I grew up eating green chile stew. When I lived in Georgia, this soup was always a quick trip home…in a bowl. It has knocked back many colds and kept me warm and cozy on cold winter nights. There are many variations on the recipe, because it is a local “comfort food.” The version below is my favorite, because it is my mom’s recipe. I hope you enjoy it.
Green Chile Stew Ingredients | Servings 4 – 6
- 1 pound of pork or beef, cubed
- 1 Tablespoon of olive oil (or some version of cooking oil)
- 1 large onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 Tablespoons of beef bouillon
- 4-5 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 cup dry pinto beans, soak in water for an hour beforehand
- 1 can diced tomatoes or approximately 2 cups of fresh tomatoes, blanch and dice fresh tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons basil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 14.5 ounce can of beef broth
- Green chile, chopped
The amount of green chile used depends on taste and heat tolerance. I use over a cup, but that may be too hot for many people.
- Add water to desired consistency
Some people like heartier, thicker stews and some people prefer more of a broth consistency. This recipe can be modified to accommodate either preference. Add water to achieve the consistency preferred. Some water will evaporate while the soup cooks.
Directions
STEP 1 – Brown the stew meat and saute the onions in the olive oil prior to adding the other ingredients. The meat does not need to be fully cooked. Sometimes I toss the meat in flour before browning to thicken the soup slightly. Again it depends on your preference in terms of consistency.
STEP 2 – Add everything other than the potatoes. Cover the soup, cooking on low to medium for about an hour.
STEP 3 – When the meat and onions are thoroughly cooked, add the potatoes and continue to simmer on low heat until they are tender.
The soup can be served immediately; however, the flavors are enhanced if you allow it to sit overnight. Please leave your recipe modifications, or any questions that you may have, in the comments.
I would leave out the cumin. That cumin will dominate. It has no business around green chile.
I agree. I pairs nicely with red, though.
Do I need to blister and peel the chilies first?
Yes. I roast them, peel them…seed them if you don’t want it quite as hot.
Can you give us a starting point on how many chilies to use basing getting the stew to a moderate level of heat?
Start with a cup of your preferred heat level. That is about 1/2 pound of chopped chile. Bump it up from there.
Have you ever made this in a slow cooker?
Yes. Works well. Typically keep it low and make sure there is ample fluid, adding more broth or water as needed. Nice and tender.
Would chicken be good in this recipe?
I prefer beef or pork, but I bet chicken would work just fine. Another favorite is cream of green chile chicken…or green chile chicken enchiladas. Basically chicken and green chile work very well together.
I prefer using Chicken in my green chile dtewy
That works too.
When you say “1 can of beef broth”…how large a can? 14.5 ounces? 28 ounces? 49 ounces? Please clarify
14.5 oz. I will go update that.
I add a little cinnamon to mne.
Would u add flour to thicken if u like a thick stew ?
Yes, but I would do it beforehand, e.g. prepare a roux (beef, pork, etc).
Yes, a roux is flour, butter, salt, pepper, and whichever milk you got in the fridge..cept for buttermilk. but be daring anyways.
I usually start my potatoes in a skillet, helps them not get too mushy when I make this in the crock pot and it simmers all day.
Thank you For this recipe. It sounds yummy. I love all your recipes. Do you have a cookbook of these recipes for sale?
Not at this time. That might be a good project in the future. Currently my to-do list is a bit too long to embark on book compilation.
I found frozen green chili at Frys grocery store in the freezer section.
This looks very good I am going to use this Recipe in my dutch oven outdoors thank you for all the great recipes and info !!
I totally understood the recipe. You did great by sharing. Let me clarify the bouillon base or boullion is what makes the stew with the spice you don’t t need to add is salt. Really readers. You did great with sharing your recipe. Thanks. Ann M. Corona
I have several questions about this receipe.
What size can of tomatoes? Drained or not?
Fresh basil or dried?
Fresh or dried. I always prefer fresh. However, the amount cited in the recipe is based on dry. If you are using fresh basil…double or triple the amount.
I have several questions about this receipe.
What size can of tomatoes? Drained or not?
Fresh basil or dried?
I’m still confused about the 2 T of beef bouillon. Does this mean I get a bouillon cube, add water, and then use 2 T of this? I really don’t know what beef bouillon base is. I do have some of the prepared “Better than Bouillon” base stuff. Can I use it? Do I really need 2T of bouillon base?
