Why Colorado Green Chili Hasn't Become Popular Nationwide

If you want a unique dining experience in Colorado, the restaurant set inside a retired Boeing KC-97 won't disappoint. For the best steak, many recommend the historic steakhouse six U.S. presidents have visited. Yet, if you want to taste the culinary gem of the Centennial State, you won't have to look further than a local diner for a hearty bowl of Colorado green chili. Don't pass up the chance to try it if you're touring the state because, sadly, you're unlikely to find the epitome of Colorado cuisine anywhere else. It's a shame the dish hasn't caught on in other states. People are missing out on the earthy, smoky, slightly spicy sensation it proudly showcases. The Takeout spoke with Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Boulder campus president, provost, and master chef Kirk Bachmann to find out why that might be. 

"I wouldn't say it hasn't 'caught on.' People outside the state simply don't see it often enough on menus to develop the sort of nostalgic attachment that Coloradans have to it," he said. "Outside the state, I'd say that perhaps many simply haven't experienced it the way Coloradans do, which is best smothered and woven into many of our daily staples."

Burritos, cheeseburgers, huevos rancheros, biscuits and gravy, pizza; you'd be hard pressed to find a dish in Colorado that someone hasn't smothered in green chili at one point or another. "It's a deeply local dish tied to Colorado pride and regional flavor, and it's everywhere here," Bachmann said. "It shows up in diners, breweries, home kitchens, and in breakfast, lunch, and dinner items." Yet, if you request the recipe from local chefs, you'll get a different interpretation with everyone you ask.

Some components have to be present to call a dish Colorado green chili, but there isn't a set-in-stone recipe one has to follow to make it. "Even within the state itself, you'll see a broad (and sometimes regional) interpretation of the dish," Bachmann said. "Colorado green chili shows up as everything from brothy and spicy to thick and smothered." With that in mind, the ingredients used to build the flavor of the chili take center stage. 

Protein is typically the star when present in a soup or stew, but that's not the case with this regional treasure. "Many ingredients can be sourced elsewhere, but the use of local chiles is what gives the dish its identity," Bachmann said. "The high elevation and the warm days followed by cool nights create a growing environment that produces a chile with a distinct flavor, similar to how the terroir in certain regions of France impacts the grapes that produce incredible wines."

With so many different chefs cooking Colorado green chili across the state, one variety must be the best, right? Not exactly. "That's like saying who in Paris makes the best baguette," Bachmann said. Still, he did mention a few establishments that are heralded for their renditions. 

The Original Chubby's in Denver makes a classic version, Gray's Coors Tavern in Pueblo serves the famous "Slopper" (an open-faced burger smothered in Colorado green chili), and Western Omelette in Colorado Springs offers a fiery adaptation to warm folks up on cold, wintery mornings. "But the common thread is that there is not a single flavor profile," Bachmann explained. "Each establishment commits to a clear vision of what its green chili should be. It's a very personal thing for a Colorado chef."