Chili with Fried Carnitas in Chile Verde sauce
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Chile Verde is typically made with roasted tomatillos and pasilla chilis and slow-cooked with pork shoulder until the meat is fork-tender. It’s a classic Mexican dish. In this version, we take the same flavors and make it more of a chili con carne, using fried carnitas and white beans and we thicken the chili with crushed tortilla chips.
Tips
Add fire roasted jalapenos in addition to the pasillas if you like a little spice (I do!).
Use homemade chicken stock instead of store-bought, if possible.
Chili with Fried Carnitas in Chile Verde Sauce
This is not your average chili. This chili is made with fire roasted pasilla peppers, charred tomatillos, and fried carnitas. It's smokey, complex, and delicious. Top it with fresh cilantro and cotija cheese, and it's sure to be a crowd favorite.
Ingredients
- 6 Pasilla peppers
- 3 Jalapeños (Optional)
- Canola oil to coat chilis and fry carnitas
- 12 Tomatillos
- 3 Leeks - cleaned and sliced thinly white parts only
- 6 Garlic cloves - crushed and diced
- 48 oz Chicken stock
- 2 Handfuls tortilla chips - thick restaurant style
- 2 Lbs carnitas
- Kosher Salt and freshley ground pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp coriander
- 16 ounces Great Northern White beans preferably made from dried beans, but you can use canned, as well.
Instructions
- Coat the pasilla peppers and jalapenos (if using) in canola oil and then char the skin on a grill until the skin is black. Remove from grill and place in a large bowl and cover for 15 minutes. This lets the chilis steam and makes the skin easier to remove later.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees roast setting. Remove the outer part of the tomatillos and rinse them clean. Coat lightly in oil and then place stem side down on a sheet pan . These don't need to be charred the as black as the pasilla chilis, but they should get some char marks and cook through. (About 20 minutes). When done, remove from oven and put into a food processor, including all juices.
- At this point, the pasilla chilis should be cool enough to handle, but you can also use a pair of tongs and a chefs knife to remove the skin if they're still hot. Scrape off the skins, but do not rinse the chilis in water. Open the chilis and scrape out the seeds. Put the meaty part in the food processor with the tomatillos and blend until smooth. Tip: Cut the chiles in half, lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, then lay the chile flat on a cutting board and use your knife to scrape off the skin.
- Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse under running water to remove any dirt. Brush with a little canola oil and grill the leeks to get a good char on both sides. Once grilled, finely dice the white parts and discard any green part.
- In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp of canola oil. Add leeks and cook on medium until slightly browned.
- Add garlic and cook until lightly brown, but be careful not to overcook and burn it.
- Add the pureed tomatillo-chili mix, and chicken broth to the pot — season with dried oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper.
- Put tortilla chips in the food processor and blend until they turn to crumbs. Add them into the chili. The tortilla chips help to thicken the chili.
- Reduce heat to a simmer.
- I usually buy the carnitas from my local Hispanic grocer. They're fully cooked and ready to eat, but for this chili, it works best to shred and fry them to make them crispy. Doing this also gives you an opportunity to remove any excess fat from the carnitas.
- Once shredded, add about an inch of canoila oil to a separate pan (I like to use my Staub), and heat at medium. Add the carnitas in batches and fry until crispy and browned. Remove and set aside. Repeat until all the carnitas are all fried.
- At this point, the chili will have thickened, and it's almost ready to eat. Add the carnitas and beans.
- To serve, top each serving with diced cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Enjoy!
