Crock Pot Chile Colorado Recipe
Crock Pot Chile Colorado is a rich, flavorful Mexican stew made with tender beef stew meat slow-cooked in a vibrant and spicy chile sauce. This comforting dish features a blend of dried guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles simmered with aromatic spices, and is perfect for a hearty family meal. The beef is first browned to develop a deep crust before being cooked low and slow in the crock pot, resulting in melt-in-your-mouth texture and intense flavors.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Stew
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Chiles and Sauce
- 6 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 2 dried arbol chiles*
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt (to taste)
Beef
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 3 lbs beef stew meat
- ¼ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour**
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Make the Chile Colorado Sauce: Add all the dried guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles to a large pot with the beef or chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a full boil, then remove from heat. Let the chiles soak and rehydrate in the hot broth while preparing the rest of the sauce.
- Blend the Sauce: In a high-powered blender, combine the diced onion, dried oregano, ground cumin, garlic powder, and sea salt. Once the chiles have cooled enough to handle, remove their stems and seeds, then add the chiles and the broth to the blender. Puree until smooth, then set the sauce aside.
- Prepare the Beef: In a large mixing bowl, toss the beef stew meat with gluten-free all-purpose flour, sea salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
- Brown the Beef: Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef in a single layer (work in batches if necessary) and brown each side for 2-3 minutes until a golden crust forms. Transfer the browned beef to a plate.
- Transfer to Crock Pot: Place the browned beef into the crock pot.
- Strain and Add Sauce: Pour the chile colorado sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the crock pot, pressing with a wooden spoon to extract all liquid. Discard the remaining pulp. Add the bay leaves to the crock pot and stir to combine.
- Slow Cook: Secure the crock pot lid and cook on Low for 8 hours for maximum tenderness and flavor, or on High for 4 hours if short on time.
- Finish and Serve: Once cooked, give the stew a good stir. Serve hot with Mexican rice, tortillas, and optional toppings like black beans, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, and lime wedges.
Notes
- *Arbol chiles add heat but can be omitted or reduced for a milder dish.
- **Use gluten-free all-purpose flour to keep the recipe gluten-free.
- For richer flavor, use beef broth instead of chicken broth.
- Brown the beef properly to develop deep flavor; avoid overcrowding the skillet.
- The slow cooking time enhances tenderness and melds the flavors perfectly.
Find it online: https://marthatasty.com/crock-pot-chile-colorado-recipe/
