Delicious Pork Chile Verde usually requires many steps to get it from prep to hot-on-the-table. But with an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, all the flavors that usually take hours to come together are perfection in less than an hour.
This version took me by surprise because I’ve ALWAYS roasted the peppers first to blacken and soften them. And I’ve ALWAYS seared the pork. But today, you get to make the easiest Chile Verde by rough chopping fresh ingredients, and dumping them in the cooker. About 30 minutes later it’s ready to go; a truly rich, hearty, and complex Mexican stew. If you’re a purest or skeptic, go ahead and roast your veggies first. I was skeptical the first time so I’ve tried it and the main difference will be that your verde (which literally means green) will be more brown than bright green, so skip it unless you’re excited about adding an hour to the prep work. 🙂
I’ve listed a good cross sampling of different peppers to put in your salsa verde but you can play with some combinations to your liking. Look at these pretty, bright veggies. Onions, tomatillos, Anaheim and Poblano peppers are the base, and a couple chopped jalapenos, seeds and all (the seeds just add depth here, not a lot of heat). If you want a bit more heat, you can add some hotter peppers or extra jalapenos or serranos, which I did. I added a habenaro and serrano pepper to everything listed and it still wasn’t too much for the least heat tolerant in the house (that’s not me).
One thing you’ll notice that’s missing from the list here is any extra liquid or broth before cooking. The pressure cooker infuses the liquid that naturally comes out of the vegetables so the verde is the perfect intensity of flavor with no extra liquid needed. Adding extra liquid is not okay for every pressure cooking recipe. In the case of the Chile Verde, since there are a lot of vegetables in the stew, there will be plenty of liquid created by these vegetables.
Four pounds of diced, well marbled pork shoulder, cut up by the butcher- ask them to do it if you can’t find it pre-cut. I like my pork cut into one-inch cubes. But at the end of cooking you need to remove the meat before pureeing the vegetables and liquid, so the smaller bites can take awhile to remove. The benefit to larger diced pieces of pork is that it’s easier to remove after cooking and before you puree’ the verde ingredients. Not a biggy and larger pieces can be shredded before serving if you like. I place the veggies on top of the meat, no need to stir it first. A few minutes of sauteeing everything in the cooker which will sear the meat on the bottom of the cooker just enough (still no stirring needed), then the lid goes on and time is set for 28-30 minutes. The Instant Pot will reach pressure quickly since there’s no added liquid and you’ve already brought the temp up a little with the pre-sear. Once the cooking time is finished, quick release the steam, remove the meat from the juice and vegetables, add a handful of cilantro, a little bit of fish sauce, which is the secret ingredient that adds a hint of umami flavor.
After the veggies have been pureed, the meat goes back in and it’s technically ready to serve. But here is a strong recommendation- If you truly want that amazing, favorite Mexican-restaurant-Chile Verde, place everything in a sealed container and let the Chile Verde continue to meld in the fridge for at least one day, and if you can stand to wait three days, it’s magical perfection.
My brother makes a delicious long cooking Chile Verde and it’s always a good option when you have all day and feel like slowly creating and playing in the kitchen (like on a stormy Sunday). I used his recipe to pump up the flavors even more and I’ll post his method soon. But since I recommend making this dish a few days ahead of serving, can we truly call it a “quick” recipe? I say yes because if you plan accordingly, you can make this beauty in no time on a Wednesday night, then come Saturday evening after a day of housework or yardwork (ugh), or how about shopping, hiking, skiiing, lounging (yes!), you can pull this finished dish out of the fridge and while it’s reheating, warm up some corn or flour tortillas, crumble a little cotija cheese or even feta or cheddar. Serve alone or over rice.
This is now my favorite way to make Chile Verde and I don’t know about you but having some of this finished and frozen at all times seems like a super good thing to do. Enjoy friends, and thanks for stopping by. Hope you give this a try soon. Let me know what you think!
