Try this chicharrón en salsa verde if you’re looking for a blend of flavors and textures. This Mexican stew is comforting, rich, packed with deliciousness, and perfect to serve any day of the week!
Chicharrón en salsa verde is a Mexican popular dish made with crispy pork cracklings simmered in a delicious sauce made of tomatillos, green chilies, and cilantro.
Growing up, my mother loved to make this recipe because it was easy to make using two other basic Mexican foods which are pork chicharrones and tomatillo salsa verde.
When you combine both you get chicharrones en salsa verde, a rich stew that can be served with tortillas, beans, and rice.
Ingredients
- Chicharrones: On this recipe I used store-bought chicharrones which can be easily found at any Mexican or Latin American food groceries packed in large bags.
- Salsa verde: You will need tomatillos, green chiles, cilantro, and onions to make a simple salsa verde.
- 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 balances everything perfectly.
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 or chicken stock, 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 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 become soft.
Once chicharrones are softened, adjust seasonings. Serve this chicharron en salsa verde with your favorite side dishes.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- You can adjust the texture of the salsa by blending it less or longer, I like it to have a rustic texture because that’s how my mother taught me, her chicharrón en salsa verde was always a hit in our family!
- 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.
- There’s also another recipe similar to this which is called chicharron en salsa roja, as you guessed, it’s made using red sauce. Both are equally delicious!
How To Serve
Chicharrón en salsa verde makes an amazing main dish that is perfect to serve with Frijoles refritos (refried beans). They are my favorite and one of the most common side dishes for this stew.
Arroz Blanco (Mexican white rice) is also a good option, especially when you serve the stew on top, all the sauce will soak up the rice!
You can also use chicharrones en salsa verde to stuff on tacos made with soft flour tortillas, as a filling for puffy gorditas de Maseca or fried quesadillas.
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 the stew in resealable bags (it saves more space in the freezer!), the frozen stew will last for up to 2-3 months.
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.
More Mexican Recipes
Have you tried my Chicharrón en Salsa Verde recipe? Leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out! Also, join our community of readers by following this blog on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. You’ll be the first to know about the latest posts and news.
Chicharrón en Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz store-bought chicharrones (read notes)
- 1 pound fresh tomatillos (see notes)
- 4 serrano peppers (seeds and veins removed)
- ½ medium onion (cut into chunks)
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 to 2 cups chicken stock (read notes)
- 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 the stew
- 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.
- Simmer until chicharrones are soft and the sauce has thickened.
- Adjust seasonings to taste, turn off the heat, and serve.
Notes
- You can also make this recipe with homemade chicharrones. Those are less puffy and contain more meat, so adjust the liquid accordingly.
- You can swap fresh tomatillos with a can of coked tomatillos or a can of salsa verde. You’ll need about 2 cups of any.
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!
Oh my gosh! I love Mexican food and can’t wait to try this Chicharron en Salsa Verde recipe! Looks so flavorful!
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!