Chicharrón En Salsa Verde (pork cracklings with green sauce)
This chicharrón en salsa verde is the perfect Mexican dish for any day of the week. Is comforting, flavorful, and so easy to make. Serve with warm tortillas for a fulfilling meal.
About The Recipe
Chicharrón en salsa verde is a Mexican popular dish made with crispy pork cracklings simmered in a hearty sauce made of tomatillo, green chilies, and cilantro.
Chicharrones (plural) are deep-fried pork skins very common and popular in Mexican gastronomy.
They have a crispy texture and are made in two ways: One only with pork skin and the other with a little bit of meat on it.
Chicharrones can be eaten simply as they are in tacos or as a snack, but it’s also pretty common to make them simmered in a sauce to deliver a delicious and comforting guisado (stew).
The guisado stew is then served with various sides like beans and tortillas or used to fill gorditas, tacos, and quesadillas.
There are two popular recipes for chicharrones en salsa, one is with green sauce (like the one I am sharing here) and the other is made with red sauce and is called chicharrones en salsa roja.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicharrones: Find them at any Mexican butchery or look for them at Mexican local and online stores.
- Tomatillo: The salsa verde is made with tomatillos, a type of tomato from Mexico. In other countries, you can find it canned, at any Mexican online store or Amazon.
- Green chiles: You can use serrano chile or jalapeño, or you can use any type of spicy green chilies available to you.
- Onion: Onion helps to tone down the acidity of tomatillos, so don’t skip them.
- Cilantro: Cilantro adds a nice aroma and taste to the sauce, but since not everyone likes it, you can leave it out.
- Chicken stock: Use chicken stock or water, the quantity will depend on the type of pork cracklins you bought, some absorb more liquid than others.
- Spices: Garlic, cumin seeds, salt, and pepper. The spices are simple, because the pork crackling adds a lot of flavor, so keeping the sauce simple balance everything perfectly.
The sauce for chicharrones en salsa verde can be made in various ways. You can either boil the ingredients as I suggest in my recipe or roast them in a stove griddle or grill.
How To Make Chicharrón En Salsa Verde
Start by boiling your tomatillos and chili peppers. For tomatillos, you can easily remove the husks, wash them and place them into a pot with enough water to cover them.
Once the water starts to boil, set heat to medium and let them simmer for about 6 minutes, not more or tomatillos will become bitter.
Remove tomatillos and chili peppers and place them into a blender with onion, cilantro, cumin seeds, and garlic.
Add 1 cup of water and blend everything until nicely combined.
Now, pour the sauce into a braising pan. Season with salt and pepper then bring the sauce to a gentle boil.
Next, add the chicharrones to the pan and pour in the chicken stock. Use a spoon to push them down so they can soak nicely.
Bring to a simmer and set the heat to medium-low.
From here it depends on the quality and type of chicharrón you’re using and the time it will take to cook.
It can take from 10 up to 30 minutes, so you might adjust the liquids accordingly.
If you see the chicharrones are still hard, add more chicken stock and keep simmering, covered, until they will become soft.
Once chicharrones are softened, adjust seasonings. Serve this chicharron en salsa verde with your favorite side dishes.
Useful Notes & Tips
- Some people like to fry the green sauce in a little bit of lard or oil. It sure adds a nice flavor, but also some extra calories. So, this is up to you.
- If you notice the sauce is too acidic, add a pinch of sugar to balance its flavor.
- If the pieces of pork cracklings are too big, break them before adding them to the sauce, so they will be easier to eat.
- You can adjust the spiciness in this recipe by adding less or more chiles than the recipe calls for.
- The recipe can be found in Mexico with other names, such as chicharrones con chile verde or chicharron en verde.
How To Serve
- Refried beans are absolutely my favorite and one of the most common side dishes for this recipe.
- Arroz Blanco (Mexican white rice) is also a good option, especially when you serve chicharron en salsa verde over it, all the sauce will soak up the rice!
- Frijoles de la olla, for a hearty, comforting, and more traditional Mexican menu. You can’t go wrong with this. Add also some chopped onions on top.
- Arroz Rojo is also another good way to serve you chicharron en salsa verde. I normally do it when I have leftovers.
- As filling: You can use this stew to fill gorditas de Maseca or fried quesadillas.
How To Store And Reheat
I love prep meals, they just save you lots of time in the kitchen and also satisfy unexpected cravings. This recipe is perfect to make ahead for those busy days.
Chicharron en salsa verde will last up to 4 days in the fridge nicely stored in an airtight container.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight then reheat as suggested below.
To reheat, place leftovers in a pan, add a splash of water or chicken stock to return some moisture to the dish and then heat it on the stovetop over medium heat.
Chicharrón en Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz chicharrones (read notes)
- 1 lb fresh tomatillos (see notes)
- 4 serrano peppers (seeds and veins removed)
- ½ medium onion (cut into chunks)
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 to 2 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Make the salsa verde
- Remove the husks from tomatillos, wash them and place them into a pot with enough water to cover them.
- Once the water starts to boil, set heat to medium and let them simmer for about 6 minutes, not more or tomatillos will become bitter.
- Remove tomatillos and chili peppers and place them into a blender with onion, cumin seeds, cilantro, and garlic.
- Add 1 cup of water and blend everything until combined (about 2 minutes). Set aside.
Make chicharrones
- Place salsa verde on a deep pan. Season with salt and pepper then bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Add chicharrones to the salsa and pour in the chicken stock. Use a spoon to push them down so they can soak well. Bring to a simmer.
- *From here it depends on the quality and type of chicharron you’re using and the time it will take to cook. It can take from 10 up to 30 minutes, so you might adjust the liquids accordingly. If you see the chicharrones are still hard, add more chicken stock and keep simmering, covered, until they will become soft*.
- Once chicharrones are softened, adjust seasonings to taste, turn off the heat, and serve.
Notes
- If you buy chicharrones in a Mexican butchery, chances are they will weigh more because they are fresh and the texture is a little different. So just add more. About 1 1/2 lb would be enough for this recipe.
- If you use canned tomatillo, you will need about 2 cups.
Nutrition Information
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So easy this recipe for chicharron salsa verde, I used store bought salsa and it was delicious anyways. Served with beans and rice and the kids loved it!
Oh my gosh! I love Mexican food and can’t wait to try this Chicharron en Salsa Verde recipe! Looks so flavorful!
This recipe was a hit with my family! I made it a little spicier since my husband says my salsa’s are never hot enough. Well he said it I finally did it!