Green Chili Burritos Family Style (The Recipe My Mom Made)
Some recipes are more than just dinner. They are a thread that connects generations, a smell that takes you straight back to your childhood kitchen, and a taste that feels like a warm hug from someone you love deeply. These Green Chili Burritos are exactly that for me and my family. This is my mom DeVona’s recipe — the one she made again and again for our family when I was growing up, adapted from what was available and made entirely with love. It is not traditionally made, but it is ours, and that is what makes it so special.
I made these for my own family as a young mother, and now my kids make them for their families too. That is how generational recipes work — the smells and flavors imprint themselves on your memory and become part of who you are. Miss you so much, Mom. This one is always for you. 💜
Why You’ll Love These Green Chili Burritos
The heart of this recipe is a slow cooker green chili pork that practically makes itself. Two pork tenderloins go into the slow cooker with a simple but deeply flavorful blend of spices, Herdez Salsa Verde, and chicken broth, and six hours later you have the most tender, pull-apart pork swimming in the most scrumptious green chili sauce you have ever tasted. The sauce is where the magic lives – bright from the salsa verde, warm from the cumin and oregano, and finished with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice that makes every single flavor pop.
Warm your sourdough flour tortilla up, add some refried beans, ladle a bit of green chili on top, add some cheddar cheese…sour cream and pico de Gallo if you like, then roll it up! Finish with another generous ladle or two of green chili then garnish as your heart desires. Just like that, you have a family-style meal that feeds a crowd and makes everyone at the table very, very happy. And the leftovers? They are the stuff of legend. It’s the star of the next day’s Open Faced Green Chili Burritos – one of my all-time favorite leftover meals.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is a quick look at what goes into these burritos. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.
For the Slow Cooker
Two whole pork tenderloins (approximately one pound each) are the base — they shred beautifully and soak up all that green chili goodness. The spice blend is simple and deeply savory: ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and salt. Herdez Salsa Verde is my go-to brand here — it has the right balance of tang and heat without being overpowering. Unsalted chicken broth rounds out the slow cooker liquid and keeps everything moist and flavorful as it cooks low and slow.
Building the Green Chili Sauce
After the pork is shredded and returned to a large pot, the sauce gets built up with additional chicken broth, more salsa verde, fresh lime juice, and a taste-and-adjust round of spices. This is where you make it your own — a pinch of chipotle powder for smoky heat, a little more cumin, whatever your taste buds are asking for. That second seasoning pass is what takes the sauce from good to absolutely incredible.
For Serving
Large flour tortillas or my sourdough flour tortillas, refried beans, shredded white cheddar cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Set everything out family style and let everyone build their own — that is the whole spirit of this meal. If you happen to need a paleo tortilla, I’ve got you there as well. While these tortillas aren’t nearly as large as my sourdough tortillas, you can easily warm them up, layer beans on top and smother with the green chili and simply not roll them up. All the same flavors, just a different method to enjoying them.
How to Make Green Chili Burritos
Start by placing both pork tenderloins in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano generously over the top. Pour the salsa verde and chicken broth over everything and set it to cook on high for five to six hours, or low for eight to ten hours. The pork is done when it is completely fall-apart tender and shreds easily with two forks.
Remove the pork to a cutting board and shred it, then add it along with the gorgeous slow cooker juices to a large stock pot. Add the additional chicken broth, salsa verde, lime juice, and salt, then taste and adjust with any of the optional spices. Let it all simmer together on low for another thirty minutes or so — this is when the sauce really develops and deepens into something truly special. The whole house will smell incredible. Follow instructions for thickening and you’re set and ready to feed a crowd.
To serve, warm your tortillas, spread with refried beans, pile on the green chili pork, add your toppings, and roll it up. Spoon extra green chili sauce up on top because you are absolutely going to want to smother it.
Tips for the Best Green Chili Burritos
Don’t skip the second seasoning pass
After you shred the pork and additional liquid, taste the sauce and adjust. This is an important step for building a sauce with real depth of flavor. A little more lime, a pinch more cumin, maybe a touch of chipotle — this is where you make it sing.
Use Herdez Salsa Verde
I have tried many brands over the years and Herdez is consistently the best for this recipe. It has the right acidity, heat level, and tomatillo flavor that makes this sauce work beautifully. Find it in the Mexican foods aisle at most grocery stores.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
If you’re short on time you could try this in the Instant Pot as well. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes with a natural release and then follow instructions by adding to a large stock pot. While I’ve not tried this method, I really think you will have the same gorgeous fall-apart pork in a fraction of the time.
Save every drop of that green chili sauce
The leftover pork and sauce are the foundation for my Open Faced Green Chili Burritos — one of my very favorite comfort food meals. It’s fabulous – dinner in a hurry kind of “leftover dinner” your week needs. Not to mention you can also simply warm up a bowl of green chili, sprinkle some shredded cheese on top and enjoy as a soup, served with some corn chips. Also a very, very good way to enjoy!
