Leftover Pulled Pork Green Chile Stew
This post has kindly been sponsored by The Hatch Chile Store. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post may also contain Amazon affiliate links in which I receive a small commission for any sales. Thanks for your support!
Recently I saw a video from a travel vlogger who, when trying a bowl of Green Chile Stew for the very first time from a fast food restaurant in Albuquerque, called it an un-edible bowl of green slop.
Ouch! I was heartbroken; as a New Mexican I practically bleed green chile, and green chile stew is arguably the most iconic New Mexican recipe second only to green chile sauce itself! I felt bad for this person, and I hope they give green chile stew a second try!
Green chile can be mild, medium, hot, and even extra hot. I wonder if she knew to ask about the hotness level of the chile that day before ordering.
I also have to believe that if she had ordered her stew from a higher-quality restaurant (and not at a local fast food chain), or tried it with a chile hotness level she preferred, or even tried some of MY Pork Green Chile Stew, the outcome would have been one million percent better.
I recently cooked up a huge pork roast to use for three meals: Sunday dinner, taco Tuesday, and green chile stew later in the week. Aaaaaaand, I just had to share the Leftover Pulled Pork Green Chile Stew because it was ah-maz-ing and soooo easy!
I hate wasting food; so I try to be smart and plan to use leftovers in fabulous recipes such as my most popular recipe of all time: Leftover Turkey Stew.
But first, let’s answer some common questions you may have about using leftover pulled pork.
How long is leftover pulled pork good for in the refrigerator?
The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) is clear that leftover pork can last up to 3-4 days in a refrigerator below 40 degrees F. After that, it’s not safe. If you’re not sure when you’ll get around to using up leftover pork, just freeze it instead. Meat can be stored indefinitely when frozen; however it will slowly lose its quality and dry out as the months go by, so don’t forget about it for more than 3-6 months :0)
How can you tell if pulled pork is bad?
Check your leftover food for these four things: color, smell, texture, and taste. If any of these are different from when the dish was first stored, don’t take chances, just throw it away.
My husband once thought his appendix had burst and he’d literally die from the pain before he could get to the ER. Turns out after some diagnostics he was actually suffering from food poisoning! He was literally delirious from the abdominal pain and it was scary for me to see him in such a state.
The ranch dressing he ate for lunch that day had expired for 6 months! He did know that but ate it anyway. 😖😢 An average of 3000 people actually die from food poisoning each year, so please be safe and don’t take chances!
Leftover Pulled Pork Green Chile Stew is amazing with authentic Hatch green chile
There’s good-tasting green chile, and then there’s FANTASTIC-tasting green chile. Just like comparing not-so-amazing supermarket wines with specialty wines from France; so too is the green chile pepper. You may laugh but I’m serious! My green chile stew always tastes amazing because I use Hatch chile peppers. It really elevates the stew to a whole other level of deliciousness.
The popularity of chile peppers grown in Hatch, New Mexico has skyrocketed in the last few years as more people discover their amazing taste. The state’s best-kept secret is out; people all over the country, even the world, want to eat Hatch chiles.
What are Hatch Chile Peppers?
Hatch Chile peppers are world famous for their delicious flavors, produced by the unique climate and soil composition that exists only in the Hatch Valley of Southern New Mexico. These factors combine to grow exceptional-tasting chile peppers with smoky, sweet, and hot flavor notes. More people discover Hatch Chiles each year, and their popularity continues to grow.
Growing up in New Mexico where chile peppers are an integral part of the culture, I know that Hatch chiles have earned a reputation for being the best of the best. I personally only use authentic Hatch in all my cooking because it simply tastes amazing. You should be able to find canned Hatch chile in any supermarket these days, or you can order it directly like I do. Frozen chile is much, much better tasting than canned!
The Hatch Chile Store is the premiere website for ordering your Hatch chile– they are incredibly good at shipping fresh authentic chile right to your door, whatever variety and hotness lever you prefer. It’s where I get all my Hatch Chile, and I must say the flavor really does stand out above any other chile pepper variety.
Head on over now to The Hatch Chile Store to stock up on the most delicious Hatch chile you can buy anywhere- they’ve always got great deals on your favorite products!