Easiest Chile Verde {Instant Pot}
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks**
- ¾ pound tomatillos, about 4 tomatillos, quarterd, husks discarded
- ⅔ pound Poblano peppers, about 2 peppers, roughly choppd, seeds and stems discarded
- 6 ounces Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers, about 2 peppers, roughly chopped, seeded and stemmed
- 2 jalapeno or serrano chilles, roughly chopped, keep seeds, discard stems (1 extra for added heat, if desired)
- ½ yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
- ½ cup green onions, rough chopped
- 1 medium white onion, about 1 cup, roughly chopped
- 7-8 medium cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano
- Generous pinch of Kosher salt
- 1-2 habenero peppers, roughly chopped, with or without seeds depending on desired heat
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems, about ½ ounce, plus more for garnish
- ½ to 1 Tablespoon Asian fish sauce
- Flour or corn tortillas and lime wedges, for serving
- Prepared long or short-grain white rice, black or pinto beans, enough for serving ,optional
Instructions
- Heat heavy bottomed pot to medium-high and add 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds. Heat until seeds start to brown and become fragrant (watch to prevent burning), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Grind in an electric grinder or by hand with a mortar and pestle. Set aside until needed. See notes if you only have ground cumin.
- In an Instant Pot or other stove top pressure cooker, combine 4 pounds pork, ¾ pound tomatillos, ⅔ pound Poblano peppers, 6 ounces Anaheim peppers, 2 jalapeños or Serranos, ½ yellow pepper, ½ cup green 1 onion, 7-8 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 Tablespoon cumin, and salt (also add 1-2 habanero pepper and additional Serranos if you want added heat).
- Press Saute button (for Instant Pot), then adjust to High. Heat until gently sizzling. Now place lid on cooker, select Manual button/Normal Pressure, Sealing function, and adjust time to 28 minutes. Once pressure cooking time is up, release pressure with Quick Release method.
- Using tongs, or slotted spoon if pork pieces are small, transfer pork to a bowl and set aside. Add ½ cup cilantro and ½-1 Tablespoon fish sauce to remaining contents in the pressure cooker. Blend with an immersion blender or in a countertop blender, then season to taste with salt, about 1 ½ teaspoons. Return pork to the sauce and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately OR better yet, cool and place in 6 quart container with lid and keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days, at least overnight. Reheat over medium heat on stovetop and enjoy.
Notes
- If you only have ground cumin, I still recommend roasting it on the stove until fragrant. This enhances the cumin. When roasting the ground cumin, only heat on medium and stir frequently, watching to prevent burning.
- It's a good idea to wear kitchen gloves when chopping your peppers for this recipe. Just a good practice for anytime you handle peppers with any amount of heat.
- The 15 minute prep time indicated in the recipe is with the assumption that your meat is already cut. I always ask the butcher to do it and some stores have pre-cut pork shoulder for chile verde already in the meat section. If you're cutting your own meat, allow another 15 minutes for this step.
- If your pork is cut in small pieces to begin with, the step where you remove the pork from the vegetables will be a bit tedious. If you're not wanting to be patient with this step, you can cut the meat into larger pieces to begin with and then cut them down more after they're removed from the stew prior to blending.
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats via J. Knji Lopez-Alt of The Food Lab.
This is a great recipe, made it several times. One change however – I separate the pressure cooking into two parts – the meat first ( with a small amount of chicken stock) for 30 minutes. Remove the meat and most of the rendered juices. Then do all the veggies for a second 30 minute pressure cook. Puree the veggies, then add the meat back in.
This does two things – eliminates the fiddly step of fishing out the meat from the veggies, and eliminates the overly watery sauce after pureeing.
Harry, thanks for sharing your method here. And I’m glad you like the recipe. It means a lot to have you take the time to comment.
