Chili Colorado is a traditional Mexican recipe of pork or beef stewed low and slow in a rich red chili sauce, hence the name "colorado", which means "colored red", not from the state of Colorado.
Easy Chili Colorado Recipe
I've been on a chili kick lately. I love making chili, all that wonderful flavor in a big old pot, cooking low and slow until everything melds together.
It's hard to find a better one-pot meal. If you're a big chili fan, this is one recipe you want to have in your chili recipes repertoire. You can check out my growing collection of chili recipes here.
We're talking Chili Colorado, my friends, and it's a great one.
What is Chili Colorado?
Chili Colorado is a traditional Mexican recipe of pork or beef stewed nice and slow in a rich red chili sauce. While you might think it is a dish of the state of Colorado, that is not the case.
The name derives from the Spanish word "colorado", which means "colored red", named because of the deep red color of the sauce.
It's crazy delicious, and it's all about the chili peppers.
About the Chili Peppers
Chili Colorado is traditionally made with dried Mexican chili peppers, including ancho peppers, guajillo peppers, and chiles de arbol. You can also use pasilla peppers.
Ancho peppers are dried poblano peppers and they add a rich depth of flavor and color.
Guajillo peppers are one of the most common and popular chiles grown and used in Mexico. It is mild to moderately hot, and has dark, reddish brown, leathery skin, with a green-tea flavor or fruity flavor, with hints of berries.
Chiles de Árbol are small, red and thin Mexican peppers that add heat and spice.
Pasilla peppers refer to the dried chilaca pepper. The chilaca, when fresh, is also known as pasilla bajio, or as the chile negro or “Mexican negro” because, while it starts off dark green, it ends up dark brown. It offers a rich and smoky flavor.
Together, these peppers develop a richness of flavor you won't get with other chilis.
Let's talk about how to make Chili Colorado, shall we?
Chili Colorado Ingredients
- FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
- Dried Chiles. I'm using dried ancho chilies, guajillo chilies, pasilla chilies, and chiles de arbol. Look for these at your local Mexican grocery store or online.
- Spices. Mexican oregano, ground cumin, salt and black pepper to taste.
- FOR THE CHILI COLORADO
- Vegetables. Onion, garlic, and jalapeno peppers for some optional extra heat and flavor.
- Chuck Roast. I'm making this with beef, but you can also use pork shoulder or other cuts of meat or stew meat that benefits from low and slow cooking.
- Flour.
- Beef Stock. Or beef broth. You can also use chicken or vegetable stock.
- For Serving. Crumbly white cheese, fresh herbs, spicy chili flakes, lime juice if desired – Rice and/or warmed tortillas, if desired
How to Make Chili Colorado - The Recipe Method
Toast the Dried Chilies. Make the sauce first by dry toasting the dried peppers in pan about a minute per side, until the skins blister a bit.
Rehydrate the Chilies. Set them into a bowl and cover with hot water for 20 minutes, until they are very soft.
Make the Red Chile Sauce. Transfer the peppers to a blender with oregano, cumin, a bit of salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the soaking water. Blend until nice and smooth.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and set aside for now.
Season the Beef. Toss some cubed chuck roast (or pork) in a bit of flour with a bit of salt and pepper to coat them.
Brown the Beef. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven to medium high heat and add the olive oil. Brown the beef on all sides, about 5 minutes or so. Set aside onto a plate.
Cook the Vegetables. Heat a bit more oil in the same pan to medium heat. Cook the onion and jalapeno peppers until they soften up, about 5 minutes or so.
Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the red sauce and stock and bring to a boil. Add the browned meat back to the pot.
Simmer the Chili Colorado. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes to 45 minutes to let the flavors develop. Longer is better. I let mine go about an hour or longer on low, nice and slow, sometimes 2 hours or longer.
You can also transfer it to a slow cooker instead to simmer on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or until tender.
Optional Thickening. If you’d like to thicken the chili, remove the cover and increase the heat. Cook until the moisture cooks out and your preferred thickness is achieved.
