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This authentic Chile Colorado is a popular Mexican stew with fall-apart tender chunks of beef in a bold red chile sauce made from dried chiles, broth and warm spices.
Looking for more stew recipes? Try out our Carne Guisada, cowboy stew, and birria recipes.
Why I Love this Chile Colorado Recipe
- Hearty: Thick cuts of beef swimming in a flavorful broth make this a dish sure to fill even the hungriest of us.
- Flavorful: Thanks to using dried Chile peppers to make the broth, this stew comes out bold and rich.
- Family Favorite: This is one of those meals that everyone loves, serve it over rice with your favorite toppings!
Ingredients Needed
About the Chiles
Dried chiles are the star of this dish, similar to making Birria and Texas Chili. The most common chiles used in Chile Colorado are guajillo and ancho peppers.
These are both dried chiles, and can be found at most local markets, either in the produce section or in the Mexican food aisle or spice aisle. If you are not able to find them at your local store, try a Mexican market or you can find them online at Amazon or other specialty retailer.
How to Make Chile Colorado
- Toast the dry peppers (stems and seeds removed), tomatoes, onion and garlic.
- Sear the beef briefly on all sides in the same dutch oven or large pot you will be cooking in.
- Blend the toasted peppers and veggies with some broth to create a smooth Chile sauce. This is the flavoring blend for the stew.
- Add the Chile sauce and additional broth to the seared meat add additional seasonings, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for at least an hour until meat is tender and fall apart.
- Mix in the masa to thicken the stew at the end, let this simmer for several minutes until thickened.
Serving Ideas
- Stew: serve this simply as a stew in a bowl with some fresh flour tortillas on the side for dipping.
- Bowl: spoon on top of some rice (cilantro lime rice or mexican rice) and a side of beans if desired.
- Burritos/Tacos: use the meat as filling for burritos or tacos with any of your other favorites. Save the sauce to serve with tortillas or eggs for breakfast or another meal.
Make Ahead and Storage Information
- Storage: store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This recipe can be made a couple days in advance and reheated before being served.
- Freezer: store in a freezer safe container or bag. Store for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove to the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: add to a medium size pot and heat over medium heat on the stovetop while stirring until warmed through.
Recipes Tips
- Searing: Sear the beef in batches to avoid over-crowding the pan, this allows a nice sear on the meat. Over-crowding causes the meat to steam instead of sear.
- Broth: Add some beef soup bones in for simmering when making to create a hearty, nutritious bone broth.
Authentic Chile Colorado
This authentic Chile Colorado (Mexican Stew) has fall-apart tender chunks of beef in a bold red chile sauce made from dried chiles, broth and warm spices.
Ingredients
Chile Sauce
- 4 ancho chiles
- 4 guajillo chiles
- 1 medium tomato stem removed, quartered
- ½ white onion cut in half
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 cups beef broth unsalted
- 1 teaspoon salt
Stew
- 2 pounds stew meat or 2 pounds chuck roast, chopped
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup beef broth unsalted
- 2 teaspoons dried mexican oregano
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons masa harina
- 2 bay leaves dried
Instructions
- Prepare dried chiles by slicing stems off and removing seeds from the inside.
- Heat the chiles in a small saucepan over medium heat, toast both sides for several minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the tomato, onion and garlic to the pot, allow these to roast for 2-3 minutes. Add the chiles back into the pot
- Pour 2 cups of broth over the top of the chiles and bring this to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat, let this sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the meat, by slicing into 2 inch chunks if needed.
- Pour oil into the dutch oven, enough to coat the bottom of the pot and heat over medium heat.
- Place several pieces of beef into the pot (be careful not to crowd the pan) and sprinkle with a pinch of the salt, allow to sear for 1-2 minutes, then turn using tongs and continue this process until all sides of the beef are seared. Remove from the pot and continue this until all meat is seared
- Pour the chiles, tomato, onion, garlic and broth into a blender. Add the salt and blend until smooth.
- Pour the chile sauce into the large dutch oven, add the remaining 1 cup of beef broth. Add all of the meat back into the pot. Season with cumin and oregano. Add in the bay leaves. Stir to combine.
- Bring this to a boil over medium high heat, cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour or until meat is tender and can easily fall apart.
- Stir in 2 tbsp of masa and bring to a simmer to allow the stew to thicken.
- Remove the bay leaves, serve over rice with fresh flour tortillas on the side. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Video
Equipment
Notes
Cooking Method
- Pressure Cooker: use the sauté setting to roast the peppers and veggies, and to sear the meat. After adding all ingredients, cook on high-pressure for 35 minutes, naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Add the masa and cook on sauté for several minutes to let simmer.
- Slow Cooker: sear the chiles and veggies to make the red Chile sauce, and sear the meat in a skillet over the stovetop. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the meat is tender and fall apart. Add in the masa and let cook an additional 30 minutes on high until thickened.
- Storage: store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This recipe can be made a couple days in advance and reheated before being served.
- Freezer: store in a freezer safe container or bag. Store for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove to the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: add to a medium size pot and heat over medium heat on the stovetop while stirring until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1331mg | Potassium: 1100mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 6814IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography by KJandCompany.co
great dish, I love all chili recipes, chicken, white, red, green, chicken, pork beef, etc, and this is a new one for me so much appreciated, thank you!