Chile Colorado is a flavorful Mexican stew with tender pieces of beef simmered in red chile sauce made from Mexican peppers, onions, garlic, and spices. Serve this traditional Mexican dish with Mexican rice, radish slices, and flour or corn tortillas.
If you love flavorful dishes, this is a must-try. The guajillo and ancho chiles give the stew a rich and smoky flavor. If you like this recipe, try beef birria, Cuban picadillo, and stuffed poblano peppers.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Guajillo chiles: also known as a dried marisol pepper, are an earthy, slightly spicy pepper with dark red skins.
- Ancho chiles: are dried poblano peppers. They add a sweet and smoky flavor.
- Paprika: Use smoked paprika not sweet Hungarian paprika.
- Chuck roast: This is by far my favorite cut of beef for this recipe. You can substitute stew meat, which is usually cut from the chuck or the round.
How to Make Chile Colorado
This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
First, remove the stems and most of the seeds from the dried peppers, place them in a large pot, and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil and remove them from the heat. Let them soften for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute the onion in a little olive oil over medium heat. Once the onion is soft, reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for a minute. Add the softened peppers, one cup of the water the peppers were softened in (reserve the rest of the water), the sauteed onions and garlic, oregano, ground cumin, and smoked paprika to a blender. Blend on high until well combined. Run the mixture through a fine mesh screen.
Generously sprinkle the chuck roast pieces with salt and pepper and toss them with the flour. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the chuck roast on both sides and remove it to a plate. Add the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to those delicious brown bits up.
Then, add the chile sauce to the pot and simmer for a few minutes, scraping the pot a little more. Add the beef back to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce and simmer for about an hour or until the beef is very tender. Serve with Mexican rice, sliced radishes, tortillas, and chopped fresh cilantro.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- I find dried Mexican peppers in the produce section of my local grocery store hanging above the fresh peppers.
- Add more chile pepper water to the blender so the mixture blends if needed.
- Run the chile pepper sauce through a fine mesh screen to remove the seeds and dried skins. This step makes it a more pleasant culinary experience.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
What to Serve With Chile Colorado
- Bread: cornbread, corn muffins, or corn fritters.
- Appetizers: Mexican shrimp cocktail, corn dip, or queso fundido.
- Beans: Cuban black beans, or refried beans.
- Rice: brown rice, basmati, jasmine, Spanish rice, Charleston red rice, or cilantro lime rice.
Try These Next
Chile Colorado Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- 5 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 lb chuck roast trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place the chiles in a large pot, and cover them with cool water. Bring them to a boil and them remove them from the heat. Let them soften for 20-30 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Once the onion is soft, reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for a minute.
- Add the softened peppers, one cup of the water the peppers were softened in (reserve the rest of the water), the sauteed onions and garlic, oregano, ground cumin, and smoked paprika to a blender. Blend on high until well combined.
- Run the mixture through a fine mesh screen.
- Generously sprinkle the chuck roast pieces with salt and pepper and toss them with the flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the chuck roast on both sides and remove it to a plate.
- Add the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to get up those delicious brown bits up.
- Add the chile sauce to the pot and simmer for a few minutes, scraping the pot a little more. Add the beef back to the pot and bring the pot to a boil. Then reduce and simmer for about an hour or until the beef is very tender.
- Serve with Mexican rice, sliced radishes, tortillas, and chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
- I find dried Mexican peppers in the produce section of my local grocery store hanging above the fresh peppers.
- Add more chile pepper water to the blender so the mixture blends if needed.
- Run the chile pepper sauce through a fine mesh screen to remove the seeds and dried skins. This step makes it a more pleasant culinary experience.
Marie Gizelle
This recipe resembles gulasch but with much more zest and spice. Would be good for the colder days (now!) 🙂
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Marie! Enjoy!
Jenny
What a delicious meal. Hubby and I both agreed that this is a keeper. We will make this often. I has such wonderful flavor.
joy
this sure looks good on a cold spring day!! is there a spice substitute if i’m not good tolerating spices?
Beth Pierce
What kind of spicy are you not good at tolerating? This isn’t a very spicy dish at all.
Kimmy
This Chile Colorado was absolutely mouthwatering! I loved how rich and flavorful the sauce was—definitely adding it to my dinner list!
Catherine Kahle
I love dishes like this! This looks delicious and I think my family will enjoy it because they like spicy dishes. I can’t wait to try it.
Melissa
This chile colorado is delicious with the perfect blend of spices. I served it over some white rie with your Cuban bean recipe on the side. It was a delightful meal.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Melissa! I am so glad that you liked it.
Emily
Oh my gosh, this Mexican rice was so yummy. I made it last night for dinner and everyone loved it.
Beth Pierce
So glad that everyone loved it!
Michelle
Paprika adds such nice flavor to dishes! This is delicious and such a nice change with so much flavor. I will make it again.
Catherine
Great recipe! I was so glad that I was able to find the peppers at my local grocery store. Good tip on straining them through a fine mesh strainer. Thanks for the recipe!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine!
Catalina
Wow, this brings back memories! My grandmother used to make a similar dish, and the smell of those dried chiles simmering was always incredible!
Angela
This was so flavorful! It was easy to prepare and the entire family loved it, I can’t wait to make it again…YUM!!!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Angela!
Mahy
Love this recipe, and what a fun way to name one, too. Thanks for sharing all the wonderful tips!
Ben
Nice. I made this with cornbread last night, and I’m already planning on making it again. We loved it.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Ben! So glad that you enjoyed it.
Shannah
This was fantastic and so full of flavor. I love how detailed the recipe is to ensure it comes out perfectly too.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Shannah!
Catalina
This recipe was incredible! The beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the sauce had the perfect depth of flavor.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Catalina!
Maria
Hoooo, boy, this is great stuff. I love all the chilis in it. It’s so zesty!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Maria! We love it too!