Chile Colorado

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Chile Colorado is Mexican comfort food at it’s best! Tender slow simmered braised beef in a bold red chile sauce, this spicy red chile and beef recipe is perfect served in tacos, enchiladas or simply over rice.

chile colorado taco with pineapple salsa

Are you looking for the perfect comfort food recipe? How about some homemade Mexican beef in red sauce?

Look no further this Chile Colorado recipe …  is what your spicy little heart has been craving.

I am a Mexican food eating girl! So anything even remotely in that wheel house guarantees I am going to be eating and loving the heck out of it!

This Chile Colorado recipe is no different. One bite and I was figuring out ten different ways to use this tender braised beef.

It’s just THAT good!

But wait! Is this authentic Mexican grandma made Chile Colorado? 

Probably not. 

But is it still freaking delicious???

Heck yeah!!

This is MY take on Beef and Red Chili Sauce and trust me, you will love it too!!

Looking for more Mexican inspired dishes? A few of my favorites are Oven Broiled Mexican Flank Steak, Breakfast Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce and Slow Cooker Mexican Chorizo Chili.

Chile Colorado

what is chile colorado

So what is Chile Colorado?

Basically, there are two components to Chile Colorado and they are slow-simmered braised beef and a spicy red chile sauce.

Together, you have Chile Colorado.

This hearty beef stew dish is made by taking a large cut of beef and then braising and slow simmering that meat in a spicy red chile sauce. 

It’s name is taken from the Spanish word “colorado”, which means “colored red” and is named because of the deep red color of the chile sauce.

By simmering the braised beef in the red chile sauce all day, you are rewarded with tender, succulent, fall-off-the-bone explosion of flavor.

Over-selling much? Not even a little bit!!

Then there are so many ways to enjoy this beef and red chile sauce!

Tacos? Yes!

Enchiladas? Also, yes!

Served over rice? Served with eggs? Heck, served with mashed sweet potatoes? On a bed of creamy polenta?… YES!!

chile colorado taco

why this beef and red chile is the BEST

  • This hearty stew recipe only needs about ten minutes of prep work then you let it slow simmer all day and your stove top or slow cooker does the work for you.
  • Exploding with robust flavors, this tender braised beef cooks in a spicy red chile sauce guaranteeing tons of flavor.
  • Perfect to use in a variety of dishes, this Chile Colorado is a game changer!
  • Beef and Red Chili is easy to make. No complicated cooking processes or unfamiliar ingredients.

To make this Beef and Red Chile Sauce, you will need:

  • Chuck roast
  • Vegetable oil
  • All purpose flour
  • Chicken stock
  • Tomato paste
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Salt, pepper and spices
  • Brown sugar

red chile sauce ingredients

how do you make chile colorado?

Start by heating up a dutch oven or large cooking pot over high heat and add in your vegetable oil.
Generously season your chuck roast on all sides with salt and pepper and carefully move meat to the heated pot.
Sear meat for 3 minutes on each / all sides until a nice dark crust forms on the outside.

braised beef in a pot

Discard the cooling oil.

Next, start your red chile sauce buy adding oil to a small sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add flour and whisk together let cook 1 minute while continuing to stir.

flour and oil making a roux
Pour in chicken stock, vinegar and tomato paste and whisk to combine.
Add in all spices and whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated.

adding spices for red chile sauce
Bring sauce to a low boil then reduce heat to low.. simmer for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and pour on top of braised beef. Cover and simmer on low for 8-10 hours.

pot of beef and red chile sauce

When fork tender, serve with rice, potatoes or with whatever your favorite side dish is!

pro tips for perfect red chile beef

  • Don’t skip the step of braising the beef. Searing in those flavors makes all the difference!
  • Let your meat cook uninterrupted for 3 minutes on each side. Don’t peek!
  • Use two forks or even heavy duty tongs to flip your chuck roast.
  • After searing the meat and making the sauce, you can move this to a slow cooker to finishing cooking if you don’t want to keep it cooking on the stove top.
  • The beef and red chile sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months in a resealable container or freezer bag. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight then pour the beef and sauce into a pan and warm over low heat until hot.
  • For the BEST Chile Colorado tacos, serve with sauteed peppers or fresh pineapple salsa.

bowl of beef and red chile sauce

more Mexican inspired recipes

Enjoy ♥ Heather

chile colorado taco with pineapple salsa

If you’ve tried this Chile Colorado or any other recipe on this website, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you it came out in the comments below.

Share a photo of your creation on my Facebook pageInstagram or save it to Pinterest and tag #AWICKEDWHISK. I can’t wait to see your work!

Chile Colorado

chile colorado taco with pineapple salsa
Chile Colorado is Mexican comfort food at it's best! Tender slow simmered braised beef in a bold red chile sauce, this spicy red chile and beef recipe is perfect served in tacos, enchiladas or simply over rice.
Heather - A Wicked Whisk
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Serving Size 10 ea

Ingredients

Preparing the Chuck Roast

  • 3 pounds chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Red Chile Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Braised Beef

  • Start by heating up a dutch oven or large cooking pot over high heat and add in your vegetable oil
  • Generously season your chuck roast on all sides with salt and pepper and carefully move meat to the heated pot
  • Sear meat for 3 minutes on each / all sides until a nice dark crust forms on the outside. Move beef to a plate and discard cooking oil.

Red Chile Sauce

  • Add the oil to a small sauce pan over medium-high heat
  • Once hot, add flour and whisk together let cook 1 minute while continuing to stir
  • Pour in chicken stock, vinegar and tomato paste and whisk to combine
  • Add in all spices and whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated
  • Bring sauce to a low boil then reduce heat to low.. simmer for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally
  • Remove from heat and pour on top of braised beef.  Cover and simmer on low for 8-10 hours. When fork tender, serve with rice, potatoes or with whatever your favorite side dish is!

Notes

  • Don't skip the step of braising the beef. Searing in those flavors makes all the difference!
  • Let your meat cook uninterrupted for 3 minutes on each side. Don't peek!
  • Use two forks or even heavy duty tongs to flip your chuck roast.
  • After searing the meat and making the sauce, you can move this to a slow cooker to finishing cooking if you don't want to keep it cooking on the stove top.
  • The beef and red chile sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months in a resealable container or freezer bag. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight then pour the beef and sauce into a pan and warm over low heat until hot.
  • For the BEST Chile Colorado tacos, serve with sauteed peppers or fresh pineapple salsa.

Nutrition

Serving: 10ea | Calories: 504.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.4g | Protein: 40.8g | Fat: 33.2g | Saturated Fat: 2.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Cholesterol: 83.4mg | Sodium: 601.4mg | Potassium: 703.5mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 3.7g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 4.3mg

Update Notes: This post was originally published in July of 2017 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in August of 2020.

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I used to get the Lean Cuisine Ranchero Braised Beef for my lunches too. I was looking for a recipe to make for dinner because I loved it so much and wanted the men in my life to at least try it. It is a huge hit. This is not an exact copy, but it is so close and even better! Absolutely love this recipe!

    Instead of simmering on the stove, I put it all in the crock-pot before work with some cut up sweet potatoes and come home to a delicious meal.

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