This Chili Verde with white beans and pork is a favorite and easy chili-style recipe. Pork tenderloin is slowly cooked with chilis, green enchilada sauce and many spices. A delicious Mexican-style dish!
This chili verde recipe with white beans and pork is my take on a classic chili verde! It’s by no means authentic, but it’s delicious, loaded with all kinds of great ingredients and quite easy to make. If you’ve never made chili with pork before you might be in for a treat. As the chili cooks for a couple hours, the pork becomes really tender, and it literally melts in your mouth.
Chili Verde
- 3 Easy Steps
- Simple Ingredients
- Delicious, Bold Flavors, Utterly Addictive
- Comforting
This chili is a simple recipe, but it’s so full of flavor, really hearty and delicious.
Ingredient Notes
- Pork: You will need about 1 1/2 to 2 lb pork tenderloin for this recipe and cut it into small pieces. Traditionally chili verde is made with pork shoulder, so feel free to use that, but if you’re looking for a healthier alternative, tenderloin is the way to go.
- Onion: An essential ingredient to flavor any chili.
- Spices: The combination of garlic powder, oregano, ground cumin, chili powder and salt & pepper make this recipe the best one you’ll ever try.
- Jalapeno: 1/2 jalapeno chopped to add a bit of spice to the recipe, if you can’t really handle spice, you can always omit it.
- Sauces: I use an 8 oz green enchilada sauce combined with 1 tbsp of Tabasco sauce.
- Beans: Any canned white beans go great with this, make sure to drain and rinse them well before using.
- Cilantro: I prefer using about 1/4 cup of roughly chopped cilantro to boost up the flavor.
- Chicken Broth: Any brand works, keep in mind you can add more than just 4 cups if you feel the sauce is too thick.
- Green Chili: You’ll need 8 oz canned green chili roughly chopped. Some cans have them already chopped for you.
How to Make Chili Verde
- Brown pork: Heat the olive oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat.
- Add broth, spices and cook: Add the cubed pork and cook until pork starts to get brown. Add onion, chicken broth, jalapeños, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and stir. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Add beans and sauces: In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with a tbsp of water and mix to make a paste. Stir this in to the pot. Add the white beans, enchilada sauce, tabasco, and green chiles. Stir well and let simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with cilantro and serve with various toppings like cheddar cheese, sour cream and more sliced jalapeños.
FAQ’s and Expert Tips
FAQ’s
Chili Verde literally means green chili. It’s made with tender pork shoulder that’s been seasoned, seared and cooked low in a green sauce.
Feel free to add more cornstarch combined with water until you achieve the desired consistency.
Absolutely not, this is simply my take on a classic. I decided to make it heartier with white beans, which in my opinion turns this into a complete meal.
Tips
- For more tender pork, use pork shoulder. Follow the instructions as written even if using pork shoulder.
- Confidently play around with the spices to make the dish perfect for your taste.
- This is a great recipe to substitute some of the ingredients with what you have in your pantry or fridge: chives, different beans, substitute the pork with beef and add beef broth to the mix as well.
Slow Cooker Option
This chili verde is great for the slow cooker. Brown the pork as required in step 1. Place the pork and remaining of ingredients (except cilantro and other toppings) in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the pork is tender.
Leftovers
Fridge
You can confidently store chili verde in an airtight container after it’s been cooled down and add it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Freezer
If freezing, allow the dish to fully cool in a shallow container before placing in the freezer. The chili will last for up to 3 months frozen.
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Chili Verde
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ pound pork tenderloin cut into small pieces
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth (add more if too thick)
- ½ medium jalapeno chopped
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cans white beans drained and rinsed (19 oz cans)
- 1 tablespoon green Tabasco sauce
- 8 ounce green enchilada sauce
- 8 ounce canned green chiles roughly chopped (mine were chopped out of the can)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Brown pork: Heat the olive oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat.
- Add broth, spices and cook: Add the cubed pork and cook until pork starts to get brown. Add onion, chicken broth, jalapeños, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and stir. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Add beans and sauces: In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with a tbsp of water and mix to make a paste. Stir this in to the pot. Add the white beans, enchilada sauce, tabasco, and green chiles. Stir well and let simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with cilantro and serve with various toppings like cheddar cheese, sour cream and more sliced jalapeños.
Video
Recipe Notes
- For more tender pork, use pork shoulder. Follow the instructions as written even if using pork shoulder.
- Confidently play around with the spices to make the dish perfect for your taste.
- This is a great recipe to substitute some of the ingredients with what you have in your pantry or fridge: chives, different beans, substitute the pork with beef and add beef broth to the mix as well.
- SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: Brown the pork as required in step 1. Place the pork and remaining of ingredients (except cilantro and other toppings) in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the pork is tender.
- Store chili verde in an airtight container after it’s been cooled down and add it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. The chili will last for up to 3 months frozen.
Very easy and quick! Tastes fantastic!, especially the next day!!
So glad you enjoyed this! And yes, the next day is just divine!
I even took a picture it was so good- made a small amount(too small) of cilantro lime rice to go with it- soooo nummy
I never leave comments but I have to say this recipe was rockin’ and easy.
We are so glad you have enjoyed it so much!
Tried this recipe and the flavours were delicious! Can’t wait to make this again 😀
Can I sub chicken for the pork
Sure!
Contrary to popular belief REAL chili has no beans in it and Chili Verde is green as the name suggests! The best I ever ate was on the Navajo Reservation at Window Tock, AZ, made from mutton, tomatillos, green chile peppers, garlic, onions, mutton & a small amount fat. It is simmered for hours over a low fire. Chili originated form the Comanche, Kiowa & Tonkowa Native Americans of Texas and they cooked beans to be served with chili but never in the chili. The capsicum acid in the peppers makes the skin of the beans hard. The beans are used as toner for the heat generated by the acid for those who like less hot.
Great info, thanks for sharing!
I loooooove this recipe and I make it pretty often for my lunch meal-prep. I add quinoa while it’s simmering for a little more volume.
This is one of our winter favorites! It is so flavorful! I love to make it with extra pork and no beans sometimes, too.