I love chili verde, especially the version I get at one of my favorite local gastropubs. I’ve tried to make a bunch of “simple” versions at home, but what they offer in ease they lack in…well, flavor. There’s a level of depth of flavor that’s missing in a chili verde that involves dumping salsa and chicken broth in with some pork and setting a button. It’s not particularly difficult to do, either, so it’s entirely worth it. I think this version is actually BETTER than the one I get when I go out!
The key to this one is roasting most of the ingredients under a broiler. It brings out some sweetness in the peppers and tomatillos, and makes the limes a bit more pungent. I used 12 ounces each of poblano peppers and tomatillos, 2 jalapeño peppers, and two limes. To prepare them, first put on gloves, otherwise you’re going to have a bad time. Move a rack to the top position in your oven and set the oven to broil, then line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the tops off the poblano peppers and remove the seeds and membranes from the inside, then place them on the cookie sheet. Cut the tops off the jalapeños, halve them lengthwise, then place them skin side up on the cookie sheet. Remove the paper husks from the tomatillos and rinse them in warm water, then cut them in half and place them on the cookie sheet cut side down. Cut the limes in half and place them cut side up. You’ll end up with something that looks like this:
Pop that under the broiler for six minutes. Take it out and carefully remove the limes, placing them in a small bowl for now. Remove the tomatillos gently, being careful not to squeeze out the seeds. Put those in the bowl of a large food processor. Put the jalapeños into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and seal it. Flip the poblanos and put them back under the broiler for another six minutes, then put them in the bag with the jalapeños, making sure to reseal the bag. Then chop an onion and separately peel and mince six garlic cloves. Set those aside for now.
Pull out your Instant Pot, put two tablespoons of avocado oil in it, and set it to saute. While it’s heating, cut two pounds of pork country ribs or boneless pork shoulder into bite-sized pieces, then toss them with about two teaspoons of salt and a bunch of pepper. Brown them in the oil for about 4 minutes per side, removing them to a bowl when finished. You’ll need to do this in two batches, so add another two tablespoons of oil for the second batch if needed. While they’re cooking, finish preparing the salsa. Put on gloves again, and open the Ziploc bag. The pepper skins should peel off relatively easily. Put the skinned peppers into the food processor with the tomatillos. Squeeze the limes into the bowl as well. You may need to prick the tops with a fork to keep them from getting messy when you squeeze them. Finally, rinse off a bunch of cilantro and pull off the top part. You’ll end up with about a cup of leaves and stems. Throw it all into the food processor. Add a teaspoon of salt, and a tablespoon of cumin. Whiz it up into a chunky salsa, then keep it set aside.
By this point, your pork should be finished up and in a bowl. Add the onion to the Instant Pot and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. A lot of the browned bits from the pork should come up at this point, turning the outside of the onions brown. Once they start getting translucent in the middle, add the garlic and saute for another minute. Pour in the salsa and two cups of chicken broth and scrape up the remaining brown bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add two teaspoons of cumin, another two teaspoons of salt, and a teaspoon of oregano. At this point, if you want 4 really hearty servings, add the pork back to the pot and set it for the Stew setting, or 45 minutes at high pressure. If you want six servings that are a bit more brothy (and lower in net carbs per serving), add a cup of chicken broth and a cup of prepared salsa verde. I used Herdez roasted salsa verde, because the flavor profile best fits what I already made. Either way, it cooks on the Stew setting for 45 minutes, with a natural release. When it’s done, it’s done. You can serve it on its own, or with cauliflower rice. The bar I get this stuff at does it with saffron rice, which oddly works, so you can try that with cauliflower rice if you’d like. It’s even better the next day, so it’s great for make-ahead lunches.
Instant Pot Chili Verde
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
For the Homemade Salsa Verde
- 12 ounces poblano peppers about 4 total
- 12 ounces tomatillos about 8 total
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 2 limes
- 1 bunch cilantro about 1 cup leaves and stems
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
For the Chili
- 2 lbs boneless pork country ribs or boneless pork shoulder cut into cubes
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup avocado oil divided
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 batch Homemade Salsa Verde
- 2-3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup store-bought salsa verde optional, see notes above
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
Instructions
For the Homemade Salsa Verde
- Move a rack to the top position in your oven and set the oven to broil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Put on gloves. Cut the tops off of the poblano peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Place them on the cookie sheet. Remove the tops from the jalapeños, slice them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and membranes, and put them on the cookie sheet stem side up. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos, rinse them in warm water to remove the sticky residue, cut them in half, and put them on the cookie sheet cut side down. Finally, cut the limes in half and put them on the cookie sheet cut side up.
- Put the sheet under the broiler for six minutes. Remove from the oven. Remove the limes and put them in a bowl to cool. Carefully remove the tomatillos, being careful to not spill the seeds, and put them in a food processor. Remove the jalapeños and put them in a large Ziploc freezer bag, then seal them. Flip the poblano peppers and put them back under the broiler for an additional six minutes, then place them in the bag with the jalapeños for ten minutes.
- Rinse off the cilantro and put it into the food processor. Pierce the cut sides of the limes with a fork, then squeeze them into the food processor, making sure to get as much of the pulp out as possible. Remove the peppers from the bags and using gloves, remove the skins from the peppers, then place them in the bag. Add the salt and cumin and process until it's mostly smooth with some chunks here and there. Set it aside.
For the Chili
- Heat the Instant Pot to saute and add two tablespoons of the oil.
- Toss the pork cubes with salt and pepper to taste and brown them in two batches for 4 minutes per side, making sure to add the remaining two tablespoons of oil between batches. Remove the pork to a bowl when finished.
- When all the pork is cooked, add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to turn translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the homemade salsa and 2 cups of the chicken broth, then return the pork to the pot. If you want to make 4 servings of very meaty chili, add the additional salt, more pepper, and spices here. If you like your chili a bit more brothy and want more servings, add another cup of chicken broth and a cup of prepared salsa verde to the pot at this point.
- Set the Instant Pot for the Stew setting, or 45 minutes at high pressure if you're using a different style of pressure cooker. Allow for a natural release. Serve immediately or package for meal prep.
- Macros for 4 servings: 513 calories, 13 grams net carbs, 32 grams protein, 36 grams fat. Macros for 6 servings: 351 calories, 9 grams net carbs, 21 grams protein, 24 grams fat.
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