Kickin' Green Chili is the homemade version of Sam's No. 3 green chili from Denver, Colorado. Lightly thickened with a satisfying kick!
“Holy cow! This was amazing! …. Next time, I will be doubling this and getting some in the freezer because I can think of so many ways to use this recipe.”
Say hello to your new favorite chili recipe of all time — Kickin’ Green Chili!
This irresistible, Colorado-style green chili recipe was inspired by a visit to Sam’s No. 3, a near century-old diner located in the heart of downtown Denver, Colorado. Sam’s is famous for their massive menu including spicy green chili — which they sell over 60 gallons of each day!
For those of us who don’t call The Rockies home, I adapted their famous green chili recipe from diner-sized (aka 5 quarts) to a more manageable, soup-pot-sized recipe that’s gluten free and easily made in your kitchen.
You are going to LOVE THIS CHILI!!
Kickin’ Colorado Green Chili
We head west to Colorado a couple times a year and a cup of gluten free Colorado Green Chili is always on my must-eat list while we’re there. The first time I ever had it was at Sam’s No. 3, many years ago.
Green Chili is more brothy / stew-like than it’s red chili cousin, and is made with roasted green chiles, pork, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. You can of course get it by the cup or bowl, but green chili is also commonly draped over burritos, home fries and eggs, or french fries.
Translation: she’s versatile!
Seeing as how we don’t get a ton of fresh green chiles here in Iowa, I adapted Sam’s Green Chili recipe to be easily made, with readily available products, in under an hour.
While I am not calling this green chili recipe authentic, it is exceptionally delicious. Slightly velvety in texture, tomato forward, packed with melt in your mouth pork pieces, plus a little kick from the addition of both green chiles and jalapeños.
It will immediately become a cool and cold-weather favorite!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItMain Ingredients Needed
- Pork shoulder: is a marbled cut of pork so it becomes extremely tender and doesn’t dry out while simmering in the chili. Look for sliced pork shoulder at the store which is easier to cut into bite-sized pieces then a whole shoulder roast.
- Canned green chiles: add that signature green chile flavor to the chili without having to source, roast, peel, then process green chiles. Use spicy or mild depending on your preferences. I like Hatch brand.
- Diced tomatoes and green chiles: aka Rotel. Rotel doesn’t disclose whether or not their product is gluten free, so I use Hatch brand, which is GF. If you don’t need to eat GF, Rotel is fine. Again, choose mild or hot.
- Jalapenos: provide a delicious flavor and warmth to the chili. I generally use 2 larger-sized jalapenos (the smaller the jalapeno the more spicy it is).
- Chicken stock or broth: forms the base of the chili.
- Seasonings: dried oregano, mustard powder, salt and pepper season the green chili. Seems like an odd combo but trust me, it works!
What to Serve with Green Chili
While Green Chili differs in many ways from red / tomato-based chili — it’s the same in that it loves to be served with toppings and sides. Here are some ideas:
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Red or green Tabasco Sauce
- Fresh or pickled jalapenos
- Dollop of sour cream
- Diced avocado
- Chopped green onions
- Chopped cilantro
- Tortillas
- Cooked white rice
- Easy Pinto Beans Recipe
- Gluten Free Cornbread
- Gluten Free Flatbread
Green Chili is also great to serve on top of other dishes like breakfast burritos, french fries with lots of melted cheese on top, egg and home fry potato skillets, and baked potatoes.
Freezer Friendly Green Chili
Not only does this green chili reheat extremely well, but it’s perfect for freezing, too!
- To freeze: cool the green chili down to room temperature then scoop into a gallon-size Ziplock freezer bag and freeze flat.
- To reheat: thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or place the frozen Ziplock bag full of soup in a large dish and fill with warm water. Pour the thawed chili into a soup pot then reheat over medium heat, or microwave individual-sized bowls until hot.
#1 Tip for Success
If you’ve never made green chili before then I have just one tip to keep in mind while make this recipe:
- Trust me.
That’s it, that’s the tip. Just trust me! You might be scratching your head while making this green chili recipe wondering how and if it’s going to turn out. Just get to the end and I promise you’ll fall in love!
Serve with Gluten Free Cornbread
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Prep then saute the pork shoulder
Start with sliced pork shoulder, which is so much easier to slice than a whole shoulder roast.
Recipe Tip
If you can’t find sliced pork shoulder at your grocery store, take a whole pork shoulder roast to the meat counter then ask them to slice it into 1″ thick slices for you.
Cut the pork slices into small, 1″x1″ cubes to ensure they become melt-in-your-mouth-tender after simmering in the chili for just 30 minutes.
Next heat extra virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over heat that’s a touch below high. Once the oil is hot add the pork pieces then spread them into an even layer and let them sit undisturbed until seared on the bottoms, 1-2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper then stir the pork and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recipe Tip
The pork will release some liquid after searing, seasoning, and stirring. That’s ok! Keep the heat between medium-high and high to cook the liquid off and ensure the pork is sizzling vs boiling.
