Skillet Chuletas in 10-Minute Pipián Verde (Brooklyn Shortcut)
Growing up, my abuela’s pipián verde was a whole afternoon affair. The toasting, the grinding, the hovering over the stove. I love that memory, but realistically? I have twenty minutes before someone asks for a snack. That’s where this Brooklyn Shortcut comes in. This is a Tuesday mole, not a wedding mole. We’re blending toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds from the bodega work perfectly) with fresh spinach, a jalapeño, and whatever broth you have. The spinach is my mom-math shortcut—it gives you that deeply gorgeous, vibrant Oaxacan green without blanching tomatillos for an hour. You’re going to sear your chuletas (pork chops) until golden, then pour this magical sauce right into the skillet. It tastes slow-cooked in the time it takes to brown the meat. Taste it—then decide if it needs a bigger squeeze of lime. (It usually does, acid wakes everything up!) If you want to make it your own, swap the chuletas for shredded rotisserie chicken, white beans, or thick slabs of seared cauliflower. Serve it with warm corn tortillas for swiping up every last drop of that nutty, bright sauce. Ándale, dinner is done.
Featured Recipe
Skillet Chuletas in 10-Minute Pipián Verde (Brooklyn Shortcut)
Traditional pipián verde takes patience, but this is a Tuesday night, and we’re not suffering for dinner. By blending toasted pepitas with fresh greens and a splash of broth, you get a nutty, vibrant Oaxacan-style sauce that tastes slow-cooked in the time it takes to sear a pork chop. The spinach is my mom-math shortcut for a deeply gorgeous green color without the extra prep.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 4 medium Bone-in pork chops (chuletas)(About 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.)
- 3/4 cup Raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)(Hulled and unsalted.)
- 4 medium Fresh tomatillos(Husked and rinsed. Bodega Mode: Swap for 3/4 cup jarred salsa verde.)
- 2 cloves Garlic(Peeled.)
- 1 whole Jalapeño or serrano chile(Stemmed. Remove seeds if you want it mild, but leave them if you want that gentle hum.)
- 1 cup Fresh cilantro(Stems and all—don't throw away flavor!)
- 2 handfuls Baby spinach(Our shortcut for a vibrant, emerald-green sauce.)
- 1 cup Chicken or vegetable broth(Better Than Bouillon + water works perfectly here.)
- 1 tablespoon Neutral oil(Avocado, canola, or whatever you use for searing.)
- 1 whole Lime(Cut into wedges for serving.)
- 1 teaspoon salt(Used for seasoning the pork chops and adjusting the flavor of the pipián sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper(Used for seasoning the pork chops before searing)
Instructions
- 1
Get a large skillet medium-hot. Drop in 3/4 cup Raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) dry (no oil!) and toast them. Keep them moving until they puff up and start popping like tiny green popcorn, about 3 minutes. Do not walk away to check your phone—they burn fast. Dump them directly into your blender.
3 min
Tip: Reserve a tiny pinch of the toasted seeds to sprinkle on top at the end for texture.
- 2
In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon Neutral oil over medium-high. Season your 4 medium Bone-in pork chops (chuletas) aggressively on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Lay them in the skillet and sear for about 4 minutes per side until they have a beautiful, golden-brown crust. We want that fond (the crispy bits) stuck to the bottom of the pan.
8 min
Tip: Don't mess with them while they sear. Let the heat do the work.
- 3
While the pork sizzles (mom math: multitasking!), build your pipián. Into the blender with the toasted pepitas, toss 4 medium Fresh tomatillos, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 whole Jalapeño or serrano chile, 1 cup Fresh cilantro, 2 handfuls Baby spinach, and 1 cup Chicken or vegetable broth. Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Taste it—then decide if it needs a pinch of salt. (If using jarred salsa or salty bouillon, you might not need much.)
4 min
Tip: If your blender is struggling, add an extra splash of broth or water to get things moving.
- 4
Move the seared chuletas to a plate. Turn the skillet heat down to medium-low. Pour the green sauce directly into the skillet. It will sizzle, sputter, and fry in the pork drippings (this is where the magic happens!). Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all those savory brown bits from the bottom.
3 min
Tip: The sauce will thicken quickly because of the ground seeds. If it gets too thick, just whisk in a tablespoon of water.
- 5
Nestle the pork chops (and any resting juices from the plate) back into the bubbling sauce. Let them simmer together for about 3-4 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Squeeze 1 whole Lime juice over the whole pan just before taking it off the heat to wake everything up.
4 min
Tip: Serve immediately. You'll want warm corn tortillas or rice to swipe up every drop of this sauce.
Chef's Notes
Pantry Mode: If you don't have fresh tomatillos, do not stress. I regularly make this by swapping the fresh tomatillos for 3/4 cup of whatever jarred bodega salsa verde I have in the fridge. The fresh spinach, cilantro, and freshly toasted pepitas will completely disguise the shortcut, making it taste scratch-made. We're about real flavor, real life here!
María “Mari” Santiago
Oaxacan comfort, Brooklyn shortcuts, weeknight bright.
María “Mari” Santiago was born in Oaxaca, where her earliest kitchen memories are measured in scent: chiles toasting on a comal, cinnamon and chocolate blooming in mole, and the warm, nutty snap of a tlayuda folded in half for the walk home. She learned by watching—first her tías, then her abuela—picking up the small, practical rules that never made it into written recipes: how to tell when the garlic is *just* right, how to rescue a too-spicy salsa, and why you always taste the broth before you add the salt. Now in Brooklyn, Mari cooks the food she grew up on while raising two little kids and juggling real-life time limits. Her style is “real flavor, real life”: traditional Oaxacan and everyday Mexican dishes—moles, caldos, frijoles, enfrijoladas, salsas, and crispy tlayudas—made weeknight-friendly with smart shortcuts, brighter salsas, and more vegetables without losing the soul of the dish. She’s not precious about rules, she’s big on swaps, and she’s on a mission to prove that you can cook deeply flavorful Mexican food with what you can actually find at a normal grocery store (and still get dinner on the table before a meltdown). Mari’s recipes read like a friend texting you from the produce aisle: clear, funny, and unpretentious, with a side of abuela wisdom. If there’s a hard-to-find ingredient, she gives you a realistic alternative, tells you what will change (and what won’t), and keeps the focus where it belongs—on food that tastes like home, even when home is a small Brooklyn kitchen.