Quick and Easy Instant Pot Chile Colorado de Res: A Flavorful Mexican Stew

Recipe, video, and photos by Erica Gamboa

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Instant Pot Chile Colorado de Res (Beef)

A comforting and hearty Mexican stew made with beef chuck pot roast and simmered in a rich red chile sauce. It’s fall-apart tender using the Instant Pot pressure cooker, which gives this stew intense richness and bold flavor.

Servings: 8
PREP TIME: 20 minutes + COOK TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes = TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I’m late to the Instant Pot bandwagon; I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I do, to be honest. After using it once, I asked myself, ‘What has taken me so long?’ I was gifted this beautiful yet intimidating Instant Pot for my housewarming, and after it sat in the box on my kitchen floor for about two weeks, I decided to give it a try.

After reading the manual and watching a few tutorials on how to use it, I threw myself into it with no fear. It is not as complicated as it looks; it does require safety and precaution, but it is very safe and easy to use once you are familiar with it. It is a game-changer for cooking in a fraction of the time. I can go on and on about how great this kitchen gadget is, but I’m not here to sell you the Instant Pot; I’m here to tell you about this delicious Beef Chile Colorado I made in a little over an hour!

A Winning Recipe in My Book: Easy and Delicious

If you’ve made beef stew or pot roast, you know these cuts of beef require low and slow cooking, with a minimum of 3 to 4 hours of cooking time. It’s an all-day on-the-stove type of meal that requires time to develop the right tenderness of the beef and a concentrated, rich flavor.

Of course, there are days that lend themselves to a long and slow cook, but on weekdays, that’s nearly impossible. With work and life, it’s not practical and unrealistic to have a stew or pot roast on the table on a weeknight, unless you’re using an Instant Pot or Crock Pot.

This easy and delicious recipe for the traditional Chile Colorado you’ll find at most Authentic Mexican restaurants can be on your table in the time it takes you to make a pot of Mexican rice and clean up the kitchen. And I am here for it! Anything that will save me time and produce the same rich, bold, and authentic flavors my family enjoys is a winning recipe in my book.

Why work harder if you don’t have to?!

I used to think that if I didn’t slave away over a hot stove all day, my dish wasn’t good enough, like I didn’t put the work in, therefore it was less worthy. I am here to tell you that that can’t be further from the truth.

You do what you can and what needs to be done to get food on the table most days. When you make this Chile-Colorado dish, I promise, you will not be able to tell the difference. It’s tender, rich in flavor, and tastes like you’ve been cooking all day long. And if you ask me, this was far better than the stove-top version I made a few years ago, which took hours on end and was a complete disaster. This was my redemption recipe, and I am excited for you to try it!

Looking for New Ways to Turn Old Low and Slow Recipes Into Easy, Fast, and Delicious Dinners

Although I am not one to use a Crock Pot unless I’m keeping food warm, using it for camping, or on Super Bowl Sunday, I will definitely be using my Instant Pot regularly and looking for new ways to turn those old low and slow recipes into easy, fast, and delicious dinners you’ll feel proud of and your family will love!

Happy Eating from my kitchen to yours!

Instant Pot Chile Colorado de Res (Beef) Video

Developing Deep Flavors Early On

Searing the Meat for Maximum Flavor
Pot roast and beef stew are cuts of meat that require a long cooking time; essentially, you are cooking the meat in liquid until it’s falling apart tender. One way to maximize the flavor of the meat and give you that seared flavor we all love is to brown the meat first. You can do this either in the Instant Pot itself under the sauté setting or on the stove in a skillet. The goal is to sear the meat on high heat to get that brown, seared exterior, which adds so much flavor to the meat. Using this technique is the key starting point for every good stew or pot roast.

Building a Flavorful Sauce
The most flavorful ingredient you can add to this sauce is the crispy brown bits that are sitting at the bottom of the pot after you sear the meat. That is the equivalent of gold by culinary standards—a little rendered fat and crispy browned bits of meat left behind. This is a bonus ingredient and the MVP of the sauce. By adding a little flour to the pot and cooking it out in the rendered fat, makes a flavorful roux and thickens the sauce to a rich and silky consistency.

Toasting Ingredients
While this is a step that can be skipped, I would strongly encourage you to take the time to toast the dry chiles and aromatics. Not only will this give the sauce its signature rich red color, but it will also deepen and intensify the flavors of the chiles. This easy extra step takes the sauce to another level that’s appealing to the eye and delicious to the taste buds. Toasting the spices and aromatics (onion and garlic) in a little oil for a few minutes will give your sauce that depth of flavor that we associate with authentic Mexican cooking. Not to mention, it will leave your house smelling like you’ve stepped into your favorite Mexican restaurant. It’s a sensory overload and one that will awaken the appetite.

Instant Pot Chile Colorado de Res (Beef)

BY ERICA GAMBOA

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Servings: 8 | Difficulty: Easy
PREP TIME: 20 minutes + COOK TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes = TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

*When cleaning chiles, always use gloves and wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face, eyes, and mouth.