Just use the cubes. You don’t need to add water first. 16 oz if you are using canned tomatoes.
So, the beans need to be soaked overnight for this recipe?
I’m a little confused on what you mean by beef bouillon base. Do I make beef bouillon using the cubes and then add 2 tablespoons of the liquid?
I use two Tablespoons of beef bouillon base.
I have no clue what beef bouillon base is. Is it different than making beef bouillon from the cubes? Will it make a big difference if I don’t have it or add it?
Beans soaked over night?
The cubes are base. They work perfectly. You don’t need to turn them into bouillon. Just add a couple of the cubes to the mix.
Easy recipe for me to make as a Vegan. I use everything but the meat, and use a veggie bullion called “Better Than Bullion” that comes as a paste…it tastes like beef bullion. Very yummy.
I use cubed veal, potatoes, green chile, and tomatoes in the crock pot and it is always delicious. I got my original recipe from a Sunset magazine in Ruidoso many years ago. My favorite winter comfort food.
I made this in the Instant Pot over the weekend! It was a HUGE hit! I browned 2 lbs of chuck roast, set it aside. Sauteed the onions, then added garlic, green chiles and other seasonings for a minute of so. Lastly, I dumped everything else in the pot (including dry, unsoaked pinto beans). Cooked on high for 55 minutes, the beans were cooked all the way through, potatoes were fork tender, and the beef just melts in your mouth!
The only things I did differently were:
2lbs chuck roast (instead of 1)
4 large potatoes (instead of 4-5 medium)
1 1/2 Cups of water (instead of water to desired consistency)
1 1/2c water AND the beef broth? Thanks..
The beef is bouillon…not broth. It isn’t adding additional fluids.
You also have this in the ingredients: “1 14.5 oz can of beef broth”
This looks so good! I should make this in my instant pot!
I am making it this weekend.
What? Add all the ingredients, then wait to.. Add the potatoes?
Yes, I’ll update to clarify that. The potatoes are the last thing to go in so they don’t get mushy. Once the potatoes are tender, it is ready to eat.
Do you soak the beans first? Seems like beans would take a long time from dry to cooked.
Yes, I do soak them ahead of time. I’ll update to make that clearer.
thanks! I’m going to make this recipe this weekend! 🙂
Well great. I might have messed up. I didn’t see anything that said to soak beans. Maybe we’ll be eating this tomorrow.
I have never been able to get beans to soften at high altitudes as in Cedar Crest and Santa Fe (after soaking for a couple days, seriously). I hope Albuquerque will be better!
I have a one-pot similar recipe that is very easy: I prefer ground beef, but any meat can be used…
brown hamburger in skillet and drain.
return to skillet and add chopped tomatos (preferrably fresh)
add diced onion and diced potatos
season with salt, pepper, 2 tblsp flour, tblsp beef boullion (or chicken boullion if using shredded chicken)
1 cup water
add chopped green chile (preferably Hatch or similar chile)
simmer until vegetable are soft
All amounts are flexible, as is heat level
Can be served over rice, pasta, add beans…very flexible and the chile is not covered by other seasonings. Easy clean up too.
Love the recipe. Made it yesterday except I used chicken instead of beef. I cooked chicken in a crock pot till it was falling apart with a fork. I washed and put potatoes (half dollar size) and put in crock pot with garlic, pepper, and salt and let it all cook together with the chicken. I don’t like to use bouillon cubes and use extra potatoes so it will thicken the broth
Can of diced tomatoes can also be used if chili is too hot and it mellows it out.
Red chili will work as well as green chili with this recipe. Enjoy.
Is green chili jalapeño?
No. The chile we use is related to the Anaheim pepper, but hotter.
Add some hominy for a delicious posole !
This sounds awesome but the only thing I know about green Chili’s is the ones that come in a can. Can those be used? So is it just called a green chili? I don’t think I have seen those where I live. I do use a lot of fresh jalapenos and aniheimm peppers. If I can’t find green Chili’s is there an alternative?
You can use other chiles or canned chile. The former isn’t usually as spicy and the latter doesn’t have as good a flavor, but they certainly work for substitutions. Hatch Chile Store ships frozen red or green chile.
When you say “2 Tablespoons of beef bouillon” do you mean beef bouillon base or the prepared base?
Bouillon base. Thank you. I will update to clarify.