Green chile stew is one of my favorite stews from my home state of New Mexico. It’s good any time of year, but best in the fall and winter. This hearty stew is a perfect way to showcase the flavor of fresh green chile.
Jump to RecipeGreen Chile Stew
Every New Mexican grows up with green chile stew. It’s the perfect stew for a winter day.
Green chile stew is not only delicious but also extremely flexible. Traditionally, it almost always has pork, green chile, potatoes, and some other vegetables. But the only truly required ingredient is green chile. Other than that, you can load it with whatever you want. It’s easy to make and simple to adapt to a wide variety of diets.
So grab some Hatch green chile and make some stew.
Making Green Chile Stew
Vegetables
First, prep all your vegetables. You want everything to be in roughly the same size cubes. Otherwise, there are almost no rules.
Potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, zucchinis, parsnips… It’s all fair game in green chile stew.
Some vegetables, such as mushrooms and tomatoes, will benefit from a bit of cooking before going in the final stew. I personally like to pan-fry mushrooms and tomatoes.
I had a bag of vegetables in the refrigerator that I decided to pan fry for a little bit. One of the things I love about stews is that they are a really great way to get rid of a lot of stuff in your fridge. A friend recommended adding hominy, which sounds delicious.
Anything goes.
Meat
Traditionally, green chile stew means pork. I’ll often make a vegetarian version, but I had a lot of pork shoulder left-over from making posole. So I used some of it here.
Start by pan searing the pork in a cast-iron skillet to add some flavor. For this batch, I used chickpeas as well. I had a lot of leftovers in my pantry, so I was trying to clean house.
You want about 8 cups of sturdy protein. Again, this traditionally means pork, but it could also mean beef, chicken, lamb, tempeh, beans, etc.
Stewing
Once you get everything prepared, heat a pot on medium and add two tablespoons of oil.
Add the pork and let it cook for about five minutes. Stir regularly. You want the cubes to just start to brown.
Then add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and salt to the pot and let them soften for 5-10 minutes. Next, add the potatoes, chiles, and any other vegetables. Stir to combine and let it cook for another ten minutes.
After everything has had time to soften, add protein, herbs, and spices. Then add a couple tablespoons of organic flour as a thickener. Stir to coat everything well.
Finally, add some broth to the pot and cook at a bare simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Like most stews, it tastes even better the next day because it’s had more time for flavors to combine. Serve with a warm tortilla and consider topping with cheese, sour cream, lime, and/or cilantro.
Join me in celebrating green chile. One of the best vegetables around.
Oh, and always use Hatch green chile if possible. It’s the best.
Green Chile Stew
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 6 medium potatoes cubed
- 2 cups green chile chopped, adjust amount to taste
- 4 cups pork shoulder heritage breed, cubed
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin for better flavor, toast whole seeds and grind them yourself
- 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon mustard seed
- 2 Tablespoons organic flour (optional)
- 6 cups vegetable broth or water
- sour cream (optional) for serving
- cheese (optional) for serving
- cilantro (optional) for serving
- lime juice (optional) for serving
- tortillas (optional) for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large pot on medium and add the extra virgin olive oil. Then add the pork cubes and cook for about five (5) minutes, stirring regularly. You want the cubes to just start to brown.
- Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and salt. Cook until soft and translucent, 5-10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, green chile, and any other desired vegetables to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for another ten (10) minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, soy sauce, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard seed, and flour. Stir to combine. Cook for one (1) minute.
- Add the broth. Cover and cook on a low simmer for 30-40 minutes.
- Serve with a warm tortilla. The stew's great plain, but it's also great with cheese, sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro.