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Crock Pot Chile Colorado
5 from 24 votes

Crock Pot Chile Colorado

Crock Pot Chile Colorado features tender beef stew meat simmered in a rich sauce made from rehydrated dried guajillo, ancho, and árbol chilies blended with beef broth, onion, and spices. The meat is first coated with seasoned flour and browned before slow cooking in the flavorful chile sauce, yielding a deeply savory and mildly spicy dish. This slow cooker method makes the beef especially tender and allows the complex chili flavors to meld.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
8 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 Servings
Calories: 379 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Chile Colorado Sauce:
  • 6 guajillo chile dried
  • 2 ancho chile dried
  • 2 árbol chile dried
  • 1 yellow onion diced, small
  • 4 cups beef broth or chicken broth
  • 2 tsp oregano dried
  • 1 tsp cumin ground
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt to taste, sea salt
For the Beef:
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 3 lbs beef stew meat
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour gluten-free
  • 1 tsp salt sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 bay leaf

Instructions

Make the Chile Colorado Sauce
    Cup of Yum
  1. Add all of the dried chilies and the beef broth (or chicken stock) to a large pot. Bring the mixture to a full boil then remove it from the stove top. Allow the chiles to sit in the hot broth while you continue preparing the sauce.
  2. Add the chopped onion to a high powered blender along with the oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and sea salt. Once the reconstituted chilies are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the stems and seeds and transfer the chilies with the broth to the blender. Blend until everything is well-combined into a relatively smooth puree. Set sauce aside until ready to use.
Brown the Meat:
  1. Place the beef stew meat in a large mixing bowl along with the flour, sea salt, and pepper. Toss everything together until the beef is coated in flour and seasonings.
  2. Heat up a large cast iron skillet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil such as avocado oil or olive oil to medium-high heat. Place the meat on the hot skillet in a single layer (this may take two batches depending on the size of your skillet). Allow the meat to brown for 2-3 minutes before flipping it to the other side and allowing it to brown for another minute or two, or until there is a nice golden brown crust on two sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and repeat this process for the remaining beef.
  3. Once the meat is browned, transfer the meat to the crock pot.
Slow Cook the Meat
  1. Pour the chile colorado sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the crock pot. Use a wooden spoon to stir it around until all of the liquid has strained into the slow cooker and the strainer is left with just the pulp. Discard the pulp.
  2. Add the bay leaves to the crock pot and give everything a stir.
  3. Secure the lid on the crock pot and set it on High heat for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours. I recommend cooking on Low heat for 8 hours for the best results as the meat will turn out even more flavorful and tender. When the meat has finished cooking, give everything a big stir.
  4. Serve Chile Colorado with Mexican Rice, tortillas, and any additional toppings or side dishes such as black beans, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, lime wedges, etc.

Notes

  • Omit the árbol chilies for a very mild sauce, or add more for increased spiciness to suit your taste.
  • Regular all-purpose flour, tapioca flour, or arrowroot starch can be used as alternatives for coating the beef if needed.
  • Store leftover Chile Colorado sauce and beef in an airtight container refrigerated up to one week for best quality.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1Serving (of 8) Calories 379kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 58g (116%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 8g (47%) Cholesterol 168mg (56%) Sodium 476mg (20%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 to 8 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 379

% Daily Value*

Serving 1Serving (of 8)
Calories 379kcal 19%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 58g 116%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g 47%
Cholesterol 168mg 56%
Sodium 476mg 20%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.