Boom! Done! Your chile colorado is ready to serve! Bust out your favorite toppings, my friends! It's time to dig in.
Serving Chili Colorado
Chili colorado can be served in a bowl on its own, or served with rice. Serve it with warmed corn or flour tortillas for making tacos.
Add all of your favorite toppings, like shredded cheese, sour cream or crema, red chili flakes, fresh chopped cilantro, sliced chilies, lime juice and more.
Recipe Notes and Tips
Add Beans! This recipe does not traditionally included beans like a lot of chilis do, but I sometimes like to serve mine with butter beans. It just works for me!
Doesn't it look good with beans?
Other Dried Chili Peppers. Try making the recipe with other Mexican chili peppers as well, such as New Mexican chilies, California chilies, cascabel chilies, or other Mexican pods.
Also, if you're unable to find dried chili peppers to work with, you can make Chili Colorado with chili powder instead. Many people make it with powder instead of the dried peppers.
Use 2-3 tablespoons ancho powder, 2-3 tablespoons guajillo powder, 1 tablespoon pasilla powder, and 1/4 teaspoon chile de arbol powder (or more to taste - cayenne is a good sub). If using a chili powder blend, use a bit more than 1/4 cup.
Storage and Leftovers
You can store any leftover chili colorado in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To enjoy it again, simply reheat it over medium heat in a pot on the stovetop.
You can also freeze chili colorado in freezer proof containers for 3 months or longer. I freeze batches all the time. It reheats perfectly after thawing.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy this Chile Colorado recipe! Chow down!
Try Some of My Other Popular Chili Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Chili Colorado Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- 6 ancho chili peppers stemmed and seeded
- 6 guajillo peppers stemmed and seeded
- 2 pasilla peppers stemmed and seeded
- 3 chiles de arbol stemmed and seeded
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE CHILI
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped (optional – I like the extra heat and flavor)
- 4-5 cloves garlic chopped
- 2.5 pounds beef chuck roast cut into bite-sized chunks
- ¼ cup flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups beef stock chicken or vegetable stock are good, too
- FOR SERVING: Crumbly white cheese, fresh herbs, spicy chili flakes, squeeze of lime juice if desired – Rice and/or warmed tortillas, if desired
Instructions
- Make the sauce first by dry toasting the dried peppers in pan about a minute per side, until the skins blister a bit.
- Set them into a bowl and cover with hot water for 20 minutes, until they are very soft.
- Transfer the peppers to a blender with oregano, cumin, a bit of salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the soaking water. Blend until nice and smooth.
- Strain the sauce and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to medium high heat.
- Toss the cubed chuck roast in the flour with a bit of salt and pepper to coat them.
- Brown the beef on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring a bit.
- Add the red chili sauce and stock and bring to a boil. Add the browned meat back to the pot.
- Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop. Longer is better, 2 hours or more for melt-in-your-mouth tender beef.
- If you’d like to thicken the chili, remove the cover and increase the heat. Cook until the moisture cooks out and your preferred thickness is achieved.
- Serve!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 3/19/23 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 10/17/18.
Dawn says
As luck would have it I have these peppers on hand and a Chuck roast in the freezer, and this looks like an outstanding recipe. I have one comment and one question. My comment: My lungs are sensitive to the fumes toasting peppers on the stove top can generate, I found toasting them in the oven for 6 minutes eliminates this problem and they puff up nicely. My question: How can I get this is recipe to print? Yes there is a print button but it doesn't do anything. I print recipes frequently so I'm familiar with how this should work. You click on this print button and it just sits there.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Dawn. Sorry about the PRINT function. I will look into this asap. If you don't mind my asking, what browser are you using? I can send this to my tech people.
Dawn says
Nevermind. Finally got it to print. Thank you
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for letting me know, Dawn.
Alan Dincher says
Is the Mexican oregano dried or fresh?
Mike Hultquist says
I used dried, Alan, but you can use fresh.
Rob Junkermeier says
Hey Mike!
I'm making this recipe in 2 days but I had a few questions...
