I love a good curry, as you may know, but sometimes my flavor cravings take a detour, and that’s exactly what happened with this Chili Colorado.
It’s not a chili in the Tex-Mex sense, and it’s not Colorado the U.S. state—it’s actually named after the deep red color (colorado means "coloured red" in Spanish), which comes from the amazing dried chilies that build this dish from the ground up.
If you're into rich, bold sauces with tender chunks of meat that practically melt into your fork—then this Mexican classic is for you. I use homemade beef tallow to cook the stew but you could also use pork lard or vegetable oil.
What Is Chili Colorado?
Chili Colorado is a slow-cooked Mexican stew, usually made with beef (though pork or even chicken can be used), simmered in a sauce made from reconstituted dried red chilies, garlic, onions, and a few spices. The result?
Deep, earthy, smoky flavours with a mellow, fruity heat. It's not blow-your-head-off hot, but proper warming and complex.
It’s pure comfort food with layers of flavour. And yes, it’s brilliant served with rice, tortillas, or even spooned over nachos if you’re looking to really treat yourself.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Use a clear shot of the ingredients for this recipe, prepped, and labeled if necessary. Add a paragraph of content describing why these ingredients were chosen. Insert the ingredients into the list below, omitting quantities.
- dried guajillo chilies
- dried ancho chilies
- dried pasilla chili
- garlic
- onion
- cumin seeds
- Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
- beef or chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- marrow canoes
- beef chuck or stewing steak
- flour
- oil (vegetable or lard)
- cilantro (coriander)
- lime
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This recipe is quite easy to prepare. Once it's all in the pot, it's just a matter of letting it all simmer until the meat is fall apart tender.
- Step 1: Tear open the chilies and remove the seeds. Don’t worry too much about getting them all. Then in a dry frying pan, toast them on both sides until fragrant and softened. Be careful not to burn the chillies. You might need to do this in batches.
- Step 2: Transfer the toasted chillies to a bowl and cover with hot water. Let the chilies soak for 20 minutes.
- Step 3: Add about 2 tablespoon oil, tallow or lard to a pan over a medium-high heat. Stir in the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds. Then add the chopped onions and sauté for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Pour this all into a blender and add the soaked chilies. Taste the water they soaked in. If it is not bitter, add about a cup (250ml) of the water or stock if the soaking water tastes bitter. Blend until smooth.
- Step 5: Dust the meat with the flour and shake off any excess flour. Heat the oil in the same pot you used to fry the onions and garlic and brown the meat in small batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Step 6: Return all the meat to the pot and pour in your blended sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over a low heat for about 2 hours.
- Step 7: If using marrow bones, roast them in a hot oven for about 25 minutes or until beginning to char and the marrow is soft. Then add as many as will fit into your pot. If they don’t all fit, just scoop out some of the marrow.
- Step 6: Continue simmering covered on a low heat. You can add the oregano and ground cumin whenever you like but I usually let the stew cook for an hour and then add them. Add to taste. You can always add more toward the end of cooking.
- Step 9: When the meat is fall apart tender, continue to reduce it down until you are happy with the sauce consistency. It should be thick and out of this world delicious.
- Step 10: Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. I like to serve this chili colorado with lime wedges and warmed corn tortillas.
Equipment
A large heavy bottomed pot: This is a classic one pot dish. You just need one and you will love the results.
A blender: You will need a blender for blending the chili sauce. It needs to be really smooth.
A spatula: A good sharp spatula will come in handy when turning the meat when browning.
Storage
You can store any leftover in and airtight container for 3 to 4 days. It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
Like most stews, Chili Colorado tastes even better the next day. So you can make this a day or so ahead of serving.
Top Tip
Like with curries, this dish improves with time. Make it the day before and reheat for even more flavour.
FAQ
Beef chuck roast is a classic choice because it’s marbled with fat and breaks down beautifully until tender. I used stewing steak which is also very good but has less fat and needs to simmer a little longer.
It’s usually moderate in heat. It’s deep and warming rather than fiery. You can up the heat by adding dried Árbol chilies, chipotle or a little cayenne. If you want it to be mild, use only guajillo and ancho chilies.
It’s delicious with Mexican rice, warmed tortilla or even over pasta. Garnish with chopped cilantro (coriander), lime wedges and cheese if you like.
Beef is by far the most popular for making Chili Colorado but chicken, lamb and pork are also often added. The cooking times will vary.
Related
Want to try more bold flavored stews? Try these...
Pairing
This Chili Colorado is amazing on its own with a few warmed corn tortillas. You might like to have a good starter though which is where these Mexican favourites come in.
Recipe
Chili Colorado
Chili Colorado is a real classic. In this recipe, I add marrow bones to the sauce as it simmers which is very good but optional. You can roast the marrow bone one or two days ahead of cooking the stew if more convenient.
Ingredients
- 6 dried guajillo chilies
- 6 dried ancho chilies
- 2 - 4 dried pasilla chilies
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 3 cups (750ml) beef stock, chicken stock or water
- 3 lbs beef chuck or stewing steak
- 1 cup flour, for dusting
- oil (vegetable oil, pork lard or beef tallow
- 4 beef marrow canoes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- cilantro (coriander)
- lime
Instructions
- Tear open the chilies and remove the seeds. Don’t worry too much about getting them all. Then in a dry frying pan, toast them on both sides until fragrant and softened. Be careful not to burn the chillies. You might need to do this in batches. Each batch shoud only take a minute or two.
- Transfer the toasted chillies to a bowl and cover with hot water. Let the chilies soak for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add about 2 tablespoon oil, tallow or lard to a pan over a medium-high heat. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Pour this all into a blender and add the soaked chilies. Taste the water they soaked in. If it is not bitter, add about a cup (250ml) of the water to the blender. If the water tastes bitter, add water or stock. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Dust the meat with the flour and shake off any excess flour. Heat the oil in the same pot you used to fry the onions and garlic and brown the meat in small batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Each batch should only take about 3 minutes.
- Return all the meat to the pot and pour in your blended sauce. Add 2 cups (500ml) stock and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over a low heat for about 2 hours.
- If using marrow bones, roast them in a hot oven for about 25 minutes or until beginning to char and the marrow is soft. Then add as many as will fit into your pot. If they don’t all fit, just scoop out some of the marrow. Roasting the marrow bones can be done a day or two ahead of cooking the stew.
- Continue simmering covered on a low heat. You can add the oregano and ground cumin whenever you like but I usually let the stew cook for an hour and then add them. Add to taste. You can always add more toward the end of cooking.
- When the meat is fall apart tender, continue to reduce it down until you are happy with the sauce consistency. It should be thick and coating the meat.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. I like to serve this chili colorado with lime wedges and warmed corn tortillas.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1003Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 333mgSodium: 497mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 110g
Leave a Reply