Pork Chile Verde
You know I’m all about any and every Mexican inspired recipe. All day, every day! From tacos to salads to soups, I’ve got your bases covered with all things Mexican recipes on Hungry Ali!
Today we are entering into new Mexican recipe territory with quite possibly one of the best recipes I’ve made in a long while. If you like braised meat, spicy and fresh flavors and any excuse to wrap something up in a tortilla, then my pork chile verde has your name written all over it.
Chile verde is a traditional Mexican dish featuring braised meat, either chicken or pork, in a tomatillo and pepper broth. I personally love mine with succulent morsels of pork, though chicken thighs are perfectly splendid! Whether pork or chicken, chile verde eats like a stew that requires lots of warm tortillas for dipping and mini taco making. Drool.
Big surprise, I use my Instant Pot to make this pork chile verde. The result is the most tender, juicy pork morsels you’ll ever taste, braised in a most flavorful, spicy verde sauce and done in just a fraction of the time in the pressure cooker. I also take a few shortcuts with ingredients, like using jars of your favorite tomatillo salsa (as opposed to roasting your own tomatillos, onions and peppers). But don’t worry, this shortcut doesn’t sacrifice flavor in the slightest. Especially since this pork chile verde also features one “secret” ingredient that’s key to dialing the flavor up to an 11: fish sauce.
Incredibly savory, spicy, zesty and complex in flavor across the board, you’ll be hooked on first bite!
Pork Chile Verde
Ingredients
3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 jars your favorite tomatillo salsa
1 yellow or white onion, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon cumin
Kosher salt
Large handful fresh cilantro leaves and stems (about 1 cup), plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Lime wedges, for serving
Warmed flour tortillas, for serving
Directions
Pat pork pieces dry and season generously with Kosher salt. Turn “Sauté” button on Instant Pot. Working in batches, brown pork pieces for about 5 minutes. Remove pork from Instant Pot and set aside on a plate.
Add onion, garlic and jalapeno to the Instant Pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes until veggies are soft. Add pork pieces and their juices back to the Instant Pot. Stir in tomatillo salsa and cumin and stir to combine. Seal Instant Pot and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Release pressure.
Gently remove pork pieces from the sauce onto a plate. Add cilantro and fish sauce to the sauce and blend together with an immersion blender or ladling into a blender until sauce is emulsified. Season to taste.
Add pork pieces back into sauce and stir to combine. Ladle chile verde into bowls and serve with lime wedges and warmed tortillas.
