Easy Mexican Pork In Green Salsa- Puerco en Salsa Verde

I love this easy recipe of Mexican Pork in Green Salsa- Puerco en salsa verde. This recipe is a shortcut version of a popular dish considered classic in Mexican cuisine. It is easy to make and perfect to serve in tacos, with rice, beans, or a salad.

Pork in Green Salsa- Green Chili

This Mexican recipe is one of my favorite recipes to make. Known as Puerco en salsa verde or Chile Verde, this recipe is actually pork cooked in a sauce made with green chili peppers and tomatillos until it is tender and falling apart.

The original recipe is made with fresh roasted poblano, jalapeño peppers, and roasted tomatillos blended together to create the sauce for the pork. It is considered a “guisado” or a stew. While pork is usually the choice for the meat, you can also use beef or chicken.

In some recipes, nopalitos (or cactus leaves) are cooked together with pork for a delicious version. Some other recipes add potatoes.

However, when the lack of time requires a shortcut, I always have some bottles of Mexican salsa in the house. We love that stuff. 

Sometimes I take a trip to the Mexican store and get fresh ingredients for this recipe, but sometimes I just whip this recipe fast by using a great jar of salsa verde from the pantry. 

I was thinking of apologizing for not making this dish from scratch, but I don’t have to.

Like everyone else out there, sometimes I get busy, and recipes like this are fantastic when you have to quickly put dinner on the table.

I also know that people are super busy, and they don’t take the time anymore to cook from scratch.

While I totally understand the problem, I still think there are ways we can prepare quick dinners without using lots of processed ingredients. 

What kind of salsa verde do I need to get, and what are tomatillos?

Usually, the green salsa is made with jalapeno peppers, tomatillos, garlic, and other spices. Tomatillos are part of the tomatoes family.

They are also called “tomate verde” and are a staple in Mexican cuisine. The tomatillos are usually covered in a brown papery husk. That husk is removed before cooking.

These vegetables have a pleasant acidic flavor that brings freshness to the dish.

There are some awesome salsas out there and most of them are quite similar when it comes to ingredients, so you really cannot go wrong with the flavors. You can also choose a mild or hot salsa, based on your preferences.

I usually go with mild salsa, but if you like the food spicier, go for it.

What kind of pork meat do I need for this dish?

I chose pork shoulder because, in my opinion, this cut has enough fat and flavor for this dish.

If you don’t have pork shoulder, use pork butt. Both cuts of meat require slow cooking, therefore perfect for this dish.

A few words about Mexican oregano:

Dried or fresh Mexican oregano has quite a different flavor from the more common Greek variety.

You can find this oregano in most grocery stores in the ethnic food section, online, or the ethnic food markets.

So, let’s start making this delicious dish!

How to make this easy Green Chili- Cerdo en salsa verde:

Step 1.

Prepare the meat and vegetables. 

Chop the meat, devein the jalapeños and chop them small, and chop the onions and garlic.

Step 2.

In a large pan, heat the oil and add the pork meat. Brown the meat on each side. 

Step 3.

Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeños and sauté gently until the onions get translucent.

Step 4.

Add salsa and vegetable stock, cover and simmer the pork on medium-low heat for about 25-30 minutes, or until the pork is tender.

Step 5. 

When done, taste again for salt (be careful with it, as both salsa and the stock have salt in them). Add cilantro.

I served this dish with a wonderful lemony rice made with white wine.

You can also try this recipe of easy Mexican rice recipe.

Suggestions for this dish:

Chop 3-4 medium potatoes and add them to the sauce. Basically, after you add the salsa and the vegetable stock, add the potatoes and continue cooking everything together for 25-30 minutes.

Even though potatoes are already in this dish, it is still traditional in Mexico to serve it with rice- a combination that is very good actually. 

This dish is better if you cook it with some time before and then reheat it. I believe the flavors have time to get friendly with each other. 

Refried beans or regular cooked beans can be added to the menu. Here you have a recipe on how to make authentic Mexican beans. 

Fresh corn tortillas are the best, but if you prefer flour tortillas go with them. 

We did not serve the dish with tortillas, but the rice was perfect.

Also, if you prefer it without rice, a dollop of Mexican crema works well with the dish.

So, are you going to try it? I personally love meals like this that are relatively easy to cook and serve in basically one hour.

Enjoy!

More recipes to love:

Papas con Chorizo

Authentic Mexican Pico De Gallo With Tuna

Authentic Mexican Chicken Tinga- Best Tinga De Pollo

Roasted Pork In Garlic Tomato Sauce

10 Easy Recipes With Pork On The Bossy Kitchen

Tinga Poblana- Mexican Pork Tinga

Easy Chicken Tacos

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Yield: 4

Green Chili- Puerco en Salsa Verde

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This Easy Mexican Pork In Green Sauce or Puerco in Salsa Verde is a shortcut version to a popular dish that is considered a classic in the Mexican cuisine.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cuber
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 green onions chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 jalapeno peppers deveined and chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 2/3 cup vegetable stock
• 12 oz jar Salsa verde
• 1 bunch of cilantro chopped
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the pork cubes and cook over high heat, turning several times until browned all over.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno peppers and fry gently until soft. Stir in the oregano.
3. Add the salsa and the vegetable stock, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes, or until the meat is soft.
4. Before removing the pan from the heat, add the chopped cilantro and taste for salt.
5. Serve with warm corn tortillas or cooked rice.

Notes

Variations:

• Chop 3-4 medium potatoes and add them to the sauce. Basically, after you add the salsa and the vegetable stock, add the potatoes and continue cooking everything together for 25-30 minutes. Even though potatoes are already in this dish, it is still traditional in Mexico to serve it with rice- a combination that is very good actually.
• This dish is better if you cook it with some time before and then reheat it. I believe the flavors have time to get friendly with each other.
• Refried beans or regular cooked beans can be added to the menu. Here you have a recipe on how to make authentic Mexican beans.
• Fresh corn tortillas are the best, but if you prefer flour tortillas, go with them.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 503Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 411mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 34g

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