More Mexican Inspired Recipes You’ll Love
- Open Faced Green Chili Burritos — the perfect next-day leftover meal
- Sourdough Flour Tortillas — the very best homemade tortillas for this recipe
- Migas Breakfast Bowls — a Mexican inspired breakfast you will make on repeat
- Chili Relleno — another family-inspired Mexican comfort food
Green Chili Burritos Family Style (The Recipe My Mom Made)
Course: EntreesCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy16
servings10
minutes6
hoursan instant family favorite!
Ingredients
- STEP 1: slow cooker
2 whole Pork Tenderloin, approx 1 lb each – once cooked/shredded will be about 4-5 cups total
3 Tbsp Cumin, Ground
2 tsp Real Salt – Redmond
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Oregano, Dried
2 cups Salsa Verde, Herdez brand is my fav!
4 cups Chicken Broth, unsalted
- STEP2: post slow cooker
4 cups Chicken Broth, unsalted
1 – 2 cups Salsa Verde, Herdez brand is my fav!
1 – 2 tsp Real Salt – Redmond, as preferred
4 – 5 whole Lime Juice, about ½ cup, to preference
- STEP 3: additional spices
1/4 – .5 tsp Chipotle Powder, optional
1/2 – 1 tsp Cumin, Ground, as desired
1/2 – 1 tsp Garlic Powder, as desired
1/2 – 1 tsp Onion Powder, as desired
1/2 – 1 tsp Oregano, Dried, as desired
1/2 – 1 tsp Black Pepper, as desired
- STEP 4: final additions
14 – 16 oz Green Chiles, Fire Roasted, canned variety, I like poblano or standard green chilis
1/2 – .75 cup Milk, of choice, can sub broth or water
1/2 – .75 cup Cornstarch, don’t use arrowroot*, see note below
1/2 – .75 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped, optional
- to SERVE!
10 – 8 whole Sourdough Flour Tortillas, or large tortillas of choice
Refried Pinto Beans, warmed as desired
White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Hot Sauce, brand of choice
Red Pepper Flakes, optional
Corn Tortillas – I prefer Siete Foods
Lime, cut into wedges
Directions
- Place tenderloins in the base of your slow cooker. Sprinkle salt, cumin, garlic, onion and oregano on the tenderloin and pour salsa and broth on top, stirring slightly to combine. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours.
- Once done, remove pork from broth to a cutting board. Allow to cool slightly as you prepare the green chili.
- Pour liquid from the base of the slow cooker into a large stockpot (approx. 8 qt), over medium heat. Pouring carefully as it will be hot. Add the additional salsa, starting with 1 cup followed with broth, salt, lime juice. Stirring to combine.
- The additional spices are where you can make the flavors work for your personal preference. Taste the mixture in the stockpot and add more of the spices as your tastebuds dictate. The addition of chipotle chili powder here doesn’t add heat as much as a layer of smoky undertones. The rest of the additional spices can be added in the desired amounts after tasting. It’s really a personal preference. These are the same spices you added when you cooked the tenderloins, so they are already a part of the broth, but you might like more intensity, totally your call.
- Once you have the broth flavored to your liking, the green chili is ready to be finalized.
- Add the canned green chilis to the pan, stirring to combine. Create a slurry by stirring together the milk and cornstarch (starting with a ½ cup of each) until it’s smooth. Bring the broth to a slow boil, then pour this slurry into the hot liquid, in a thin stream, while stirring to fully incorporate. It will begin to thicken from here, reduce heat and see if it’s the consistency you prefer. If you want it a bit thicker, mix up the remaining ¼ cup of milk/cornstarch and repeat.
- Once you have the consistency you like, cut up and/or shred the pork then add between 4-5 cups to the green chili, adding as much or as little as desired. Reserve any leftover pork to use later. Since the pork is so tender, I like to add it at the very end so that it doesn’t all come apart as you season/thicken the green chili. Making it so you have some nice larger chunks of pork when you serve it. Add chopped cilantro, if using, stirring to fully combine.
- To serve, warm up beans in a separate pan, adding water if needed to create a nice smooth consistency.
- Warm up tortilla on a tortilla warmer or dry pan. Move it to a plate, fill with beans (about ¼ cup or so), a bit of green chili (personal preference) and cheese. Fold and roll up the burrito as desired, then spoon additional green chili over the top, essentially creating a smothered burrito. Top with additional cheese, hot sauce, cilantro and chili flakes.
- Serve with beans on the side and corn chips and a squeeze of lime if desired.
Recipe Video
If you make these Green Chili Burritos I would absolutely love to see them! Tag me on Instagram or drop a comment below. This recipe carries so much love and it makes my heart so happy every single time I make it. 💜
