Ten minutes in boiling tomatillo salsa turns a bag of crunchy pork rinds into a classic Mexican taco filling. In Mexico, chicharrón en salsa verde (chee-cha-RRON en SAL-sa VER-deh) is a guisado, a home-style stew, made with fried pork skin simmered in a tomatillo and green chile sauce until it turns soft, tender and slightly gelatinous, a bit like the skin on a slow-braised pork shoulder. It is a classic taco filling, it goes into gorditas, and it makes a cheap, fast lunch with beans and rice. How long the rinds sit in the sauce decides everything, so this recipe gives you the minutes for each texture, plus what to buy in a US or UK shop.
What is chicharrón en salsa verde, and who is it for?
How do you make chicharrón en salsa verde? Simmer 1.5 lb (700 g) tomatillos with 2 serranos for 8 to 10 minutes, blend with onion, garlic, cilantro and 1 cup (250 ml) water, and fry the salsa in 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes. Add another cup of liquid and 8.8 oz (250 g) plain pork rinds, cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes, or 5 if you want them chewy. 40 minutes for 4 servings.
Worth it if you like tangy green salsa and rich pork, and want a filling that is on the table in 40 minutes with about 20 of them hands-on. Nothing needs slow-braising: the chicharrón is already fried.
Maybe not for you if soft pork skin sounds wrong to you. Once it simmers, the crunch is gone for good, and the texture is closer to a braise than to a snack. It is also salty, because the rinds are.
If you want chunks of meat in green sauce instead, that is a different stew: pork in salsa verde, with shoulder simmered for about an hour and a half.
Which pork rinds to buy in the US and the UK
The product you want is chicharrón de cáscara: plain pork skin, dried and fried until it puffs. Read the bag and buy the plainest one you can find.
- Mexican butcher or market (US). Carnicerías sell chicharrón in big sheets, thicker than the bagged kind. It holds up best in the sauce and goes soft in 10 to 15 minutes without falling apart. The meaty kind, with some belly attached, also works; it is denser and wants a little more stock.
- Bagged pork rinds (US). Every supermarket snack aisle has them, labeled pork rinds or chicharrones. They are thinner, so they soften faster, in 5 to 10 minutes. A 5 oz (142 g) bag was $1.94 at Walmart in October 2026. Avoid flavored bags, barbecue or chile-lime: the seasoning washes into the sauce.
- UK. Look for Spanish cortezas de cerdo, which are puffed pork skin, the same thing as American pork rinds, sold in some UK supermarkets and Spanish delis. Puffed pork rinds from snack brands work too. Pork scratchings, the pub snack, are a different product: hard, with the fat still on. I would not use them here.
- Not this dish. Chicharrón prensado, a pressed block of fried pork scraps, melts into the sauce and is the filling in our Mexican gorditas. Wheat chicharrones de harina contain no pork at all. And Colombian chicharrón is fried pork belly, a dish of its own.
Tomatillos, fresh or canned, and the chile
Fresh tomatillos are sold in most US supermarkets. Pick firm ones that fill their husks. They are not unripe green tomatoes, and their husks leave a sticky film that tastes bitter, so rinse them well.
Canned tomatillos are the UK answer, and fine in the US too. They are already cooked: drain and blend, no boiling. A 28 oz (794 g) can of La Costeña holds about 550 g (1¼ lb) of drained fruit, so with one can cut the second cup of liquid to about ⅔ cup (150 ml). Canned tomatillos are salted and acidified, so taste before adding salt.
| If you can’t find | Use | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh tomatillos | Canned whole tomatillos, drained | Slightly softer, saltier sauce; skip the boiling |
| Serrano chiles | 1 jalapeño | About the same heat as 2 serranos |
| Mexican butcher chicharrón | Plain bagged pork rinds or cortezas | Softens faster; check at 5 minutes |
| Homemade salsa | About 2 lb (1 kg) jarred or homemade salsa verde | Saves 20 minutes; taste for salt |
| Chicken stock | Water | Lighter flavor, less sodium |
Heat level, 2 out of 5 with 2 serranos. Seed them for a milder pot. 3 or 4 serranos make it properly hot.
How long to simmer chicharrón in salsa verde
Count from the moment the rinds hit the boiling salsa.
- 0 minutes, scattered on top → crunchy. Ladle the hot salsa into bowls and add the rinds at the table. More snack than stew; eat it right away.
- 5 minutes → chewy, with firm edges.
- 10 minutes → soft, saturated and slightly gelatinous. The texture in this recipe, and the usual one for tacos.
- 15 minutes → what thick butcher-shop chicharrón needs to soften all the way.
- 20 to 30 minutes → it falls apart. Good chopped into gordita filling, mushy on a plate.
The rinds keep absorbing sauce off the heat. If dinner is 30 minutes away, turn the burner off 2 or 3 minutes before your target and leave the lid on.
Step by step, with the cues that matter
- Tomatillos. They are done when the color goes from bright to olive green and they give under a spoon. If they burst, the salsa turns thin and can taste bitter.
- The fry. The salsa should sizzle hard when it hits the oil. After 5 minutes it darkens a shade and loses the raw taste.
- The rinds. The sauce should cover them. If they soak it all up and the pot looks thick, add water or stock 3 tbsp (50 ml) at a time.
- Doneness. Fish out a piece and bite it. Soft means it bends without breaking and has no dry center.
- Salt. Last, and only after tasting.
Mistakes that make it salty, tough or mushy
- Salting the salsa before the rinds go in. They bring their own salt. Taste at the end.
- Adding the rinds to lukewarm sauce. They get wet without softening and turn leathery. Boil first, then add.
