This is a classic Colorado-style green chili – plenty of green chiles, tomatoes, some tomatillos, and thickened with flour. This one has a really nice, well-rounded flavor. Want a good green chili for smothering burritos and eggs? With its shredded pork and thick consistency, this one’s a great choice.
I made this medium-hot – it’s got enough kick to make most Coloradans happy, but some will want it hotter. Just add another serrano or two to blow their socks off.
This does use a lot of flour for thickening (which is also why it works so well as a sauce) – so Paleo it ain’t.
Pork Green Chili (Colorado Style)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A classic Colorado green chili, with green chiles, tomatoes and thickened with flour.
Author: Anita Edge
Recipe type: green chili
Cuisine: Southwestern
Serves: 5 quarts
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork roast
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 8 cups chicken broth (or 4 cans)
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 8 cloves garlic, pressed
- ½ lb tomatillos (about 8 medium), chopped
- 1-2 serrano chiles, minced
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cups mild diced green chiles
- 1 cup hot diced green chiles
- 1½ tbsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup flour
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the pork roast in half (to sear more of the surface) and smear with 2 tbsp olive oil. Generously sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper on all sides. Sear on medium high heat.
- Put in a crockpot, add the chicken broth and water, and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook another 2-3 hours.
- Meanwhile, sauté onion, garlic, tomatillo, and serrano in 2 tbsp olive oil. Puree 1 cup mild green chiles with ½ cup of the liquid from the crockpot. Set aside.
- When done (after 3 hours of cooking), fish the pork out of the crockpot and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Take 3 cups of the broth from the crockpot and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the onion mixture, spices, tomatoes, and all the green chiles (including pureed).
- Gradually add the broth to the flour, stirring constantly to ensure no lumps. Then pour the flour mixture into the crockpot gradually, stirring constantly to blend in.
- Shred the pork with a fork and add to crockpot. Cook on low for another hour, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with tortillas or use as a sauce over eggs, burritos, or whatever!
Cant wait to try this,Thanks
no instructions for the spices or tomatoes
You add spices and tomatoes at the same time as the onions. I’ve updated the recipe on the site. Thanks for pointing this out.
I am a texan, but don’t care for tomatillos, what can I sub?
My vote? Substitute about 3/4 cup diced mild green chiles. You could also substitute tomatoes. It’s all a matter of taste, but either way will work very well. The tomatillos add that tart, tangy taste, but that pure green chile taste is also very good (and depending on where you are from, some think it’s more authentic).
A cup of flour??? 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of flour would almost make dough???
This recipe has 10 cups of liquid and one cup of flour, not 3 cups liquid. Yes, this is definitely a thickened chili, but it’s nowhere near dough. Personally, I like both thickened & unthickened chili … but for different purposes or occasions. I like thickened chili on top of a burrito because it sticks rather than just running off. Try it!
What kinds of Green Chilis should I use? (I am not from Colorado, do they sell them simply as Hot Green Chili or Mild? I was thinking of using polbalnos and a Seranos or 2? Roasting first, then peeling and take the seeds out then chopping. Will that work out ok?
People who don’t live in Colorado often have to resort to canned or frozen chiles. Nearly all grocery stores have canned and they come in mild and hot. Many places have frozen, for instance WalMart carries frozen Select New Mexico green chiles in many parts of the country. Their chile comes in mild, hot, and jalapeno. Many world champion green chili cooks just use canned.
Poblanos would make a good chili, though the flavor is different than classic green chiles. Serranos are much hotter than most people like for their green chili, though they are used in many, many green chili recipes in small amounts to adjust the heat to the desired level. Hope this helps.
The Poblano Pepper worked Great! absolutely loved this recipe. Used a 3 Lb. pork shoulder, Wouldn’t change a thing.
Outside of the Southwest where fresh chiles are abundant, one can often find green chiles in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. They are often labeled “Chile Baca”. Just an FYI.
[…] From this state they are frequently eaten as-is, frozen for year-round use, or commonly we make pork based green chile which is used as a tasty dipping sauce, over eggs, mac-n-cheese, and to smother burritos or french […]