It’s pretty uncool to plagiaris someone else’s recipe, add one ingredient, and then monetize it. Pretty dang low…
Cameron, I give full credit to the fabulous recipe on Serious Eats. I’m a small time blogger just trying to share recipes I love. Some are family recipes, some are all my own and some are from others that I admire and want to share. I’m not trying to be “pretty dang low”. What are you trying to prove by shaming me? I’m monetizing my process, which is different Than the original, using my own words and pictures. Just like many other bloggers, big and small. And a lot don’t give credit where a recipe is adapted from. And I don’t waste my time trolling to call them out. Please try to think the best of most of us. We’re trying our best.
This is absolutely unbelievably delicious! The meat was so tender and the flavors are spot on. It was so good, way better than I could have ever expected. SO glad you shared this recipe Sally, Thank you!
Thanks, Camilla! I’ve made this so many times and am surprised by how good it is every time I make it. 🙂
Thank you, Thank you for an AUTHENTIC version of Chile Verde! My husband and I grew up in NM, and this is a taste of home!
Wish I knew how this turns out. Instant Pot shuts down within a few minutes of pressure cook with “burn” message.
Hmmm, Erik. I’m wondering if you stir the pot a bit and try again. If your pork is in large pieces it might stick a bit and then the Instant Pot is sensing a burn.
Excited to try, thanks! Why not just blend everything before putting it? Avoid the chopping and sort meat out after…?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t done this but you could certainly try it. I’m not sure if some of the nice “melding” of flavors would be lost if blended first. If you do this, be sure to let me know how it turns out.
Sarah, One thing that may not make blending the vegetables beforehand a good idea is, you want the Verde to be kind of smooth and if the vegetables are still raw, you’re not going to get that. If they’re still crisp, they’ll only blend down so much but after they’re soft, they blend to a smooth consistency.
I actually chopped up 4 small boneless chops. I reduced the veggies to half. It turned out great when pressure cooked for 28 min. When it cooled,I added a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt. I love chili Verde, and this one is so easy. This fits into my healthy meal plan. Thanks!
Hi Sherri, Thanks for sharing this fabulous tip! This might be a good option for someone wanting either less meat in the Chile Verde or if they’re cutting the size of the recipe as well. Not to mention, how easy to cut up chops! I appreciate you taking the time to comment and am so glad you liked the recipe.
Hi Sally,
I was planning on making this but only for two people. Would the measurements/recipe work fine if I were to halve everything (i.e. 2 lbs of Pork Shoulder)?
Thanks!
Hi Tanner, yes you can definitely halve everything. However, I’m not sure how much if any to reduce the cooking time. You could start with 18 minutes and if the meat and vegetables aren’t tender enough, pressure cook it again for an additional time depending on how it looks. This also freezes very well if you wanted to make the whole recipe and freeze half.
If the chili verde is cooked in an Instant Pot do you have to add at least a cup of liquid? Or is there enough liquid in the tomatillos?
Hi Elizabeth, there is so much liquid in the vegetables you don’t need to do anything other than exactly what the recipe says. I promise you’ll love it! And when you release the lid, there will be just the right amount of liquid with the pork and veggies. Let me know what you think!
This is a go to recipe for me. Love it! As pork is getting a little more challenging to find, I’m thinking of trying it with chicken thighs. I know it won’t be the same but worth the try. Any recommendation on cooking time or other concerns?
Hi Judy, I’m so glad you like this recipe! I also just made it again yesterday for a family get-together. I’m concerned about using chicken thighs only because chicken should not be cooked for near as long as the time needed with the pork but part of the success with the chile verde is that the vegetables cook for a really long time so the flavors come together and become soft to puree well. So, what I’d do is put whole thighs into the pot with the vegetables and only cook for about 10 minutes, maybe 12. Then after your quick release, remove the chicken to a plate, reseal the Instant Pot and cook the vegetables for another 15 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, I’d shred or cube the chicken, whichever you prefer. Then continue the recipe as written and mix the chicken back into the sauce. If you don’t feel like the chicken is tender enough, you can always, put everything into a pot on the stove and let it simmer for up to an hour to let the chicken soften more and the flavors get even more blended. I do think a chicken chile verde is a great, lighter alternative to pork. Now you’ve got me curious and I’m going to have to try this myself! Thanks again for making this recipe. Let me know how it turns out for you with the chicken.
