Green chili is a sought-after specialty of Southwestern and Mexican cuisine. A spicy mixture of green chili with usually pork, but sometimes beef or mutton, is a family favorite. The thick consistency of the dish makes a hearty winter or fall specialty, especially when served over a bed of rice. And if you’re looking to make it at home, Santiago’s green chili recipe is the one for you.
Santiago's, a regional food chain in and around Colorado, has earned quite a reputation with its Colorado/Mexico fusion cuisine. One of their signature dishes is green chili. Santiago's green chili has pork as protein, and the restaurant serves the dish with beans, rice, and tortillas on the side. Let’s check it out, along with some variation ideas.
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Ingredients
Base ingredients
- Pork shoulder — 2 pounds, trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
- Green chilies — 1 ½ cups, stems removed, deseeded, and cut into small cubes
- Canned jalapeños — 1 ½ cups
- Canned tomatoes — 1 14 oz. can, diced
- Butter — 3 tbsp.
- Cooking oil — 2 tbsp.
- Onion — 1 large, diced small
- Garlic — 4 cloves, minced
- Ground mustard powder — ½ tsp.
- Ground black pepper — ½ tsp.
- Salt — 1 tsp.
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp.
- Dried oregano — ½ tsp.
- Dried rosemary — ½ tsp.
- Dried sage — ½ tsp.
- Beef stock — 3 cups
- Water — 2 cups, room temperature
- Tomato paste — 1 tbsp.
- All-purpose flour — 1 cup
Garnish ingredients
- Green onion — 1 sprig, finely chopped
- Lemon wedges — 6 pieces
Instructions
- For preparation, put the green chilies, jalapeños, and diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor container. Puree until you get a homogenous mixture. Set the puree aside.
- Put 2 tbsp. of butter and the cooking oil in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Heat on a medium setting on the stove.
- When the butter melts, add the pork. Occasionally stirring, cook until the meat is light brown.
- Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until they become soft and translucent.
- Add the tomato paste, spices, salt, and garlic. Cook for two minutes.
- Pour the chili-tomato mixture into the pot. Add 2 cups of beef stock and 1 cup of water.
- Reduce the heat to very low. Cover the lid and simmer for about an hour.
- Start preparing the roux during the last ten minutes of cooking. Put the remaining butter in a medium-sized saucepan. On a low heat setting, melt the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour. Stirring constantly; cook for about 2 minutes or until the butter separates from the flour.
- Add small quantities of the remaining beef stock and water using a ladle. Stir continuously until the roux thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat when it has a thick but pourable consistency.
- Add the roux to the green chili pot. Mix until the dish is well blended. Cover the lid, and let the mixture simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the chili onto a serving platter or divide it into individual plates. Garnish with green onions and lemon wedges.
Substitutions
- Butter — You can substitute butter with pork lard for a richer taste. If you opt for lard, use the same amount of butter in Santiago's green chili recipe.
- Beef stock — Many green chili recipes with pork call for chicken broth or stock. If you have it on hand, you can replace beef stock with the same amount of chicken broth or stock.
Variations
- Make it with less effort — You can cook the dish in a crock pot. The cooking time increases in this option, but preparation requires much less since you put all ingredients in the slow cooker container. In the medium setting, cooking time is around four hours. Regarding the roux, you have two options: You can add all the roux ingredients without cooking it separately at the beginning. The other way is to prepare the roux, as explained above, but three hours after you turn the slow cooker on. Add the cooked roux to the container and cook for another hour.
- Make it gluten-free — Santiago’s green chili recipe originally contains all-purpose flour, but you can replace wheat flour with the same amount of very fine cornmeal for a gluten-free version. When using cornmeal, be careful with the liquid balance. Since cornmeal can absorb more liquid than wheat flour, you may need to add an extra ½ cup of water to keep a similar consistency.
Equipment
- Stove
- Chopping board
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Food processor or blender
- Knife
- Pot with a lid
- Mixing spoon or spatula
- Saucepan
Storage
- You can store the leftover green chili in the fridge for up to five days. It's best to keep it in an airtight container in small portions. Storing in small quantities allows for quicker and even cooling, making reheating individual servings easier.
- You can store the green chili in the freezer for up to three months. It is best to keep it in small portions in resealable freezer bags or an airtight container. For the best results, we recommend being careful with the thawing and reheating steps.
Pro Tips
- To give the dish the original Santiago's appeal, we recommend serving it with beans, rice, and tortillas.
Santiago's Green Chili Recipe for St. Patrick's Day Feast
Green chili is one of Santiago's signature dishes. Follow this version of Santiago's green chili recipe and combine the best features of chili and hearty pork meat.
Equipment
- Stove
- Chopping board
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Food processor or blender
- Knife
- Pot with a lid
- Mixing spoon or spatula
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Base ingredients
- 2 pounds Pork shoulder trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 ½ cups Green chilies stems removed, deseeded, and cut into small cubes
- 1 ½ cups Canned jalapeños
- 1 14 oz. can Canned tomatoes diced
- 3 tbsp. Butter
- 2 tbsp. Cooking oil
- 1 large Onion diced small
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ tsp. Ground mustard powder
- ½ tsp. Ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Ground cumin
- ½ tsp. Dried oregano
- ½ tsp. Dried rosemary
- ½ tsp. Dried sage
- 3 cups Beef stock
- 2 cups Water at room temperature
- 1 tbsp. Tomato paste
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
Garnish ingredients
- 1 sprig Green onion finely chopped
- 6 pieces Lemon wedges
Instructions
- For preparation, put the green chilies, jalapeños, and diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor container. Puree until you get a homogenous mixture. Set the puree aside.
- Put 2 tbsp. of butter and the cooking oil in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Heat on a medium setting on the stove.
- When the butter melts, add the pork. Occasionally stirring, cook until the meat is light brown.
- Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until they become soft and translucent.
- Add the tomato paste, spices, salt, and garlic. Cook for two minutes.
- Pour the chili-tomato mixture into the pot. Add 2 cups of beef stock and 1 cup of water.
- Reduce the heat to very low. Cover the lid and simmer for about an hour.
- Start preparing the roux during the last ten minutes of cooking. Put the remaining butter in a medium-sized saucepan. On a low heat setting, melt the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour. Stirring constantly, cook for about 2 minutes or until the butter separates from the flour.
- Add small quantities of the remaining beef stock and water using a ladle. Stir continuously until the roux thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat when it has a thick but pourable consistency.
- Add the roux to the green chili pot. Mix until the dish is well blended. Cover the lid, and let the mixture simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the chili onto a serving platter or divide it into individual plates. Garnish with green onions and lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- To give the dish an original Santiago's appeal, we recommend serving it with beans, rice, and tortillas.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Santiago's Green Chili Recipe for St. Patrick's Day Feast
Amount per Serving
Calories
849
% Daily Value*
Fat
8
g
12
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Trans Fat
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
4
g
Sodium
2403
mg
104
%
Potassium
1711
mg
49
%
Carbohydrates
74
g
25
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
28
g
31
%
Protein
21
g
42
%
Vitamin A
116
IU
2
%
Vitamin C
4
mg
5
%
Calcium
233
mg
23
%
Iron
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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