Colorado Green Chili w/ Cheese Enchiladas

Labor of Love!

I fell in love with green chili when we were stationed in Colorado. My favorite Mexican restaurant served your choice of hot or mild, pork green chili. Sadly, they closed before I could get the owner to share with me his secret. But, in trying many different recipes, this is the closest I could find and adapt.

I’m not going to lie - this recipe is much more labor intensive than many other recipes I’ve featured. But if you have an afternoon to spend prepping, it’s well worth it! Colorado Green Chili can be eaten alone or with tortillas or used to top other Mexican dishes!

Colorado Green Chili Recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs. boneless pork butt roast, trimmed & cut into 1” pieces
2 lbs. (10-12) Anaheim chilies, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeded
3 jalapenos
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (or chop your own fresh tomatoes)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions (finely chopped)
8 gloves minced garlic
¼ cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine pork, ½ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, increase heat to med-high and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until liquid evaporates and pork browns in its own fat, 15-20 minutes. Set aside in a bowl.

2. Adjust 1 oven rack to the lowest position and a 2nd rack 6 inches from the broiler element. Heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Arrange Anaheims, skin side up, and jalapenos in single layer on sheet and place on upper rack.

3. Broil until chilies are mostly blackened, the skin is bubbling up away from the “meat” of the chilis and they are soft (15-20 minutes). Rotate the sheet and flip only jalapenos halfway through broiling.

4. Remove from oven, place Anaheims in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let cool for 5 minutes. Set aside jalapenos.

5. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

6. Carefully remove blackened skin from Anaheims. Chop ½ of them into ½” pieces and transfer to bowl. Process remaining Anaheims in a food processor until smooth, about 10 sec; transfer to bowl with chopped Anaheims.

7. Pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until coarsely ground (about 4 pulses).

8. Heat oil in Dutch oven over med heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, Anaheims, tomatoes and pork with any accumulated juices and bring to a simmer scraping any browned bits.

9. Cover pot, transfer to lower rack and cook until pork is tender, 1-1 ¼ hours.

10. Without peeling, stem and seed jalapenos and reserve seeds. Finely chop and stir into chili. Season chili with salt and reserved seeds to taste.

Cheese Enchiladas Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup oil
14 corn tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (your choice of variety)
Lime wedges
Optional Toppings: sour cream, jalapenos, queso fresco, chives or green onions

*Laurie’s Note: It's important to pre-cook the tortillas because not only does cooking them help soften them for rolling, cooking them in a little fat helps develop the flavor of the tortillas.

Directions

1. Warm the oil over very low heat in a heat-proof shallow dish or skillet. You want it very warm but not burning hot. Keep another heat-proof dish or skillet over low heat to keep the tortillas warm. Dip each tortilla in the warm oil for 5 to 8 seconds until the tortilla is warmed through and pliable. Place tortillas between paper towels to separate and absorb any excess oil.

*Laurie’s Tip: You can use coffee filters instead of paper towels! These days, paper towels carry a heft price, but you can get 150 filters for $1 at the Dollar Tree!

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Spray a 9”X13” inch baking dish with cooking spray. Lay each tortilla flat and place 2 to 3 tablespoons of cheese down the middle. Fold one side over, then the other side. Turn the enchilada over, seam side down, so the tortilla stays closed, and place it in the baking dish. Repeat with each tortilla until you have filled the dish. Sprinkle any remaining cheese over the top of the enchiladas in the baking dish.

4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

5. Place enchiladas on plate and smother with Colorado Green Chili. Top with choice of accoutrements.