What heat level did you dry toast the peppers at?
And also, for the butter beans, how much would you suggest using and when did you add it into the dish?
Thanks! So looking forward to making this!
Mike Hultquist says
Rob, use medium heat for toasting the chilies. For butter beans, I think 2 cans (or 30 ounces) is a good amount.
Susan L. says
That looks delectable! Unfortunately, living in Perth I only have some dried Ancho peppers I found at a chilli festival plus a jar of chipotles in adobo so I’ll be using these for the sauce. I also will be trying this in my Multicooker on slow cook. Can’t wait to give it a go. I think a side of mash potatoes would go well with this. Thanks Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Susan. This is great with anchos. Yes to the potatoes! Cheers!!!
rion says
okay, this is the *best* chili ever according to my teens! i'm killing it with your recipes! keep them coming!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Rion! Glad they enjoyed it! Nice!
Sharon N. says
Colorado Red Chili recipe is delicious. I didn’t have one of the Chile peppers and I left it out and it was still one of the best chili recipe. I will definitely make it again and again.
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Very happy you enjoyed it! Thanks, Sharon.
Roger Gibson says
What happened to the Chili Pepper Magazine? I was a long time subscriber and it quit one day.
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Roger. They went out of business. Sad day. I enjoyed writing for them. But I continue here!
Kim Johnson says
This sounds so delicious! Any hints on timing if I use a slow cooker?
Mike Hultquist says
Kim, do 3-4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low, or until the meet is very tender. Enjoy!
Andy says
The Yanks are truly blessed with this access to chillies and peppers compared to us Brits. I I decided to bite the bullet and order all these chillies from MexGrocer (here in the UK and apologies if this isn't allowed) and made this recipe from scratch with ancho, guajillo, pasilla, arbol and Mexican oregano...
Oh my days... the taste, the depth and the flavour is truly astounding. Mike, you have a true gift for making the palette sing!
I made these into burritos with the leftovers, but how long these remain left over? not for long...
Thank you, for making my palette sing opera, in a way I never thought possible.
Andy
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Andy! I love this! VERY, VERY happy you enjoyed it. I agree, all those wonderful flavors should be spread far and wide and shared with the world. Cheers!
Gary Mize says
Yummy - I prefer to think of it as a chili from Colorado vs Chili Rojo - Colorado is huge on this chili as well as similarly done “real” Green Chili ( chili verde ) - lots of fakes out there. Classic Colorado dishes that that don’t often seem to be found done right outside the state. Often imitated but never duplicated. Lol
Personally, I slow roast the red chili seasoned beef chunks in a Dutch oven for 90-120 mins ( then let it rest for 30-60 mins in the Dutch oven without removing the lid - never remove the lid until it has rested - never ever - that’s when the real tenderizing magic happens ).
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Gary!
Alan Blankenship says
Hey Mike, killer recipe. The only tweek I did was I used 2 Serranos and added a little sugar to mellow out the bitter from the chili's. Thanks again Mike.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Alan! Nice touches!
Lyle Moors says
I know that lamb isn't too popular there, but in the Islands, it is numero uno. I did this with lamb "flaps"..the ribs plus extra inches of meat...and it was the best thing I've had with lamb. We cut the ribs into short one to two-inch pieces.
.. ..... ....... ... ... ..... . ... .... ... ... ... .... ..... ... . .. ... .. ..... ..... /...//....... .... ... .. .. .. .. .......... .. ..!! ...........!........ .. .... ... .. .... ..... .. ..... ./.. .. .. ... That's me, SPEECHLESS! Thanks, Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
I love lamb, Lyle! Having some tonight, actually! Nice.
John says
looks amazing have not tried it. at time of writing this. but would wish yall had ot setup so we could print this recipe out. I've been trying to find new things to try and way easier to hit the print so I can add to my cook book arsenal. Will be sure to leave a proper review after making this good looking meal!
Mike Hultquist says
I hope you enjoy it, John. There is a PRINT button/link at the top of the recipe card. Let me know if that doesn't work for you.