I’ll try what you’ve recommended and let you know how it goes. Thank you!
I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
I used about 3.5 pounds of whole boneless skinless chicken thighs. Per your recommendation, I cooked veggies & chicken at high pressure for 12 minutes. Removed the chicken and then cooked the veggies for 15 additional minutes. Shredded chicken. Pureed veggies. Combined. Let sit in fridge overnight. Success! It’s not as rich as the pork but that was to be expected. We really liked it. Thank you for both the original and the assist with the chicken version.
Judy, I’m definitely going to try this method soon! I’m glad it was successful and that I could offer some help in how to work the recipe using chicken. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out! Have a great weekend and I hope to hear from you soon on other recipes. 🙂
Fabulous recipe. It’s the first recipe I’ve found since buying my instant pot that is truly just throw it all in and end up with perfection. It also happens to be the first time I’ve attempted chili Verde at home, because I couldn’t seem to find a recipe that sounded like it may come out as well as the friend’s secret recipe that ruined all other chili Verde for me. This nailed it. I took little samples to two coworkers, and dug in with my son and husband. We were all way too busy stuffing our faces to even discuss how good it was for several minutes, but the end result was a resounding 5 stars, and is there any more? And then when are you going to make more?? I kept it mild for my wussy men and only kept the seeds of 1 jalapeno. It was still excellent, but I’m going to try the next batch with a habanero for my mom and I, who enjoy more heat.
A thousand thanks for this excellent recipe, which is already printed and added to my go-to recipe compilation kitchen bible.
Jess, you made my entire week with this wonderful comment! I’m so happy you found the recipe and am honored that it’s become printable worthy. Thanks so much for taking the time to write. It means so much!
I made this last night and my boyfriend absolutely loved it! Chili Verde is one of his favorite foods. It was easy to make in my instant pot and wasn’t too spicy but just right. Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Cassi, that is AWESOME! I’m so glad he liked it, and thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
This looks delicious. I would like to make a mild chili. Which peppers would you eliminate or use less of without sacrificing flavor?
Thank you!
Hi Dawn, the only chiles that have any heat are the jalappenos or serranos. It’s not hot even with the amount of these peppers in my recipe but if you want it mild, leave them out. The poplanos and Anaheims are mild enough to add flavor without heat. Hope you like it! Read the most recent comments and I think you’ll see you won’t be disappointed. Thanks for trying it!
We made this for Christmas Eve. We tripled the recipe because we were feeing over 20 people. My In-laws are from Mexico and they make some of the best authentic food that I have ever tasted and they went nuts over this! They loved it! It was absolutely delicious. We had to add some extra cumin and extra salt to meet our own personal preferences. Absolutely delicious! I am SOOO glad I found this recipe!
Kayla! You made my entire year with this comment. I texted all my friends and family who own a pressure cooker because I’ve been telling them this is a keeper. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know about your experience and the fact that your in-laws cook authentic Mexican and loved it is incredible. xoxo
I have pork loin,…is this going to make a big difference?
Kayla, I do not recommend using pork loin for this recipe. Pork loin is not used in Chile verde because it will not fall apart and be as moist or flavorful as pork butt or shoulder.
Oh my heaven this is delicious. Adding the fish sauce really kicks up the flavors. I omitted the bells and habanero peppers and this seems to be similar to what my folks served at their restaurant. My 3.5 lb pork butt had a bone in it so I just cooked it first (HP/ 50 min/20 min NR) with 1 cup water) in my 6qt Duo. By the way – I have either oven roasted, pan fried or just cut up the veggies. This time hubby smoked them while he was smoking the ribs. Once cooled, pureed then added to the meat that fell off the bone. HP 12 min/NR…..Enjoying with spanish rice and corn tortillas.