Did you know I have a full-color cookbook with lots more easy and delicious New Mexican recipes? You can learn more about it here!
Also, check out some of my other popular Hatch chile recipes; Green Chile Cheeseburger Soup, Fried Whole Green Chiles with Cilantro Lime Crema, and Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage and Green Chile.
How many calories are in Green Chile Stew?
There are certainly a plethora of Green Chile Stew recipes on the web with a very diverse mix of ingredients and calorie counts. The most common combination of ingredients for this stew is green chile (obviously), diced potatoes, carrots, and meat. I break these down into their prospective calorie counts below:
Pork green chile stew (with carrots, potatoes, and chicken broth, and a serving size of approx 1 and 1/2 cups) is about 395 calories per serving. Chicken green chile stew would be about 313 calories per serving, and beef green chile stew made with lean ground beef would be approximately 228 calories per serving.
As you can see Green chile stew is definitely something you can fit into a healthy meal plan and will help you diversify your diet and gain all the benefits of eating green chile!
Can you freeze green chile stew?
Freezing green chile stew is an excellent way to preserve it for later use. Load it up into zipper-lock freezer bags and press as much excess air out as possible before sealing it tightly. It can be stored for 3 months in the freezer before it will start to lose the quality of flavor, but it will never go bad as long as it stays frozen.
Can this recipe be made in a slow cooker?
Absolutely yes! You won’t get the flavor of caramelized onions in the recipe, but it still tastes great.
To convert this recipe to a slow cooker, place a liner in your slow cooker, then throw all ingredients in except the vegetable oil/butter and flour; and reserve 1/2 cup of broth. Cook on high for 4 hours, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into the room temperature broth, then stir it into the stew. Replace the lid and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. When the stew is thickened, remove it from heat and serve with your choice of garnishes (or all of them 😉).
Another fantastic way to thicken slow cooker soups/stews: Mix in approximately 1/2 cup instant mashed potatoes (potato flakes, potato pearls, etc). This will thicken almost immediately and add more flavor to your dish.
These are the slow cooker liners I mentioned earlier. ⇩ Best invention ever!!!! I hate cleaning my slow cooker, and these make cleaning a breeze. 😋
Looking for more green chile recipes? Check out the gallery below!
Looking for more fantastic green chile recipes? Check out the gallery below!
Did you know I have a full-color cookbook with lots more easy and delicious New Mexican recipes? You can learn more about it here!
You know what else is fantastic? Simply giving this recipe a star rating and a comment below! Your comments and ratings are greatly appreciated by me AND the Google algorithm. Thank you!
Did you know I have a full-color cookbook with lots more easy and delicious New Mexican recipes? You can learn more about it here!
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Leftover Pulled Pork Green Chile Stew
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Leftover shredded pork and a jar of roasted chopped Hatch green chiles makes this stew incredibly easy and delicious. Chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, and tomato add a sweet component to balance out the chile heat, while chicken broth and a few additional spices round out the flavors. This recipe is thickened with flour, but cornstarch can easily be substituted.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 pounds of leftover pulled pork (about 4–5 cups)
- 1 (16 oz) jar of chopped, peeled, roasted Hatch green chile (or one 1 lbs. freezer bag, thawed)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 7 cups chicken broth (I use bouillon cubes)
- 2 cups peeled and chopped Russet potatoes
- 1 and 1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less, season to taste)
- Warm flour tortillas, shredded Mexican cheese blend, fresh cilantro for optional garnishes
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, until the onions are translucent and golden brown (dark spotty brown in places).
- Add pulled pork and green chile. Stir to combine with the onions. Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir to coat. Cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, bay leaf, cumin and coriander. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover, with the lid slightly ajar,and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the stew for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until the vegetables are soft.
- Remove from heat. Remove the bay leaf from the stew and discard. Dish individual servings out into bowls and serve with warm flour tortillas on the side.
Notes
The amount of pork can be adjusted to what you have on hand, AND the amount of green chile can also be adjusted depending on whatever you prefer.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: braise
- Cuisine: New Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 6.9
- Sodium: 859
- Fat: 29.6
- Saturated Fat: 10.5
- Carbohydrates: 21.5
- Fiber: 3.4
- Protein: 76.4
- Cholesterol: 223
