Chubby’s Green Chili Copycat – is a reproduction of the classic, ever popular top-secret recipe from the Original Chubby’s in Denver on 38th St. Much loved, this is a very hot, thick, flavorful chili used to smother eggs, burritos, burgers, and more.
I’ve had more requests for this recipe than any other … but it is top-secret and known only to the members of the Cordova family who run the original Chubby’s on 38th St in Denver. So, I’ve tested and experimented and tested some more. You can see my first version at Chubby’s Green Chili (Copycat) published a year & a half ago. I estimated it was more than a 90% match to the original, but I couldn’t quite get color, texture and flavor just like Chubby’s. Note: in photo above, bowl on left is the Original Chubby’s while the one on the right is my copycat version. Pretty close, huh? Look at my previous version and it clearly looks different.
Many readers sent in their suggestions on how to tweak the recipe to make it just like Chubby’s, and I tried all of them. Sure enough, this recipe is over 95% there. Compare the two – the addition of chili powder and hot sauce made a huge difference. I still put more meat in and I usually tone the heat down a tad (as Chubby’s is very hot) – so be sure to tweak heat (chiles & hot sauce) to taste. Note I added the option to brown the flour in 2025 at the suggestion of a reader.
1 lb diced pork (1/4 to ½" dice, pork loin or shoulder)
½ cup corn starch
¼ cup hot chili powder (ideally Chimayo)
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup finely chopped onion (chopped to almost mush in food processor)
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp black pepper
11/2 tbsp ground dry mustard powder
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp dried sage
3 cans chicken broth
2 6-oz cans tomato paste
1½ cups green chiles (mild, hot, or a combination - see notes)
1½ cups canned jalapenos (12 oz jar or can, not pickled), diced
2 cups water
1 cup flour or browned flour for richer flavor*
3 tbsp chicken bouillon
2 tbsp Cholula Hot Sauce
Instructions
Puree 1 cup green chiles, and half the jalapenos (either together or separately, doesn't matter) with 1 can chicken broth and 1 cup water in a food processor or blender and set aside.
In a large bowl, blend the corn starch and chili powder, then dredge the pork cubes in it.
In a large pot, brown the pork in 1 tbsp butter.
Add the onions and cook another 3-4 minutes until onions are soft.
Add the pressed garlic and spices and cook another minute.
Add the pureed green chiles and jalapenos. Cook over low heat (or in a crock pot on low) for an hour, then stir in the tomato paste.
While the chili continues to simmer, in a medium saucepan, make the roux: melt the remaining butter over medium low heat. Dump in the flour and 3 tbsp chicken bouillon and stir to blend. Keep stirring as it thickens and keep adding small amounts of the remaining 2 cans chicken broth and water. You should end up with a roux about the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Stir the roux into the green chili, blending well. Add the remaining diced green chiles and jalapenos and the 2 tbsp Cholula hot sauce. Simmer another 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve over burritos, fries, eggs, nachos, whatever.
You can also leave it in the crock pot on low for several hours. This works well on a buffet where guests can ladle it onto plates or bowls themselves.
*To brown flour, cook in a shallow skillet over low heat while stirring until it reaches a golden brown (or desired color), about 10-15 minutes
Notes
You can use mild, medium, or hot green chiles (or a combination) and then adjust to desired heat with more jalapenos.
The flavor is very close to the original Chubby's, but not exact. Want to tweak it to get it more exact? My suggestion is to try different brands of hot sauce. Cholula's is an excellent choice, but I'm not convinced that's the brand Chubby's uses.
Commentary: I've had more requests for this recipe than any other ... but it is top-secret and known only to the members of the Cordova family who run the original Chubby's on 38th St in Denver. So, I've tested and experimented and tested some more. You can see my first version at Chubby's Green Chili (Copycat) published a year & a half ago. I estimated it was more than a 90% match to the original, but I couldn't quite get color, texture and flavor just like Chubby's. Note: in photo above, bowl on left is the Original Chubby's while the one on the right is my copycat version. Pretty close, huh? Look at my previous version and it clearly looks different.
Many readers sent in their suggestions on how to tweak the recipe to make it just like Chubby's, and I tried all of them. Sure enough, this recipe is over 95% there. Compare the two - the addition of chili powder and hot sauce made a huge difference. I still put more meat in and I usually tone the heat down a tad (as Chubby's is very hot) - so be sure to tweak heat (chiles & hot sauce) to taste.
Wow! I found some really beautiful glass chile pepper ornaments on Amazon. The ones that are clusters of 5 can be used as-is … or you can cut them off the rope and hang each individually. The first 2 are my favorites! Just click on the image to go straight to the details for each one.
Northlight Red Chili Peppers on Twine Decorative Glass Christmas Ornament, 6″
Red Hot Chili Pepper Glass Cluster Hanging Ornament 5-in
Red Hot Chili Pepper Ornament
Old World Christmas Assorted Chili Peppers Glass Blown Ornament
Red Chili Pepper and Sombrero 4 inch Glass Christmas Ornament Decoration
Chili Pepper Sombrero Holiday Christmas Tree Ornament
Creamy Turkey Chile Soup is the ultimate comfort food – perfect balance of flavors and spices, very easy to make, and a great way to use that Thanksgiving turkey. A favorite for everyone around here!
