Darth Verde Easy Chili Recipe

 Darth Verde

When someone says "chili," most people think of traditional Texas chili (or Texas red chili). But after eating lots of different chilis at cook-offs, chili Verde became a personal favorite of mine. However, cutting all the meat and dicing all the peppers is very labor intensive!

So I created this quick-fix version based on many World Championship recipes. It gives the same great flavor in a lot less time!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons bacon grease or oil
• 2 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 jalapeños
• 1–4 serranos (seeded depending on your heat preference)
• 2 Anaheim chiles
• One 26-ounce can of whole green chiles, cut into ½-inch squares, divided; save half to add at the end
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• One 14-ounce can of mild green enchilada sauce
• One 14-ounce can of chicken broth
• One 7-ounce jar of salsa verde (I use Herdez®)
• 2 ½ tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon green chili powder (if you can find it; I order it online but it’s fine without it!)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• Juice from 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons corn starch (optional for thickening)
• Salt, to taste (optional)
• Green Tabasco® sauce (optional for extra heat)

Directions

In a pot, heat the bacon grease, then brown the pork.

Cut all the whole chiles (jalapeños, serranos, and Anaheim chiles) in half. Using a spoon, scrape out and discard the seeds, then coarsely cut the chiles into smaller chunks.

You may need to do the following step in two batches, because everything may not all fit into a food processor. Into a food processor, add the chopped chiles, half of the can of whole green chiles, the diced onion, the garlic, and the green enchilada sauce. Pulse until the chiles and onion are finely diced. Pour the mixture into the pot with the browned pork.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot: chicken broth, salsa verde, cumin, green chili powder, vinegar, celery salt, and lime juice.

Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking/burning. Add the rest of the chiles in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Add a little cornstarch if the chili needs thickening. Add salt and/or green Tabasco® sauce as needed.