Denver Green Chile

I created this as a copycat Santiago’s green chile recipe, although the result is indicative of the style in general. Gustavo Arellano was the first person to articulate to me what makes this style of green chile unique in his book Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. He writes of settlers in the San Luis valley, “Much of New Mexico’s culinary influence made the journey as well- the use of chile, mutton, and an appreciation for advovada (marinated pork). From this foundation, Colorado-Mexican cuisine evolved. The chile turned into more of a gravy, almost indistinguishable from nacho cheese to the outside eye but fierce, verdant, a Rocky Mountain ratatouille with pork bits, tomatoes, jalapeños, diced green chile, salt, and red chile powder, a soothing balm to guard against furious winters.”

In another article, he describes the style as such: “The Mile High City’s contributions to Southwestern food aren’t just a galaxy apart from Mexican; they’re an entire universe… The green chile has an orange tint, not as a shoutout to the Denver Broncos, but because of all the tomato. It’s more like a stew than a sauce, yet it’s consistently hotter than chile in New Mexico (albeit less hot than Pueblo-style).” (As a side note, if this sort of stuff interests you at all, I highly recommend his book I mentioned earlier, Taco USA)

And so, with that foundation of knowledge, I set out to try to recreate this iconic dish. Typically I can get a recipe where I want it in three or four tries. I am well past eight tries on this one, over the course of the last couple of years – basically the entire time this blog has existed. I know the ingredients look simple! But it took me a fair amount of time to really dial in this Denver green chile recipe.

The best part was getting to consider it “work” to try all of the famous green chiles in my beloved city. It helps that Santiago’s sells their sauce in the freezer section of many Colorado grocery stores, and I was able to study the ingredients. And because I spent so much time practicing and perfecting it, I can guarantee – this is the perfect Front Range -style recipe. If you’re missing Colorado or if you’ve just moved here, this recipe will scratch that green chile itch just right!

So how do you eat Colorado green chile? The answer is, you can’t go wrong. If you buy a pint of it in a restaurant, you’ll probably get a side of tortillas to dip in it, like soup. But around here, we also use it to smother (what I consider to be) the iconic dish of our city – the breakfast burrito. You can’t throw a shoe around here without hitting someone selling breakfast burritos, moreover green chile smothered breakfast burritos. I was so struck by this cultural phenomenon when I moved here. It’s the best.

I use roasted Hatch green chiles in this recipe, although I recognize that Pueblo green chiles are the proper local choice. The reality is that these two types if chiles are almost indistinguishable- in fact, they are the same type of chile grown in different locations.  There is no substitute for these chiles! They are available in the fall but can be stored year-round in the freezer. Click here for more info on what these chiles are, where to find them and how to store them.

Despite what Gustavo Arellano said above, I find that in the case of Santiago’s, the green chile isn’t that spicy, even the hot. For that reason, I recommend using mild roasted Hatch green chiles if you’re aiming for the perfect Santiago’s copycat recipe. But on a personal level, I prefer my green chile spicier and tend to make this recipe with hot – or at least medium – peppers.

Another ingredient that requires mentioning is the pork broth. Pork broth really helps dial in that signature Colorado green chile flavor, but can be tough to find. I found pork broth cubes by Knorr at my local Asian grocery – I didn’t have any luck at the Hispanic markets I tried. If you can’t find pork broth, water is practically as good, and the much more common ingredient used in restaurants. Just DO NOT substitute chicken broth! This is a pork-based dish, and chicken doesn’t factor in as a flavor at all. If you use pork broth, your chile will be a little darker in color than some of the more vibrant local options. In the pictures on this post, I used water instead of broth to maintain that nice color.

And finally: the lard. Lard is a key part of developing the flavor and cannot be substituted. I know lard sounds like a scary ingredient in the modern world! But the reality is that lard has gotten a bad PR break in the past. Check out my write-up on its health pros and cons, where to find it, and how to choose the best lard here.

Looking for other recipes with Hatch green chiles? Try my New Mexican Style Green Chile (no pork!), Hatch Chile Horsey Dip (LINK), or Bacon Blue Corn Muffins with Hatch Chiles recipes!