Green Chile and Pork Stew

Is there anything better than having a huge pot of stew on the stove top? Simmering, steeping, and filling the house with the aromas of comfort? And especially if those aromas include chile peppers and warming Southwestern spices.

Green Chile Stew is a hearty flavorful stew originating in the Northern part of New Mexico. It’s a popular dish in the Southwest and most certainly contains a good amount of Hatch Chile Peppers, pork, potatoes and tomatoes. For my version, I make my Green Chile Stew with Hominy also. Hominy adds a unique layer of texture that we find irresistible.

Green Chile and Pork Stew should not be confused with Chile Verde, which does contain green chile peppers and pork, but lacks ingredients such as potatoes, to make it a stew.

Hatch Green Chili (with an “i”, opposed to chile with an “e”) is more of a chili style soup, with Hatch chile peppers and which may or may not contain pork, depending on regional differences.

With that said, in this post, you’ll discover:

• Step-by-step instructions for making the dish
• The best cut of pork roast to use
• Ideal potato varieties for texture and flavor
• Creative variations to make the recipe your own
• A guide to chile pepper varieties to help you balance heat levels

This Green Chile Pork Stew is always a perfect project for a Sunday afternoon …not to mention the rewards of leftovers to start the week or meal prep stew-filled containers in the freezer for quick weeknight dinners.

This is a recipe I’ve made for over 30 years, tinkering as I went to develop the most perfect flavors before sharing with you.

Let’s take a look:

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Pork, What Cut To Use: Pork Loin Roast vs. Pork Shoulder: For this recipe we’re using a lean pork loin roast. A leaner cut than a Pork Shoulder Roast. Its boneless and has much less fat and connective tissue than a pork shoulder butt roast. It’s evenly shaped which means that it’s easier to cut into bite sized pieces. A pork shoulder Butt roast can weigh up to eight pounds and is usually sold bone in. It’s a much fattier cut of pork, and usually required a lengthy long roasting time for it to become tender. Traditionally a pork shoulder roast is shredded for pulled pork sandwiches. Once roasted, shredded and fat removed, it can most certainly be added to soups and stews. If you want to use a pork shoulder roast, allow extra time to roast it in the oven. Once cooled enough to handle, shred the meat, separate the fat and then continue with this recipe. Since you’re adding already cooked pork to the ingredients, you’ll only need enough cooking time for the potatoes to become tender.
• Green Chile Sauce
• Hominy: We’ll use canned hominy to speed up the cooking time. You may also find frozen hominy available to you, which will work fine for this recipe. If using dried posole, you’ll need to soak it overnight, then cook it for a few hours before adding it to the stew.
• Choose The Right Potatoes: Choose a medium starch potato like Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes. They’ll hold their shape and texture better in a long simmer. Plus the skins of these varieties are tender and very pleasant to eat. Which means no peeling. Save those starchy tough-skinned Russet potatoes to make fluffy baked potatoes.
• Roasted Chile Peppers: I keep a stockpile of fresh roasted Hatch chile peppers and Pueblo chile peppers in the freezer. They freeze like a charm and can be used all Winter long in dishes like this Green Chile Stew.
• Canned Tomatoes: Choose a small diced canned tomato as they’ll break down easier for a more pleasing texture. Crushed tomatoes are also a good choice here.
• 1 small can Cream of Chicken Soup makes this a creamy green chile stew.
• New Mexico Chimayo Chile Powder is preferred, It’s an absolute necessity is a well stocked Southwestern kitchen. Chimayo chile powder is a very special single blend powder, ground from chile peppers grown in the Chimayo, New Mexico area. Any New Mexican chile powder will work well here. Don’t use chili seasoning (spelled with an “i”) as it’s a blend of seasonings used to season chili soups.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Tomatoes: If you’re lucky enough to have a bounty of fresh tomatoes, by all means use them. Peel them and then dice. You’ll need about 6 large tomatoes.
• Green Chile Sauce: For this recipe I use my homemade Green Chile Sauce. Please feel free to use a canned or jarred variety from the Mexican food aisle.
• Chile Powder: If you simply don’t have access to New Mexico Chile Powder, you can easily order it from on-line stores like The Hatch Chile Store. A good substitution is Ancho Chile Powder, found on the spice aisle at your local supermarket. Or make it smoky by using Smoked Paprika or Chipotle Chile Powder.