Ok, I had my doubts because I couldn’t imagine not roasting the peppers and tomatillos first. I was concerned the end result would be too “green” tasting. But I made myself follow the directions and pile the chopped up raw peppers, etc. on top of the cubed pork in the Instant Pot.
OMG is this recipe great! I made some modifications using assorted peppers I had on hand, but the end result is outstanding. Full bodied, mature blended flavors nothing to indicate that this didn’t take me all day to make.
I have been looking for recipes to use with my Instant Pot that taste as good as slow cooked versions, and this one is a keeper. Thank you for sharing!
“Amazing” .. The flavors were on point , it was excellent. Everybody loved it 😁. So quick and easy but felt as if it was cooking allday .. Yummm. Thank you so much..
Jayme, thanks so much! I’m so glad you agree with me. I’m actually inviting some neighbors over soon and this is what I’m going to feed them (they’re foodies, too) because I think they’re skeptical that this easy method can taste authentic. 😉
Just made this recipe yesterday! It was amazing. I used a rack of ribs instead of pork shoulder and they fell off the bone. My only issue is I didn’t use gloves during prep and my hands burned all day. So please be careful. I highly recommend this recipe and will definitely use again.
Selena, I love the idea of using a rack of ribs in this recipe and will definitely try it! And yes, always use gloves if handling any hot peppers. Thanks for the warning for others. 🙂
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe. I’m new to the Instant pot family, but love finding so many easy time saving recipes!
My question is: have you tried to find an easy way to Pre-separate the meat and other ingredients “While cooking”??? Can you brown and put the pork in cheese cloth then load the other ingredients on top to cook? Then separated and blend the ingredients and return the meat to the blended liquid?
Hi Gracie, I like your idea. I think it would work well. I try to just cut the pork bigger sometimes and then they’re less to remove. Then I cut them smaller and return at the end, but I think your idea would be better. Good luck with your new Instant Pot! You will love it and thanks for checking out my recipes.
Can I leave the pork out to make this vegitarian?
Hi Robin, absolutely! My 15 year old sone is vegetarian and I make this all the time with no meat and while the veggies are cooking in the Instant Pot, I brown up some extra firm tofu and then mix in the tofu just before serving. It’s delicious and I sometimes prefer it this way. Let me know what you think and thanks for stopping by. 🙂
This was absolutely amazing! I made it exactly as recommended and it turned out awesome. Thank you!!
Lydia, thanks for stopping by to comment! I worked really hard to make this recipe fool-proof and I’m so glad it was successful for you. 🙂
Why the yellow bell pepper?
Hi Pam, I use a variety of peppers because I think it adds to the complexity of flavors. Yellow peppers are a nice, floral type pepper. You can certainly use your own preference of pepper combinations.
Oh my gosh! I was so nervous about this one!! I got to taste it before I attempted to make it myself and loved it! Today, I made it and…. woohoo…it tastes like it’s supposed to!! My daughter and her friend loved it. I’m so excited to take this into work for a potluck on Friday. I was told to make it today for max flavor on Friday! Easy to follow directions!! Thanks, GDM!
You are awesome, friend! I could not be more proud of you… actually yes, I can. I am more and more proud every day for every reason you know. Good job!
I see some green onion in the third photo but not in the recipe. Different recipe or secret ingredient? Just want to make sure it’s a success!
Hi Mark, I’ve made this recipe with and without the green onions so forgot to add it to match the recipe. Thanks for the catch. I just went in and added them to the ingredient list. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Oregeno is listed as an ingredient but not used in recipe. After 28 minutes on high saute in InstaPot, 1.5″ cubes of pork shoulder were still pink and rubbery. Added a 12 minute high pressure cycle and it was perfectly fork tender. Fish sauce is a brilliant addition. Taste profile is spot on.
Hi Robert, Thanks for the catch on the oregano. I meant that you should cook on high pressure for 28 minutes. The saute is just until sizzling begins so obviously I wasn’t clear on that. I’ve since gone in and added more specific instructions. Thanks so much for your comment.