Name: Chicharrón en Salsa Verde
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
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)

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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.

Chicharrón en salsa verde served with refried beans and corn chips.

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.

Close-up of chicharrones en salsa verde (pork cracklings with green sauce).

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.

Tomatillo salsa verde on a jar to make chicharrón en salsa verde.

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.

Salsa verde on a blender for chicharrones pork cracklings.

Now, pour the sauce into a braising pan. Season with salt and pepper then bring the sauce to a gentle boil.

Salsa verde (green sauce) on a braise pan.

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.

Pushing down chicharrones to immerse them into the green tomatillo sauce.

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.

Chicharrón en salsa verde fully cooked, showing with a wooden spoon.

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.

Chicharrones in salsa verde served with refried beans and tortilla chips.

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.