Chile Peppers To Use For Green Chile And Pork Stew

• For this recipe I’ve used local Colorado produce, the Pueblo Chile which is grown in the Southern part of Colorado. Pueblo chilies are Mirasol chiles, and comparable to moderate jalapeno peppers, and are usually a little warmer than cayenne peppers.
• Control the heat: If you’re new to cooking with chile peppers, and concerned about heat, start with a milder variety, like mild New Mexican Hatch Chile Peppers, Anaheim or even Poblano Peppers. You can roast fresh chiles over the open flame your gas stove top, or broiled in the oven. Turn peppers frequently for both methods in order to create charred skin on all sides.
• Or you can purchase canned cooked roasted chile peppers in the grocery store either in the freezer section or canned on the Mexican food aisle.

1. Step 1: In a large fry pan, add a third of the oil and brown the pork pieces in three batches, adding more oil as needed. Remove the pork pieces to a large plate as you brown each batch.
2. Step 2: Saute the onions until tender. This will bring out the sweetness of the chopped onions and more desirable than dropping raw onion into the stew. Be sure to a sturdy spatula to scrape up all of that flavor left from those pork pieces.

3. Step 3: Add seared pork and onions into a 6 – 7 quart Dutch.
4. Step 4: Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, chopped chile peppers, and spices. Simmer on low partially covered for two hours.

5. Step 5: Add potatoes, which have been cut into bite-sized pieces, hominy, cream of chicken soup, and the last can of Chicken Stock. Cook until potatoes are tender. About twenty to thirty minutes.

How To Serve It – Toppings

• Our favorite way is to serve it with warmed flour tortillas or corn tortillas. Crushed corn chips are also welcome.
• Provide additional toppings such as chopped cilantro, sliced radishes, chopped avocado and even a dollop of Mexican Crema or sour cream. Chopped raw onions are also a traditional topping for Mexican soups.
• Substituting Homemade Cornbread for tortillas is a very popular way to serve this stew.
• Salad: Make it a meal: Try serving this stew with this Southwest Salad with Black Beans.

Variations, Make It Your Own

• Beef: Don’t eat pork? Substitute pork loin roast for a large top-sirloin steak or even a chuck roast. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces with no other changes to the recipe necessary. And don’t forget to sear that meat before adding it to the stew.
• Chicken: I’d suggest using boneless skinless chicken thighs. They have a higher fat content and won’t dry out like chicken breast. Reduce cooking time to one hour before adding the final ingredients.
• Vegetables and Legumes: Carrots, frozen or canned sweet corn, canned white beans are all desirable add-ins without compromising the integrity of this stew’s Southwestern integrity.
• Tomatillos: Got some tomatillos? Remove the husk, rinse and chop. Use them in place of the green chile sauce.
• Lower Carb: Watching those carbs? Simply omit the potatoes and hominy and add extra veggies. White beans and Barley are good add-ins here.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

• As with any soup or stew recipes, it’s actually best to make them a day ahead of time. This green chile stew is no exception. The flavor and heat of the chile intensifies and the flavors simply have a chance to come together.
• If you’re going to make ahead and freeze for later, let’s say for a camping trip, slightly undercook the potatoes. They’ll finish cooking during the reheating process and you won’t risk mushy potatoes from the freezing process.

Leftovers and Storage

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Reheat stovetop, or reheat individual servings in the microwave.
• Can you freeze green chile stew? Yes. Divide leftovers in quart or gallon sized freezer safe zip-loc style baggies. Squeeze the air out once the stew has been placed inside and store laying flat to save freezer safe. This stew will keep in the freezer for three months. Let the stew thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat.

Recipe for Green Chile and Pork Stew

Take advantage of the earthy flavors of roasted green chile peppers by making this hearty Green Chile Stew. It’s an easy stew to make and it feeds a crowd. Perfect for those Football party weekends.

More Stew Recipes

I consider soups and stews to be my specialty, so don’t miss my Soup Category. You’ll find lots of comfort food recipes including the most popular on my site for Hatch Green Chile, Colorado Style.