Authentic Crockpot Chile Colorado
Learn how to make Authentic Chile Colorado in the crockpot! The beef is braised until tender in a savory (and spicy) red chile sauce.
Our favorite Mexican restaurant close to our house closed recently, and we were all a little heartbroken! We all had our favorite menu items there, but my husband’s favorite was their chile colorado! He swore it was the best he’s had.
I love to make authentic Mexican food like Cochinita Pibil and Sopa de Lima, inspired by our travels to visit family in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. But, making Chile Colorado was new to me!
When I don’t know where to start, I do a lot of research, and I try out several recipes. I found several recipes that were good, but they did not have the authentic flavor that we’d had at the restaurant. It just felt like they were all missing something!
So, believe it or not, I polled all of your on my Instagram page. I shared what I was doing with my chile colorado recipe and asked what was missing. The ended up combining all of the feedback that came back for my next rounds of recipe testing.
So, what did I change (with your advice)? First, I adjusted the mix of chilies used. And, I toasted the chilies before cooking them for the sauce!
This made complete sense to me. During a vacation to Mexico, I took an authentic Mexican cooking class (and loved it)! But for nearly every dish, we took the time to char the peppers and onions before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
So, it made perfect sense that I should add char to the peppers for this recipe, too! And, it absolutely made the difference I was looking for.
Ingredients Needed for Chile Colorado
I love this flavorful dish because it’s high in protein, thanks to the beef, but it also gives you a big dose of vegetables! The sauce is loaded with peppers, onion and garlic, as well as the combination of dried ancho chiles, pasilla and guajillo chiles.
Recipe Substitutions
Yes, you can make this chili colorado recipe with cubed pork shoulder instead of the beef! If you do this, I’d recommend also swapping chicken broth for the beef broth for a lighter flavor profile that will better match the pork.
I used pre-cut beef stew meat to save time, but feel free to dice up a beef roast of your choosing. Sirloin roast or cubed-up sirloin steaks is a great option, too.
Additional veggies and cubed potatoes can be added alongside the onions if desired.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve my Chile Colorado beef in tacos with small, street-size flour tortillas, topped with a big squeeze of lime juice, fresh cilantro, fresh chopped onion and a bit of cotija cheese.
Of course, if you prefer corn tortillas, this is excellent with them as well!
However, this traditional Mexican dish can be enjoyed with Mexican rice and refried beans, or even wrapped and use for enchiladas!
Saving Leftover Chile Colorado
Store leftover beef and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on half power in the microwave.
I hope that you love this slow cooker chile colorado recipe! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments below.
Authentic Crockpot Chile Colorado
Ingredients
For the chile sauce:
- 2 pasilla chiles, dried
- 2 guajillo chiles, dried
- 2 ancho chiles, dried
- 4 cups beef broth, or vegetable broth
For the meat:
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 2.5-3 pounds beef stew meat, or chuck roast, arm roast, sirloin roast cut into pieces less than 1''
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
Aromatics and spices:
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano, preferably mexican oregano
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons lime juice, fresh
Instructions
- First, start the red chile sauce.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Do not grease.
- Add the pasilla, guajillo and ancho chiles to the hot skillet. Toast them for 1-2 minutes on each side, then remove from the skillet.
- In a large saucepan or stockpot, add the beef broth and toasted chile peppers. Heat over high heat until the broth begins to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the broth and chilies to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the chile pods are softened.
- While the chiles soften, prepare the beef! Combine the flour, salt, pepper in a large bowl or Ziploc bag. Stir to combine. Then, add the beef chunks and gently toss to coat them with the flour mixture.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the beef chunks and brown on each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove and allow to rest on a paper-towel lined plate.
- To the same skillet, add the diced onions and jalapenos. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened and fragrant. Then, add the diced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Do not allow the garlic to burn.
- Transfer the browned beef and the onion, jalapeno and garlic mixture into your crockpot. Add remaining spices and lime juice to crockpot.
- To finish the chili sauce, remove the chili pods from the boiling broth mixture and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Remove the stems, peels and seeds (see note below). Then, carefully pour the hot beef broth into a blender, add the peeled chilies, and cover. Puree the broth and chilies until the mixture is smooth, then pour it directly into your crock pot!
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Video
Notes
- Medium: When I’m cleaning the chilies, I typically remove the large seed pod, but leave any loose seeds in the pepper. This gives me a nice medium heat.
- Spicy: Leave more or all of the seeds in for a spicy sauce.
- Mild: For a mild sauce, scrape all of the seeds out of the chilies.
This chile colorado was amazing! Such rich flavors in the sauce I’ll be making this again and again
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
This Chile Colorado was incredibly flavorful and tender! I loved how the slow cooker did all the work—my house smelled amazing all day!
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
This recipe was so delicious! It was easy to prepare and the entire family loved it, I can’t wait to make it again!!
So glad it turned out for you, thanks for trying it!