Savor this mouth-watering Pork Chili with tender pork tenderloin in a delicious, mildly spicy red broth, or transform it into Pork Chili Verde using salsa verde. Or make it with ground pork, pork loin, or even leftover pulled pork to customize it in a crockpot or simmered on the stovetop.
🐖Ingredients
Pork tenderloin—or use ground pork, pork loin, or pulled pork
Beans—black, kidney, or white beans.
Green chiles
Vegetables—onion, jalapeno, green bell pepper
Salsa-red or salsa verde
Chicken broth
Seasoning—chili powder, oregano, cumin
Jump To (scroll for more)
This pork chili recipe is a great combination of pork and Mexican flavors. It is a tasty meal that requires only 10 minutes of prep and can be cooked in a crock pot or stovetop. It is perfect for healthy low-caloric or low-fat diets with only 3-4 grams of fat per serving. It is also gluten-free.
👨🍳How to Make Pork Chili—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Chop onion and green pepper medium—prep jalapeno and chop fine.
2. Prep tenderloin by removing all trimmable fat and the silverskin. Cut into ¾ to 1-inch cubes.
3. Drain and rinse all beans. Place all ingredients in a crock pot or a Dutch oven on the stovetop.
4. Cook in a crock pot for about 4 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. Or simmer on the stovetop for about 2 hours. It is done when the pork and vegetables are tender.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰Cooking Time
It is done when the pork and vegetables are tender. In a crock pot, it takes about 4 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. On the stovetop, it takes about 2 hours. If you use pork loin, it may take longer.
🥣Options and Variations
Pork tenderloin is suggested, but a pork loin may be used. It may take longer to cook, so check the pork for tenderness before stopping cooking.
Ground pork can be used but should be browned lightly and drained before adding to the crock pot. Or pulled pork butt may be added halfway through the cooking to make Pulled Pork Chili.
Make Pork Chili Verde using salsa verde (green) for a different flavor.
To adjust the heat, you can vary the salsa between mild, medium, and hot or add a second jalapeno to make hot chili.
Use the beans of your choice—I chose black and red kidney beans, white beans like white kidney, navy, or great northern beans.
There is usually some garlic powder in chili powder, but you may add more.
♨️Crock pot chili recipes
Check out some of my chili recipes, like Small Crock Pot White Chicken Chili, Small Crock Pot Chili, Crock Pot Texas Chili, and Chili Con Carne.
Salsa Verde Chicken Chili
You will love Salsa Verde Chicken Chili, a mildly spicy white chicken chili made with chicken, white beans, green salsa verde, and a few pantry ingredients: a simple dump-and-go crock pot or fast stovetop recipe.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!
↕️Make smaller or bigger recipes
The whole recipe makes about 12 cups of chili, 8 servings of 1 ½ cups each. This needs a slow cooker of 4 quarts or larger. To increase to 12 servings, a 50% increase, use a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
A half recipe is more "cooking for two" friendly, making 4 servings. But you may end up with partly used ingredients.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- The half recipe will fit in a mini 2-quart crock pot. A larger 150% recipe will fit in a 6-quart or larger full-size crock pot. For stovetop cooking, if it fits, it cooks.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
🍴How to serve pork chili
Since it is a little spicy, a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese works well. Add fresh cilantro, lime wedges, or avocado slices, and serve with corn chips.
A side of Old Fashioned Cornbread or some Cornmeal Biscuits is an excellent addition to any chili.
❄️How to store leftover chili
Store any leftover chili in an airtight container. You can refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 3 months.
To reheat, thaw first if frozen, and use a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat.
❓FAQs
No, they are significantly different in taste and ingredients and are prepared differently.
Pork Chili Verde uses green Salas Verda, which is tomatillos-based
and may be easily made with this recipe.
Colorado Green Pork Chili uses green chile peppers for its flavor. While it originated in New Mexico, it is considered one of Colorado's state dishes.
The beans can contain a significant amount of sodium. If you are concerned about sodium intake, drain and rinse the beans, remove about ⅓ of the sodium, and use low-sodium beans.
Most chili, by their ingredients, have enough sodium. So don't add any at the start and add if needed at serving.
It is up to your taste, but chili powder usually contains some garlic powder. You may add more powder or use fresh garlic if you want.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Pork Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin - about 1 ½ pounds
- 3 cans beans of choice—3 cans - rinsed
- 4 oz green chilies
- 1 onion - medium diced
- 1 green pepper - chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper - diced small
- 16 oz salsa
- 16 oz low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Chop onion and green pepper medium—prep jalapeno and chop fine.
- Prep tenderloin by removing all trimmable fat and the silverskin. Cut into ¾ to 1-inch cubes.
- Drain and rinse all beans. Place all ingredients in a crock pot or a Dutch oven on the stovetop.
- It is done when the pork is tender and the vegetables are tender. In a crock pot, cook for about 4 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. On the stovetop, cook for about 2 hours.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This needs a crock pot of 4 quarts or larger. Instructions for a half recipe that will fit in a small or mini crock pot are in the post.
- You can adjust the heat in this recipe by changing the jalapeno pepper and salsa's heat.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days and frozen for 3 months.
- Nutrition is for a serving size of about 1 ½ cups.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published January 16, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Susan says
Dr. Dan - I realize this is not a new recipe for you but I just found your blog and tried it over the weekend. I'm a bit of a spice wimp so I did not add jalapenos and I only had half the red salsa called for. I ended up with half red and half chili verde salsa. It was wonderful. Thanks for the site. I live alone and it is great to find some recipe with smaller servings. The chili made a lot but I shared with extended family. Thanks again!
DrDan says
Hi Susan, I leave the comments open on all recipes (at least for now) so readers can still contribute.
I find it hard to believe this recipe is 4 yrs old. I really do love this one.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dr Dan
nbsp says
umbrellalady, I feel your pain re sodium. I am new to learning ways to curb it. But so far in my education it appears that prepared stocks and bouillons are the devil for me. (I started rinsing canned vegetables so many decades ago that I can't remember the reason.) I'm not about to begin making homemade stock regularly so I am relegated to diluting regular canned stock or using the low-sodium stuff.
DrDan, I really like this recipe. Pork is just wonderful easy low-fat thing, isn't it? And lends itself well to crockpotting.
Martha (MM) says
Gorgeous slow cooker dish! Thanks for linking this one up too :-)
Jeffrey and Juli says
This looks great- and I love your high-tech slow cooker!I agree with Chris, it looks like Darth Vader.
One assumes that the[cooking]force is strong with this one? ;)
Dr Dan says
I was thinking R2D2... it beeps
Chris says
Ahhhh! Your crock pot control panel looks like Darth Vader! I now dub he, Crock Vader.
"You don't know the power of the Crock side!"
Steph@PlainChicken.com says
sounds great!
Dr Dan says
I thought it was just right but I like salt and my blood pressure is good. I always use low sodium broth for what little that is worth.
You can rinse the beans if you're sodium sensitive or worried. The total sodium my way is about 3 teaspoons of salt. It sounds heavy but you add salt to a recipe but you don't usually count what is in the components. From what I can find, rinsing the beans would decrease the sodium by 20-40%. You could also use low sodium beans or dry beans.
umbrellalady says
This recipe sounds wonderful but I wonder about the salt content with all the canned beans and their liquids, as well as the chicken stock and salsa, especially if they are all commercially produced.
Great with the fat content being so low!