Kickin’ Green Chili

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!

Main 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:

1. 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.

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.

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

Photos by Ashley McLaughlin

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