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Easy Green Chile Sauce Recipe – delicious easy Colorado style green chile sauce, great for enchiladas, tacos, and more!
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Colorado Style Green Chile
This post is sponsored by Visit Colorado. All opinions are my own.
Green chile is something you just HAVE to have in Colorado – here we put it on just about everything, and every fall when our Pueblo chilies are in season, you can find people roasting chilis all over Colorado and simmering big batches of their own special sauce.
If you’ve never had Pueblo green chilies, you need to try them – they are similar to Hatch chili but can be much spicier (they range from 5,000 – 20,000 scoville units) and are meatier than hatch chilies – I also love them so much more. The Pueblo Mirasol chilies face upward as they grow, and definitely pack more punch.
While you can use other chilies in this recipe, I strongly reccomend roasted Pueblo chilies, the flavor will blow you away! Green chile is a menu staple across Colorado – but delicious Colorado style green chile sauce is really easy to make at home, too. Green chile is great as a dip, as a sauce, as a topping – and even as a stew when cooked with pork or chicken. It can be thin or thick, spicy or mild, and can even be made keto since this dish is naturally gluten free when using a keto thickener! I hope you love this green chile recipe as much as I do – I love it so much, I’m even known to drink it straight from the jar!
To see more about the Southern Colorado road trip through Colorado Springs, Canyon City, and Pueblo that inspired this recipe, please visit my 3 Day Vacation Itinerary and start planning your own trip to the Pikes Peak region!
Colorado’s Pikes Peak, Canyon City, and Pueblo regions are known for knockout southwest style green chile – in part thanks to Pueblo’s well known chile farms.
Our family recently partnered with Visit Colorado to spotlight how Colorado’s tourism industry is keeping visitors healthy and safe post-pandemic, and this recipe was inspired heavily by our trip.
Colorado green chile (NOT spelled chili) is legendary – we put it over burgers, fries, salads, wraps, tacos, burritos, nachos, enchiladas…. or just slowly simmer pork or chicken in it as it cooks and eat it as a meal.
You can’t come to Colorado, especially southern Colorado, and NOT try green chile – but I hope you enjoy this little taste of Colorado at home and enjoy this recipe, anytime!
Please check out our 3 day Colorado Springs, Canyon City, and Pueblo Itinerary here.
How to Make Green Chile Sauce
To make this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Olive or Avocado Oil (2 tablespoons):
- The oil is used to sauté the onions and garlic, providing a base for the sauce. It also adds a rich and smooth texture to the final sauce.
- White Onion (1 large, finely chopped):
- Onions bring a sweet and savory depth of flavor to the sauce. They serve as a foundational ingredient and add aromatic qualities.
- Garlic Cloves (6-8, finely minced):
- Garlic adds a pungent and aromatic element to the sauce, enhancing its overall flavor profile.
- Chopped Roasted Green Chilies (24 oz):
- The roasted green chilies are the star of the sauce, providing a smoky and earthy flavor with a mild to hot heat level, depending on your preference. They are the primary source of flavor and heat in the sauce.
- Cumin (1/2 teaspoon):
- Cumin contributes a warm and earthy spice to the sauce, enhancing its overall complexity and providing a hint of smokiness.
- Black Pepper (1/2 teaspoon):
- Black pepper adds a mild heat and depth of flavor to the sauce, complementing the other spices and ingredients.
- Dried Mexican Oregano (1 teaspoon):
- Mexican oregano imparts a distinct herbal and citrusy note to the sauce, enhancing its overall aroma and flavor.
- Chicken Stock or Bone Broth (1 1/2 cups):
- Chicken stock or bone broth serves as the liquid base of the sauce, providing moisture and depth of flavor. It also helps achieve the desired sauce consistency.
- Celtic Sea Salt (1 teaspoon):
- Salt enhances and balances the flavors of the sauce, bringing out the natural taste of the other ingredients.
- Cayenne Pepper (optional, 1 teaspoon):
- Cayenne pepper adds extra heat to the sauce, making it spicier. This is optional and can be adjusted according to your spice preference.
