Description
This restaurant-quality Crock Pot Chile Colorado recipe features tender beef simmered in a rich, mild red chile sauce made from dried guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles. Perfect for a comforting meal, this slow-cooked dish is served with Mexican rice, beans, and warm tortillas, delivering layers of smoky, savory flavors with a hint of spice.
Ingredients
Chile Colorado 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
For the 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 dried chiles and beef or chicken broth to a large pot. Bring to a full boil, then remove from heat. Let the chiles soak in the hot broth while preparing the sauce.
- Prepare the Sauce Blend: Add diced onion, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and sea salt to a high-powered blender. Once the chiles are cool enough to handle, discard stems and seeds, then add chiles and broth to the blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Brown the Meat: In a large bowl, toss beef stew meat with gluten-free flour, sea salt, and black pepper until coated. Heat avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches for 2-3 minutes per side until golden crust forms. Transfer browned meat to a plate.
- Transfer to Crock Pot: Place browned beef into the crock pot.
- Strain and Add Sauce: Pour chile colorado sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the crock pot, stirring to extract all liquid and discarding pulp.
- Add Bay Leaves and Cook: Add bay leaves to crock pot. Stir everything together. Secure lid and cook on Low for 8 hours (recommended) or High for 4 hours until meat is tender and flavorful.
- Serve: After cooking, stir the chile colorado thoroughly. Serve with Mexican rice, tortillas, black beans or refried beans, and optional toppings such as cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, and lime wedges.
Notes
- *Chiles de arbol are quite spicy; omit them for milder sauce or increase for more heat.
- **Gluten-free all-purpose flour can be substituted with regular all-purpose flour, tapioca flour, or arrowroot starch.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- For variations, you can substitute beef stew meat with 3 lbs of chicken, though 3 lbs is recommended to match sauce quantity.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner, Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