- Leaving the pot on the heat until serving. It overcooks into paste. Turn it off early.
- Not enough liquid. 2 cups (500 ml) for 8.8 oz (250 g) keeps it saucy; the rinds drink a lot.
- Flavored pork rinds. The whole pot ends up tasting like the seasoning packet.
Allergens. The stew itself is gluten-free and dairy-free, but check the labels on bagged rinds, stock and tortillas. Queso fresco or crema on top adds dairy.
Kids? It depends on the texture. Many kids love crunchy chicharrón and balk at soft; try the 5-minute version in a taco with refried beans, with 1 seeded serrano.
Tacos, gorditas and a taco party for 12 or 20
For tacos, cook to the 10-minute mark and uncover for the last 3 minutes so the sauce thickens and doesn’t soak through the tortilla. Plan 3 tacos per person on 5 in (13 to 14 cm) corn tortillas, the size of our homemade corn tortillas, topped with onion and cilantro.
For gorditas, simmer longer, 15 to 20 minutes, and break the rinds up with a spoon in the pot until the filling is thick and doesn’t drip. About 2 heaping tablespoons go into each gordita.
For a crowd, multiply straight across. I add the rinds in two rounds, half when people start serving and half 20 minutes later, so the last plate isn’t mush.
| People | Pork rinds | Tomatillos | Serranos | Water or stock | Tortillas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 250 g (8.8 oz) | 700 g (1.5 lb) | 2 | 500 ml (2 cups) | 12 |
| 12 | 750 g (1.65 lb) | 2.1 kg (4.6 lb) | 6 | 1.5 l (6⅓ cups) | 36 |
| 20 | 1.25 kg (2.75 lb) | 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) | 10 | 2.5 l (10½ cups) | 60 |
For 20, blend the salsa in three or four batches and use a 10 quart (10 liter) pot or two smaller ones: the rinds take up a lot of room before they soften. On a buffet, keep it at 140°F (60°C) or above on the lowest heat, adding stock as it thickens, and don’t leave it out more than 2 hours.
What chicharrón en salsa verde costs in the US
With US prices from October 2026, the pot for 4 comes to about $6.36, or $1.59 a serving, not counting oil, salt or tortillas. Plain bagged rinds at $1.94 per 5 oz bag, tomatillos at $0.99 a pound and cilantro at $0.97 a bunch.
Yield. 4 plates with tortillas, or 12 tacos. Adding 2 medium potatoes in ¾ in (2 cm) cubes, simmered in the salsa for 15 minutes before the rinds, stretches it further.
What drives the cost. The pork rinds, at 54% of the total. The whole salsa costs under $3.
Serving, storing and reheating
How it tastes. Tangy from the tomatillos, rich and salty from the pork, with the serrano heat behind. Soft rinds are tender and a little gelatinous; 5-minute rinds still have bite.
How to serve it. In corn tortillas with onion and cilantro, in gorditas or sopes, or in a bowl with its sauce, refried beans and Mexican red rice. Crumbled queso fresco or a spoon of crema cuts the acidity.
Fridge. Cooled, in a sealed container: 3 to 4 days. By the next day the rinds are softer and the sauce thicker.
Freezer. Up to 3 months. The rinds come out softer still, so I use frozen batches for tacos and gorditas.
Reheating. In a pot over medium-low with 3 to 6 tbsp (50 to 100 ml) water or stock, stirring gently, until it bubbles and reaches 165°F (74°C). In the microwave, covered, at half power, stirring halfway. Reheat only what you will eat: every round softens it more.
Chicharrón en salsa verde FAQ
Can you cook pork rinds in sauce? Yes, that is exactly this dish. Plain pork rinds soften in hot salsa in 5 to 10 minutes.
How long do you simmer chicharrón in salsa verde? 5 minutes for chewy, 10 for soft, up to 15 for thick butcher-shop chicharrón.
Can I keep the chicharrón crunchy? Not once it simmers. Serve the hot salsa and add the rinds on top at the table.
Are pork scratchings the same as pork rinds? No. Scratchings are hard and keep their fat layer; pork rinds and Spanish cortezas are puffed skin. Use the puffed kind.
Why is my chicharrón en salsa verde too salty? The salsa was salted before the rinds went in. They add their own salt, so season at the end. Unsalted stock helps.
Can I use canned tomatillos? Yes. Drain, blend without boiling and taste before salting.
How much do I need for 20 people? 2.75 lb (1.25 kg) pork rinds, 7.7 lb (3.5 kg) tomatillos, 10 serranos, about 10½ cups (2.5 l) of liquid and 60 tortillas.
Is chicharrón en salsa verde keto? The stew is low in carbs, about 14 g per serving, mostly from the tomatillos and onion. The tortillas are where the carbs are.
How long does it keep? 3 to 4 days in the fridge, up to 3 months frozen.
Nutrition per serving
Per serving (¼ of the recipe, without tortillas), calculated ingredient by ingredient with plain bagged pork rinds and water instead of stock. Meaty butcher-shop chicharrón adds some fat.
- Calories: 444 kcal
- Protein: 41 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugars: 8 g
- Fat: 25 g, of which 8 g saturated
- Fiber: 4 g
- Sodium: 1289 mg
Almost all the sodium comes from the pork rinds; the added salt is just ¼ tsp. Three corn tortillas add about 157 kcal.
The first time I made this I treated the pork rinds like any stew meat and let them bubble while I set the table. Twenty minutes later I had a green paste that only worked folded into tortillas. Now I set a timer for 10 minutes and turn the heat off when it rings, and I keep a few dry rinds back for Dylan, who likes to drop them on top and hear them crunch. Josnaisis.