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    Home » Recipes » Beef

    Chili Colorado Skillet

    Updated Jan 23, 2021

    4625 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Lord have mercy, lemme tell ya'll how good this Chili Colorado Skillet is. This rivals any restaurant version I've had. If you are a fan of this spicy Mexican dish, you have to try our recipe. This Mexican-inspired recipe features chunks of beef slow-simmered until tender in a rich, bold and spicy chili sauce.  That's the best part. Spicy!

    Chili Colorado Skillet

    Chili Colorado, a classic Mexican meal. Full of flavor and bold spice.

    This recipe started when I had thawed out a little pot roast...but I wasn't in the mood for pot roast. No one was in the mood for stew either.

    So after a little thinking and researching, I thought I could pull off a Chili Colorado recipe that would be worthy of eating.

    A cutting board with chunks of beef next to a bowl of flour and spices

    To make sure the sauce gets thick, coat each piece of beef with the seasoned flour mixture. Brown the beef chunks in a large cast iron skillet.

    (You can cook this in any large skillet or dutch oven with a thick bottom, but you know how I love my cast iron.)

    Looking for more Tasty Recipes? Try these out:

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    Nothing Fancy Skillet

    Crockpot Mexican Shredded Beef

    Hot Ham Dip

    Zesty Garden Tomato Salsa

    Be sure to brown the beef in batches. This makes sure that they get nice and brown on all sides.  If you throw all of the pieces in at once, they will steam and get soggy and not brown.

    Chunks of beef sizzling in a cast iron skillet

    What really makes this Chili Colorado recipe special is the blend of spices.

    The key flavor? Chili powder. Try to get a good quality for the best flavor.

    A little ground cumin, some paprika, crushed red pepper flakes and Goya Adobo spice seasoning blend.

    (NOT adobo peppers. Click here spice blend I am referring to. You can find it in most grocery stores in either the spice or ethnic food section.)

    A white bowl with chili powder, cumin, red pepper and more spices

    Stir in the spices, liquid and tomato paste and simmer. Slooooow simmer.  Cover and cook for about 2 hours until the sauce is rich and thick.

    The meat in this Chili Colorado recipe will be fall apart tender and perfectly flavored.

    [clickToTweet tweet="The meat in this Chili Colorado recipe will be fall apart tender and perfectly flavored. " quote="The meat in this Chili Colorado recipe will be fall apart tender and perfectly flavored. " theme="style3"]

    Red chili sauce simmering in a cast iron skillet with tender chunks of beef

    Enjoy Chili Colorado with soft flour tortillas, beans and rice for an unforgettable meal.

    a white plate with Chili Colorado, warm flour tortillas, rice and refried beans

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    Chili Colorado

    Chili Colorado Skillet

    A rich red spicy sauce slow simmered for hours with tender chunks of beef. A great Mexican-inspired dish best served with warm flour tortillas, rice, and refried beans.
    4.58 from 14 votes
    Print Recipe Email Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 2 hrs
    Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 8
    Calories 278 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 pounds beef roast or similar cut of meat, cubed into 1 inch pieces
    • ½ cup all purpose flour
    • 1 small onion roughly chopped
    • 6 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning blend not adobo peppers
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
    • 1 cup water
    • 6 ounces tomato paste

    Instructions
     

    • Stir together the flour and black pepper.
    • Heat half the oil to medium high in a cast iron skillet. Coat the beef cubes in the flour mixture. Cook in the oil until brown, turning to brown all sides. Work in batches and do not crowd the pan.
    • Set the browned pieces aside. During the last batch, add the onions. Return all browned meat to the pan with the onions.
    • Stir in all of the spices. Add the chicken broth, water and tomato paste. Stir until well combined.
    • Heat to a low boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
    • Serve with rice, refried beans and warm tortillas.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 278kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 24gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 400mgPotassium: 701mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1115IUVitamin C: 5.7mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 4.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Staci Denison

      May 05, 2018 at 11:41 am

      Hi I am making this today but could not find the Adoba seasoning blend at my local grocery.
      Would it be fine if I leave it out or is there another substitute I could use?

      Thanks!
      Happy cinco De mayo!

      Reply
      • Teri

        May 05, 2018 at 2:50 pm

        You can use just about any all purpose seasoning blend. (Try to stick with something that doesn't have too much salt, or it could end up too salty.)

        Reply
    2. James

      July 31, 2018 at 11:46 pm

      5 stars
      Nutrition facts don't make sense on the serving size says 1g ? I like the protein to carb racho aerves 8 ppl 2pnds meat ppl cup brorh and cup water I'd go with 5 oz Serving gunna try it soon no beens rice or torts but a good low carb dinner.

      Reply
      • Teri

        August 01, 2018 at 11:24 am

        On some of the recipes I have just "1" to signify 1 serving and it isn't a gram. In this case I was basing the serving size off of the 8 people like you calculated. 2 pounds of beef = 1/4 pound (ish) per person.

        Thanks for giving it a try let me know how you like it. You could prob sub in cauliflower rice for low-carb?

        Reply
    3. Valerie

      December 12, 2018 at 12:19 am

      5 stars
      It was easy to do and delicious! I held out on the red pepper flakes and cumin, as I have picky family members who can't handle too spicy. I paired with a rice I steamed with fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice.

      Reply
      • Teri

        December 13, 2018 at 10:36 am

        Yay! And great call with the rice...(I may need you to share that rice recipe, lol I love cilantro.) Sometimes when I make it I cut back on the spices, too...like you said, picky family members. Glad you loved it and thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to let us know.

        Reply
    4. jim Peterson

      August 12, 2020 at 4:34 pm

      Are you sure about the olive oil in this recipe?
      When I'm using someone's recipe, I follow it to the letter. Not too many Mexicans use olive oil, so I thought I'd check with you, to see is changing the oil to peanut oil, would make a difference. I guess most Mexicans would use pork lard.
      I always use peanut oil in Mexican recipes.
      Thanks for any help, and also your recipe; I lost mine.
      peterson
      Nevada/Sinaloa

      Reply
      • Teri

        August 15, 2020 at 2:16 pm

        You can use whatever oil you prefer. The day I made this, I only had olive oil on hand. Turned out great. I like the flavor of olive oil...and since there is a lot of chili powder in this recipe, it really doesn't matter (to me). I've made it with corn oil, lard, vegetable oil. Hope you like our version!

        Reply
    5. Morgan

      April 12, 2021 at 9:25 pm

      5 stars
      Is there a chili powder that you prefer?

      Reply
      • Teri

        April 19, 2021 at 9:32 am

        I usually use McCormick, although I like Kroger's store brand, also. I live in a pretty rural area, so my options are limited unless I order online.

        Reply

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