
Pro Tip: Roasting the vegetables takes Chili Verde to a whole new level, so don't skip this step!
Step 3: Once cool enough to handle, peel roasted garlic and remove skin from roasted peppers, then deseed. Add to a blender, along with the other charred vegetables. Depending on the size of your blender, you might have to do this in two batches. Divide the broth between the batches, then pulse vegetables until roughly chopped.
Pro Tip: Another option is to use an Immersion Blender.
Step 4: Meanwhile, chop pork into 2" to 3" chunks. Mix salt, black pepper, and flour, then sprinkle over pork and work into the meat chunks.
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Step 5: Pour the remaining olive oil into the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi. Select "sauté" and once the oil is hot, sear the seasoned pork, working in batches.
Step 6: Mix cumin, coriander, oregano, and cilantro into the pureed veggies then pour over the meat in your pressure cooker.
Step 7: Seal lid and turn valve to "seal." Select "high pressure." It can take 15-20 minutes for the pressure to build up and the vent to seal. Adjust cook time to 30 minutes. Once time is up, vent manually, or allow the pressure cooker to vent naturally.
Serve Instant Pot Chili Verde with sour cream, warmed tortillas, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Chili verde can be served in a variety of ways. One option is to serve it with corn tortillas, creamy guacamole, sour cream, and salsa ranchera.
Another way to serve this Instant Pot Chili Verde 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 to quesadillas, or wrapped into a burrito. Or, as mentioned earlier, use leftover chili verde to make green enchiladas! They're super tasty!
👩🏼🍳 Recipe FAQs
"Chili Verde" means "Green Chili" in Spanish. The chili gets its green color from the tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapenos, and cilantro that are blended into the stew. Pork is simmered in the stew, until very tender.
The most obvious way to make mild chili verde is to leave out the jalapenos. However, sometimes the poblano peppers can be pretty spicy too. Replacing the poblanos with bell peppers is another way to dial down the spice factor. You can also reduce the amount of black pepper called for in the recipe.
The longer you cook Chili Verde, the more it reduces down and the thicker it will become. However, you can always make a slurry with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and ¼ cup water to stir into the Chili Verde.
Keep in mind that you won't see the full extent of the thickener until the stew is boiling for a few minutes. It will thicken further once cool.
Tomatillos are also known as Mexican Husk Tomatoes. This fruit originated in Mexico, where they're commonly used to make Chili Verde, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, and other tasty dishes.
Tomatillos are not spicy, but rather taste like an unripe sour tomato. The texture is denser and less juicy than a tomato. The dry husk is removed to reveal a bright green tomatillo, that loses its brightness when cooked.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Use the leftover Chili Verde to make green enchiladas.
- Add Chili Verde meat to cheese quesadillas. Just go easy on the chili, or you will be left with a wet mess!
- Add pork and some of the sauce over fries. Finish off with shredded Mexican cheese. Broil or bake long enough to melt the cheese.
- Use the leftovers from Chili Verde to make nachos. Load tortilla chips with Chili Verde and cheese. Bake until the chips are crispy and the cheese is melted. Serve topped with diced onions, cilantro, guacamole, and sour cream.
- Serve leftovers over Mexican rice.
All your hard work has paid off. So grab some tortillas and a margarita, it's time to dig into the best Chili Verde you've ever had!
If you'd rather use chicken instead of pork, you'll want to check out this crock pot chicken verde with potatoes soup recipe.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chili Verde
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. tomatillos
- 3 large poblano chilis
- 2 medium jalapeños (or Serranos)
- 1 large yellow onion (quartered)
- 1 head garlic (sliced in half)
- ¼ cup olive oil (divided)
- 3½ lbs pork butt (chunked)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ⅓ cup cilantro leaves (chopped)
- ¼ cup chopped purslane (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and wash tomatillos, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Add peeled and quartered onion, garlic, and peppers. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Broil on high for five minutes or until the veggies begin to char.
- Remove tray from oven and flip veggies on the other side. Broil for a few additional minutes or until charred, then allow to cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, peel roasted garlic and remove skin from roasted peppers, then deseed. Add to a blender, along with the other charred vegetables. Depending on the size of your blender, you might have to do this in two batches. Divide the broth between the batches, then pulse vegetables until roughly chopped.
- Meanwhile, chop pork into 2" to 3" chunks. Mix salt, black pepper, and flour, then sprinkle over pork and work into the meat chunks.
- Pour the remaining olive oil into the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi. Select "sauté" and once the oil is hot, sear the seasoned pork, working in batches.
- Mix cumin, coriander, oregano, and chopped cilantro into the pureed veggies then pour over the meat in your pressure cooker.
- Seal lid and turn valve to "seal." Select "high pressure." It can take 15-20 minutes for the pressure to build up and the vent to seal. Adjust cook time to 30 minutes. Once time is up, vent manually, or allow the pressure cooker to vent naturally.
- Serve Instant Pot Chili Verde with sour cream, warmed tortillas, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.
Notes
- Roasting the vegetables takes Chili Verde to a whole new level, so don't skip this step!
- Use the leftover Chili Verde to make green enchiladas.
- Add Chili Verde meat to cheese quesadillas. Just go easy on the chili, or you will be left with a wet mess!
- Add pork and some of the sauce over fries. Finish off with shredded Mexican cheese. Broil or bake long enough to melt the cheese.
- Use the leftovers from Chili Verde to make nachos. Load tortilla chips with Chili Verde and cheese. Bake until the chips are crispy and the cheese is melted. Serve topped with diced onions, cilantro, guacamole, and sour cream.
- Serve leftovers over Mexican rice.
Shelly Freeman says
How long should I cook this on the stove? I don't have an instant pot
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Shelly,
I also have a slow-cooker recipe for Chili Verde here:https://hildaskitchenblog.com/recipe/chili-verde-recipe/. If you do it on the stovetop, I'd simmer it until the meat is very tender. I would guess it would take a couple of hours.
ninth1 says
Anyone know the carb content of this? I am making it right now and can't wait to try it!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi, I'm not sure how I missed adding the carbs content, sorry about that. I will update the post now with that info. (usually found on the bottom of the recipe card). The carb content is 25 grams for 1 of 6 servings.