Green Chili Sauce #3 (Simplified Improved Recipe)

(Recipe by Jim Starks)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
6 cups chicken broth
1 4oz can diced green chilies
1 4oz can sliced jalapenos (optional)
1 10oz can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes & green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot Mexican style chili powder (or 1 Tablespoon regular chili powder)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
7 Tbsp flour
7 Tbsp water


1. In a large pot, cook onions in oil over medium heat, until transparent.

2. Add garlic, stir & cook just until garlic is fragrant, then pour in chicken broth.

3. Add undrained green chilies, jalapenos, and Ro-tel.

4. Stir in chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, and oregano.

5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 3 hours.

6. About half an hour before serving, shake flour & water in a jar. Slowly pour the flour/water mixture into the sauce, stirring continuously, until thickened to desired consistency.

7. Let the sauce simmer another 15 minutes, stirring often, until the raw flour taste is gone.


I developed this recipe over several years, trying to replicate the green chili sauce at various Mexican restaurants that I like. After examining their sauce, I realized that it's mostly a thin spicy gravy without many solids in it. This recipe is easy to make in large quantities with things that I typically have on hand in my kitchen, with a minimum of expense.

This recipe is similar to what the typical Mexican restaurants in Colorado use to smother their burritos, etc... It's not very authenically Mexican, not very green in color, and not much like most homemade green chili sauces. It's not terribly thick, though you can adjust the consistency by using more or less flour/water mixture. This is not the type of green chili that would be served as a meal in itself.

Just to make it simpler and cheaper, this recipe does not contain pork. Meat in the sauce is barely noticeable when serving it over a meat-filled burrito, anyway.