For the Roast

6lb. beef chuck pot roast. Fat is trimmed and the pot roast is cut into medium chunks.
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

For the Sauce

20 dry guajillo chiles, seeded (about one large bag from the grocery store)
4 dry ancho chiles, seeded
10 dry arbol chiles, seeded
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black pepper corns
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp dry thyme
2 tsp dry oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1/4 large white onion, peeled
4 cups water, boiling
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup of flour
4 cups chicken or beef broth
2 bay leaves

SHOP RECIPE INGREDIENTS FOR HOME DELIVERY

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Directions:

For the Sauce

Bring 4 cups of water to boil and set aside.
Preheat a large sauté pan on medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan.
Add all of the chiles, onion, garlic cloves and cumin seeds, peppercorns and coriander seeds to the pan and sauté. Stir frequently to make sure noting burns. Sauté until the chiles darken in color and onions, garlic and spices become fragrant. Should not take more than a few minutes. Be careful not to burn.
Remove the the chiles and spices from the sauté pan and place everything in a large bowl.
Pour water over the chile and spices and set them aside to rehydrate about 10 minutes.
Carefully place the chiles, spices, garlic and onion in the blender, add the water as well.
Add the chicken bouillon, salt, oregano and thyme to the blender and blend until everything is very well combined and until the chiles are completely blended. The chile should be silky and smooth, if you have any pulp or flesh that did not blend properly you can use a mesh strainer to catch any remnants.
Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary and set aside.

For the Pot Roast

Set the Instant Pot to high heat for sautéing. The timer is not important but set it at 20 minutes just so it stays at that setting for the amount of time you need to brown the meat. You can always adjust the timer if you need more time. The important thing is for the sauté setting to stay on.
Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the Instant Pot.
Season the beef roast chunks with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Once the oil is hot, add the meat in two batches to ensure you don’t over crowd the pot. Brown the first batch of meat until brown on all sides. Remove from the the pot and set aside and proceed with the next batch. Do not remove the rendered fat; leave it in the pot. It shouldn’t be much if you trimmed some of the fat off the roast during the prep.
Once all of the meat is removed from the Instant pot, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil to the pot.
Add the flour and begin to whisk or stir constantly until the roux is darker in color.
Add the chicken or beef broth to the pot and begin to whisk until smooth and no lumps appear.
Add the blender full of chile to the Instant Pot.
Whisk until smooth and well combined.
1Add the meat back into the Instant pot followed by the two bay leaves.
Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
When the timer goes off, carefully release the pressure inside the Instant Pot according to the manual and tutorial on how to use. Once all the pressure has been removed, carefully open the lid.
Check for doneness; the meat should be falling apart and fork tender, and the sauce should be thickened slightly.

*If the meat is not done yet, place the lid back on and set to pressure cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Notes & Suggestions:

Tips

Serving and Using Leftovers

I serve this meat with the traditional accompaniments of Mexican rice and beans. It is delicious topped with diced onion, chopped cilantro, and a few sliced radishes for a complete authentic Mexican meal.

This meat is also great in a burrito, one that you will likely need a knife and fork to eat. The traditional Wet Burrito is made with either Chile Verde with pork or Chile Colorado with beef. And it’s great for repurposing leftovers the next day.

How I Assemble My Wet Burritos with Beef Chile Colorado

Warm a large flour tortilla on a skillet or comal.
Fill the tortilla with a couple of spoonfuls of rice and beans.
Using a slotted spoon, add as much meat as desired, but make sure to drain as much sauce as possible. You don’t want too much sauce inside the burrito.
Add leftover chopped onion and cilantro if desired.
Roll the tortilla tightly making sure you pack everything in on all sides.
Place the burrito on a microwave or oven-safe plate.
Pour enough sauce over the entire burrito to cover it without it swimming in the sauce. Hence, it’s called a Wet Burrito.
Top with shredded cheese. I use a good melting cheese, such as Menonita Mexican cheese or Monterey Jack cheese.
Melt the cheese by placing the plate in the oven or toaster oven on the broil setting until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Watch closely so that the cheese does not burn.

*I do not use the microwave much unless I have to. If you prefer to use the microwave, place the plate in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is gooey and melted.

Notes

Storing and Using Leftovers

This meat is very saucy, and I love that I can store the sauce by itself and freeze it even if there is no meat left. This sauce is packed with so much flavor, and it would be delicious used in another recipe, like enchiladas, for example.

If you do have meat and sauce left over, you can store it in a container and freeze it. This is a recipe that freezes very well. Simply defrost them in the refrigerator overnight when you’re ready to use them. I sometimes put the contents in a saucepan and let them heat all the way through, simmering on medium to low heat and covered for about 20 minutes. You’ll have a hearty, comforting, and flavorful meal on the table in minutes.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories per serving: 439

Servings: 8