This Chile Colorado recipe combines tender pieces of beef with a rich and flavorful red chile sauce. Serve with rice for an authentic Mexican dinner!
Chile Colorado makes my heart skip a beat and I’m super excited to be sharing it with you today!
Made of tender pieces of beef simmered in an rich and flavorful red chile sauce, chile colorado is one of my favorite things I ate growing up. I have fond memories of coming home from school and eagerly walking to the kitchen to see what my dad had cooked for me that day. If it was chile colorado, I was a happy girl.
I didn’t need all the extra stuff like rice and beans and tortillas – all I wanted was a bowl of chile colorado, some tortilla chips and life was good.
Those were the days.
This dish is an attempt to recreate those childhood memories as best as I can. This dish will never taste as good as my Dad makes it, but I think I came pretty freakin’ close!
The most important part of this recipe is the red chile sauce. To make it, you’ll need some dried chiles that can often be found in the Mexican aisle at your local grocery store or a specialty Mexican grocer. If you can’t find any close to you, I recommend ordering from Amazon. Here are the three types of chiles you’ll need.
They’re pretty inexpensive, especially when you consider how many chiles come in a bag, and they’ll last forever! Okay, not literally forever, but they’ll last in your pantry or cupboard for up to a year.
I served myself a good helping of this chile colorado alongside some authentic Mexican rice and I felt like I was back at home. So good, so comforting and oh-so satisfying.
Here are some ideas for sides to eat with this dish.
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- with some corn tortillas
- Mexican rice
- Mexican refried beans
- with some flour tortillas
- Cilantro Lime Rice
Or you can be like my 13-year-old self and enjoy it an a bowl with some tortilla chips. Highly recommend.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe if you make it!
Ingredients
For the red chile sauce
- 8 dried Guajillo chiles, stems removed and seeded
- 2 dried Ancho chiles, stems removed and seeded
- 1 dried Arbol chile, stem removed and seeded (or more if you like spicy food)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
For the meat
- 2 pounds beef stew meat (like chuck shoulder or roast), cut into 1/2 inch squares
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 cups beef broth, divided (or chicken or vegetable broth)
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
For the red chile sauce
- In a medium pot, add dried Guajillo chiles, Ancho chiles, Arbol chiles, and onion to a medium pot. Cover with water until chiles and onions are completely submerged and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover and let it sit for 20 minute to soften the peppers.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles and onions into a large blender. Add in 1 cup of the chile-soaked water, the dried oregano, salt, garlic and cumin. Blend until smooth. Add some of the beef broth from the meat ingredients as needed if the mixture is too thick for your blender.
- Once the red chile sauce is as smooth as possible, pour it through a strainer into a bowl, pushing down on the solids that accumulate to get as much moisture out as possible. Discard the solids.
For the meat
- In a large bowl, add the beef, flour, salt and pepper. Toss together to coat.
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in half of the meat and brown on all sides so they have a good sear, about 5 minutes. Transfer the browned beef into a bowl and repeat the process with the remaining uncooked meat.
- Once the second batch of meat has browned, return all the meat into the pot. Add in the red chile sauce, beef broth and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
- Uncover, taste and add more salt as necessary. Raise to medium heat and cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. If you prefer a thicker sauce, cook longer.
- Discard bay leaves and serve with Mexican rice and beans.
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
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Delicious! Tastes like my moms Chile Colorado!
I made the recipe exactly as the directions stated and it was fabulous. Can’t wait to make it again. I served it with a green salad for a healthier meal and some flatbread to sop up the sauce.
I haven’t tried it yet. I’m on vacation but can’t wait to try it!’ Thanks so much for all your recipes!!
Hi Isabel,
I followed your recipe and made Chili Colorado. My wife (who is Mexican) and I enjoyed it, I did all the work, prepping the chilis and cooking and for the day spent mainly making the sauce, I would rather have some nachos. Messing with the chilis makes this a once a year deal for me.
Then we had a grandson (22 YO) stay with us for several months and I took down the Chili Colorado left-overs from the freezer and made him a plate of it. He thought he died and went to Heaven. He lived in Mexico with his God Parents for a year or so when he was 14 or so and God Mother made Chili Colorado often and it became a favorite with the kid.
He told me mine was as good as his God Mother’s. And I needed to make it again. I told him I would but he would have to help. He declined, said that was woman’s work.
Isabel, I’m giving you Five stars for the flavors, but I wish I could buy the sauce in a can.
I am making this today.
We have a really nice Mexican Restaurant in my city, owners are here from Mexico and they serve Chili Colorado.
the first time I had this… I thought… OH MY GOSH… this is an amazing dish!!!
Thanks so much for posting the recipe!
Just the very best Chili Colorado I’ve had! I made the recipe with all the listed ingredients but I simmered for 1 1/2 hours and then reduced with the lid off for another hour. The result was fall apart buttery beef in a thick amazing chile sauce.
Made this last night.! I used pork shoulder instead of beef. I also added hominy at the very end. It was amazing.! Such deep rich flavors.
I made this and followed the recipe for the most part, I added a few more guajillo, ancho and about 6 more chile de arbor other than that followed the recipe. The flavor was really really beefy and the meat sooo tender but tasted more like pot roast than anything else… dont get me wrong it was good and flavorful, just expected a more “mexican” flavor profile. Will have to tweak this a bit but for sure a solid base to start 🙂 guess I have been spoiled by being stationed in el paso lol.
This recipe is so perfect and delicious. My entire family loved it!!! Big Kudos to you for such an authentic masterpiece!!!
Hard to find all those kinds of chillies in TN!
Right on, Kid…You hit this recipe, like, perfect.
I usually don’t cook recipes, that aren’t written by anyone who’s not a chef; not old; and not fat. But I’m really glad I lost my recipe for Chili Colorado, and came across yours. Super eating.
Thanks for your time and interest in good food.
peterson
THIS is the authentic flavor I remember from growing up in southern California. I’ve made this 5 times in the last month. Only change I make is omitting the cumin. I think that’s more of a tex-mex thing that just doesnt mesh with my californian sensibilities
Truly love this recipe
I made this recipe and it was Sooo much better than the Chili Colorado I first had in Houston Texas back in the 1980’s. We will be having this on a regular basis now. Next up …….Ginger Pigs! Just got my cookie cutters yesterday.
Absolutely love this recipe. This is a family favorite in our house. We have this once a week. Recipe is amazing, the flavors are on point. This recipe is also very good with pork instead of beef. This recipe is a must try for anyone thats been wanting to make Chile colorado.
I made this for my family since the quarantine has restricted our visits to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Everyone loved it and asked I’m SURE I don’t have any Latina heritage! I’m making it again. It’s the perfect dish for comfort, for entertaining a big group, when you need to impress someone or just make your stomach happy.
I noticed in the video you did not strain the chili after you blended it in the blender. I strained it because it said to strain it in the instructions. The question is strain or not strain? I hope it will still come out ok if I strained it.
Hi Monique! Either way is fine! I find that straining it is better for the texture of the overall recipe. Hope you enjoyed it!
This was fantastic! The family loved it.
Exactly what I’ve been trying to find. I made chile colorado once and knocked it out of the park, but didn’t save the recipe! I couldn’t remember what chiles I used and I’ve been searching for that same flavor ever since. I FINALLY FOUND IT! This is the way it’s meant to taste. Thank you!
Easy to follow recipe yielded a delicious meal.