- Jalapeño (optional, 1 medium, finely diced):
- Adding jalapeño increases the heat level and adds a fresh, green pepper flavor to the sauce. This is also optional and can be adjusted based on your desired spice level.
- Quick-Mixing Flour (1-2 tablespoons, optional):
- Flour can be added as a thickening agent if you want a thicker sauce. It helps to achieve the desired consistency. This is optional, and you can skip it if you prefer a thinner sauce.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, use this method:
- Cook vegetables. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil until shimmery. Add onion and garlic to pot, and soften until fragrant, making sure to stir often to prevent burning. Cook about 4-6 minutes to softened and very lightly browned. Stir in chiles and let cook to fragrant, stirring well to mix, another 5 minutes. If adding jalapeno for heat, add to dish with green chilies. Season well with cumin, oregano, and black pepper.
- Bring to boil. Stir in broth and raise heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Let reduce and thicken, simmering for 10 minutes. Season with cayenne and salt, tasting before adding to be sure you add just enough for your tastes.
- Thicken. If thickening, add 1 tbsp quick mixing flour or keto xantham slurry, whisk/stir vigorously to mix, and let cook another 5 minutes until thick.
- Enjoy! Remove from heat and serve or store for future dishes.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Green Chile Sauce
Make it thinner. Sometimes I want thinner green chile – when I’m making it as a sort of tangier salsa to dip chips, or as a stew with pork shoulder – but sometimes it’s better thicker as a sauce for enchiladas, tacos, or on top of burgers.
Make it thicker. To thicken green chile sauce, you can either use a keto thickener or flour:
- Use flour. Thickening green chile sauce with flour is the traditional way to make green chile thicker than many sauces. I personally just stir in a tablespoon of Wondra quick-mixing flour, since you don’t need to make a slurry and mix it in – it can be added directly to soups, sauces, and chile without clumping. If you don’t have a quick mixing flour, mix 1 tablespoon flour with 1 tablespoon cold water, mix well to make a slurry, and then stir into your green chile to thicken as desired.
- Use Xantham Gum. Use 1/4 teaspoon Xantham Gum to 1 tablespoon cold water and mix well to create a slurry. Add slurry into soup and let cook down for 5 minutes to thicken, just like you would a flour slurry. Be very careful to not add too much xantham gum – it thickens FAST and just a little bit does the trick!
Store in refrigerator. Store green chile sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days. I personally love storing green chile in these jars (as pictured).
How to freeze sauce. Green chile sauce can be frozen (simply pop in the fridge overnight to thaw naturally) for up to four months in a freezer bag.
What to Serve With Green Chile Sauce
This green chile is amazing in all sorts of dishes – its great as a sauce, a dip like salsa, or more!
If you want to try a spicy spaghetti squash take with this sauce, check out my green chile spaghetti squash recipe.
Ladle it over meat, vegetables, fish, tacos, enchiladas, burgers and more – the ssky is the limit!
Easy Green Chile Sauce Recipe
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Easy Green Chile Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 1 large finely chopped white onion
- 6-8 garlic cloves finely minced
- 24 oz chopped roasted green chilies mild, medium, or hot, according to your preferences – I prefer roasted Pueblo Chilies
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock or bone broth
- 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 medium jalapeno finely diced (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons quick-mixing flour optional
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil until shimmery.
- Add onion and garlic to pot, and soften until fragrant, making sure to stir often to prevent burning. Cook about 4-6 minutes to softened and very lightly browned.
- Stir in chiles and let cook to fragrant, stirring well to mix, another 5 minutes. If adding jalapeno for heat, add to dish with green chilies.
- Season well with cumin, oregano, and black pepper.
- Stir in broth and raise heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.
- Let reduce and thicken, simmering for 10 minutes.
- Season with cayenne and salt, tasting before adding to be sure you add just enough for your tastes.
- If thickening, add 1 tbsp quick mixing flour or keto xantham slurry, whisk/stir vigorously to mix, and let cook another 5 minutes until thick.
- Remove from heat and serve or store for future dishes.