Step 2: Add the aromatics and seasonings
Turn the heat down to medium then add chopped onion and minced jalapeno, plus salt, pepper, dried oregano flakes, and dry mustard powder. Stir to combine then saute for 5 minutes.
Add pressed or minced garlic then saute for 1 more minute.
Step 3: Add the broth, tomatoes, and chiles
Next, slowly stream in chicken broth while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, then add canned green chiles, and canned diced tomatoes and green chiles.
Turn the heat up to high to bring the chili to a simmer then place a lid on top, turn the heat down to low, and simmer covered for 20 minutes stirring every now and again.
Remove the lid then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, adjusting the temperature as needed to maintain a gentle simmer, and scraping off any fat that rises to the top of the chili.
Step 4: Make the flour roux
When the chili has ~3 minutes left to simmer, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then sprinkle in gluten free flour (or AP flour if not GF).
Whisk to combine then cook while whisking for 1 minute.
Slowly pour the flour roux into the simmering chili while whisking to avoid lumps.
Once all the roux has been whisked into the chili, simmer for 5 more minutes then turn off the heat and let the chili sit and thicken for 10 minutes.
Voila! Honest to goodness the best easy version of Green Chili you will ever have — so good!!
Serve with any and all toppings — I’m partial to crushed tortilla chips and shredded Monterey Jack cheese — then dig in. I hope you love each and every spoonful of this mouthwatering meal. Enjoy!
More Irresistible Chili Recipes
- Easy Turkey Chili
- Signature Spicy, Smoky, Sweet Chili
- Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili
- CrockPot White Chicken Chili
- Fiesta Pork, Bean and Green Chili Chili
- Taco Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lbs sliced pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat then cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 – 2 jalapenos, depending on how spicy you want it, seeds and ribs removed then minced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2, 10 oz cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
- 4 oz can green chiles
- 1/4 cup butter, or vegan butter
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour, or AP flour if not GF
- Toppings: shredded Monterey Jack cheese, crushed tortilla chips, red or green Tabasco sauce, fresh or pickled jalapenos
Directions
- Place a large Dutch oven or soup pot over heat that's a touch below high. Add the oil then, once its very hot, add the pork and spread it out into an ever layer in the bottom of the pot. Let the pork sit undisturbed until seared on the bottoms, 1-2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper, stir, and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tip: Some liquid will be released from the pork after searing — keep the temperature between medium-high and high to ensure the liquid eventually cooks off and the pork continues to sear/saute vs boil.
- Turn the heat down to medium then add the onions, jalapenos, and seasonings (salt through mustard powder) to the pot. Stir to combine then saute until the onions are tender, 5 minutes. Add the garlic then saute until it’s extremely fragrant, 1 minute.
- Slowly add the chicken stock or broth while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the canned tomatoes and chiles, and canned green chiles then stir to combine. Turn the heat up to high to bring the chili to a boil then turn the heat down to low, place a lid on top, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid then turn the heat up slightly to maintain a gentle simmer then simmer the chili uncovered for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally, scraping off any fat that rises to the top.
- When the chili has 3 minutes left to simmer, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour then whisk to combine and cook while whisking for 1 minute.
- Slowly stream the butter/flour mixture into the chili while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once the flour mixture has been incorporated, simmer for another 5 minutes then turn off the heat and let the chili sit and thicken for 10 minutes before scooping into bowls and serving with optional toppings.
Notes
- To freeze: cool the green chili down to room temperature then scoop into a gallon-size Ziplock freezer bag and freeze flat.
- To reheat: thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or place the frozen Ziplock bag full of soup in a large dish and fill with warm water. Pour the thawed chili into a soup pot then reheat over medium heat, or microwave individual-sized bowls until hot.
- Adapted from Sam’s No. 3 via Food Network.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
Delicious! I lived in Denver and loved this green chili on an open-faced burger. But my homemade version using your recipe looks muddy compared to your photos. Any tips to make it look more palatable?
LOVE that idea!! Hmmm…it’s hard to say why the color might be off. Did you substitute any of the ingredients (ie, fresh tomatoes vs canned, etc.)?
Regardless of how mine looks, it tastes amazing. I used it to make smothered bean burritos. The cheese on top covered everything anyway. Thanks for a great recipe!
LOVE that idea – now I’m hungry!!
I made this tonight. It is SO good, especially on a chilly night! I double the recipe so I can freeze some for later. I will definitely make this again! Thank you Kristen for creating so many delicious recipes for my family!
I’m so glad this was a winner for you, Stephanie!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This recipe is awesome! I make it every other week. We live in Colorado and love green chili!
Such a compliment — I’m thrilled to hear this, Susan! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Am I losing my mind or did this recipe ever include using real tomatoes and scoring them with an “X” before boiling/peeling them?! It’s been years since I made it, and I swear I shied away because of that step.
Hi C! You are NOT losing your mind, LOL! I modified the recipe over the years to remove that step because, as you alluded to, it’s a little bit of a hassle and the use of fresh vs canned tomatoes in the final product wasn’t noticeable if you weren’t looking for it!