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Colorado Style Green Chili

Colorado Style Green Chili with tender pork, fire-roasted Anaheim chiles, and jalapeños in a smoky, flavorful sauce. A hearty Southwestern stew that’s ideal for dinners or gatherings.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb boneless pork butt trimmed and cut into 1‑inch cubes
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 lb Anaheim chiles stemmed, halved, seeded
  • 3 jalapeño chiles
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 onions finely chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • ¼ cup all‑purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • Cayenne pepper optional, to taste
  • Lime wedges for serving

Method
 

Begin pork browning
  1. In a Dutch oven, combine pork cubes with ½ cup water and ½ tsp salt over medium heat. Cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Uncover, raise heat to medium-high, and continue cooking until liquid evaporates and pork browns in its own fat (another 15–20 min). Transfer pork to a bowl and set aside.
Roast the chiles
  1. Preheat broiler with racks positioned: one 6 inches below element, one low. Line a foiled baking sheet with spray. Arrange Anaheim chiles, skin side up, and jalapeños in a single layer. Broil 15–20 minutes, rotating sheet and flipping jalapeños halfway, until skins are blistered.
  2. Place Anaheims in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam. Let cool ~5 minutes.
  3. Skin Anaheims, then chop half into ½‑inch pieces. Purée the other half until smooth. Pulse tomatoes with juice in food processor until coarsely ground.
Build the chili base
  1. In the same Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook 5–7 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook ~30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Add flour, stir and cook 1 minute (to remove raw flavor). Then add chicken broth, puréed and chopped Anaheims, tomatoes, and reserved pork (with their juices). Scrape up browned bits. Bring to simmer. Cover, move to lower oven rack, and braise until pork is tender, 1–1¼ hours.
Finish with heat
  1. Stem, seed, and finely chop jalapeños. Stir into chili. Season with salt, cayenne, and any reserved jalapeño seeds to your heat preference.
  2. Serve hot with lime wedges.

Notes

Marbling matters: Use pork butt for its fat content—it yields succulent meat and richer flavor.
Roasting is essential: Don’t skip roasting chiles—they add smokiness and depth that raw chiles can’t.
Heat control: Add jalapeño seeds gradually to find your ideal spice level.
Flour step: Cooking flour before liquids removes starchy taste and yields a silkier sauce.
Rest before serving: Let chili rest 10–15 minutes off heat to let flavors meld and sauce thicken.
Make ahead: Chili tastes even better the next day. Reheat gently and adjust seasoning before serving.
Freezing: Cool fully, then freeze in portioned containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.