This spicy green chili is over the top flavorful. It is one of my favorite meals, and I can NEVER stop at just one bowl. For a while, I made this chili almost any time we had company during the cooler months of the year. It isn’t necessarily the quickest thing to throw together, but you can knock out most of the work ahead of time, then let the slow cooker do it’s thing. I really want to try this out in the instant pot soon. I’ll keep you posted! Green chili is a good choice for company because it is unique, it feels very “homey”, and you can always count on consistent and delicious results.

I’ve never had a strict ratio for the peppers in this recipe. I normally just grab several of each of the green peppers available to me at the store and go with that. I’ve used serranos and regular green bell peppers in this chili as well. If you have to switch things up based on what they had at the store, or if you want to venture out, just be mindful of the heat level of the peppers you are substituting.

I served this to company once, and it was so hot they could barely choke down even a few spoonfuls. I remember it being a COLD fall evening. We were all eating outside on our deck, and my guests were coughing, sweating bullets, and losing layers, all while repeatedly telling me how delicious the chili was. Ha! So very kind of them. Luckily the company was family, and I got another shot at it! I used to only remove the seeds from about half of the peppers, but after that experience, I started deseeding them all.

Inspired way back in the day by this “Mile High Green Chili”. According to the author, green chili is a Colorado favorite. I do love all things out West! We like to serve this green chili over plain white rice. She also mentions using it to stuff enchiladas (sounds amazing) or serving it over eggs or potatoes. Now I’m thinking about huevos rancheros with this chili on top! Maybe I’ll try that with tonight’s leftovers. I can imagine it would be pretty delicious to smother some my homemade biscuits with this chili as well. One of the best parts of making a large pot of anything is the leftovers of course. So many possibilities! I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think about the heat level!

Spicy Green Chili with Pork

Author: Katelyn
Total Time: 5.5 hours
Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Spicy green chili is loaded with roasted chile peppers and tomatillos. This wonderfully flavorful chili is medium to medium hot. Serve it over white rice for a bowl of pure fire (in the best way)!

Ingredients

Scale

2.5 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into bite sized cubes
1 onion, cut into eighths (quarter the onion, then halve each quarter)
7 tomatillos, husked and halved
4 poblano peppers, stems and seeds removed and cut in 1/2 lengthwise
4 anaheim chiles, stems and seeds removed and cut in 1/2 lengthwise
3 jalapeño peppers, stems and seeds removed and cut in 1/2 lengthwise
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
3 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 12 ounce beer (preferably a lager)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
4 to 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature.

Garnish (optional):

fresh cilantro

Instructions

Marinate the pork

Season the pork shoulder with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Prepare the Green Chile

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Toss the onions, tomatillos, poblanos, anaheim chiles, jalapeños and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
Roast vegetables on a sheet pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool while you prepare your pork.
Remove the fat cap from the pork shoulder and cut the remaining meat into 1 inch pieces. Remove as much fat as possible along the way.
Heat a large stainless steel pan or cast iron skillet (avoid non-stick) over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sear the pork on all sides until a nice brown crust forms. You will need to complete this step in batches adding more olive oil as needed. You can turn the meat using tongs or just toss it around. Don’t disturb the meat too much as it will need to maintain contact with the hot pan to sear. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just get the best crust you can. This process should take about 8 minutes per batch. The pork will not be cooked through and will finish in the slow cooker.
Chop your roasted vegetables into bit sized pieces. I cut mine right in the pan.
Add pork, roasted vegetables, diced tomatoes, beer, chicken bouillon cube, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, chili powder, cumin, and oregano to an instant pot or slow cooker.
Cook on the HIGH heat slow cook function for 4 to 5 hours or until pork is tender.
Before serving, stir in the softened cream cheese until it is completely incorporated. It is best to remove some of the hot chili to a bowl, and mix in a small cube of cream. Add this back to the slow cooker and repeat this process until all the cream cheese is incorporated.
Season to taste with salt if needed.