Got leftover turkey? Need an easy, scrumptious recipe that everyone will love? This soup is what I call the ultimate comfort food – just can’t get enough of it. It only has a half dozen ingredients and can be whipped together in about 5 minutes.
I used mild chiles for this. That’s to add that unique green chile flavor with almost no heat. The chiles and combination of spices just seem to create the perfect flavor balance. Can you use hot chiles? Sure, and I think that would also be very good but would also be a very different soup. Got some people who like it hot and some who don’t? Just divide the soup in half and add the hot chiles to one half. Another advantage of this soup is I always have the ingredients on hand – easy to whip up at a moment’s notice.
Blend chicken soup and milk in a medium saucepan, stirring while heating over medium heat to just below boiling.
Add spices, sour cream, turkey and chiles, blending well and heating thoroughly.
Pour into soup bowls and garnish with chili powder or paprika.
Enjoy!
Notes
Commentary: Got leftover turkey? Need an easy, scrumptious recipe that everyone will love? This soup is what I call the ultimate comfort food - just can't get enough of it. It only has a half dozen ingredients and can be whipped together in about 5 minutes.
I used mild chiles for this. That's to add that unique green chile flavor with almost no heat. The chiles and combination of spices just seem to create the perfect flavor balance. Can you use hot chiles? Sure, and I think that would also be very good but would also be a very different soup. Got some people who like it hot and some who don't? Just divide the soup in half and add the hot chiles to one half. Another advantage of this soup is I always have the ingredients on hand - easy to whip up at a moment's notice.
Cranberry Chile Chutney is a spicy sweet tart condiment that makes an exceptional compliment to turkey, potatoes, yams, or even on crackers with cream cheese.
Well, after making this and photographing it, I was down to about half a batch. First I put it on top of Ritz crackers smeared with cream cheese. Took some photos that looked really boring. So I had to eat them. Plus there were some broken crackers, so I had to put cream cheese and chutney on those, and eat them too. Then I took these photos. No crackers and this stores really well in the fridge, but I kept eating a spoonful here, spoonful there. Not enough left for Thanksgiving now.
This chutney is just full of flavor and downright addicting – tart, savory, spicy. I can’t imagine having Thanksgiving dinner with regular cranberry sauce when I can have something like this. It’s a definite keeper that I’ll be making year after year. Hope you like it as much as I do!
1 inch piece fresh ginger (size of top joint of a thumb)
3 cloves garlic, pressed (or minced)
½ cup apple cider
¼ cup sugar
1 14 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 tbsp diced hot green chiles (or more if medium or mild)
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
With a vegetable peeler, slice the ginger into paper-thin slices, stack them and then cut into very thin slivers. You don't have to peel the ginger, but it's okay if you want to.
Combine ginger, garlic, cider, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 15-20 minutes. The mixture should reduce from about ¾ cup to ⅓ cup in volume.
Stir in the chiles and then the cranberry sauce, salt and pepper.
Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste as desired.
Cook, store, and refrigerate. It will keep for about a week.
Notes
Commentary: Well, after making this and photographing it, I was down to about half a batch. First I put it on top of Ritz crackers smeared with cream cheese. Took some photos that looked really boring. So I had to eat them. Plus there were some broken crackers, so I had to put cream cheese and chutney on those, and eat them too. Then I took these photos. No crackers and this stores really well in the fridge, but I kept eating a spoonful here, spoonful there. Not enough left for Thanksgiving now.
This chutney is just full of flavor and downright addicting – tart, savory, spicy. I can’t imagine having Thanksgiving dinner with regular cranberry sauce when I can have something like this. It’s a definite keeper that I’ll be making year after year. Hope you like it as much as I do!
This is a classic basic curry – chicken & peas – with chiles to add heat and dimension. Very easy to make with ingredients I tend to have always around … except that I usually don’t have fresh ginger. I love a good curry, and this one also freezes well. It’s also very meaty – lots of chicken in it.
I used a medium hot chile – Big Jim. It’s very easy to adjust the heat with more or less chile or by using hotter or milder chiles. When it comes time to add the chiles, just add some, stir in, taste, and adjust.
1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¼-inch strips
2½ tsp curry powder, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp sugar
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup diced green chiles
¼ cup plain low fat (2%) or whole Greek yogurt (avoid nonfat)
Instructions
Sprinkle the chicken evenly with 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper and 1 tsp curry powder.
Heat 1-1/2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but still pink in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.
Add the remaining 1-1/2 tbsp oil to the skillet and lower heat to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger and remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder and cook until fragrant, a couple minutes more.
Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch, then add to the skillet along with the sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is nicely thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add the peas, green chiles and partially cooked chicken to the skillet, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the yogurt and cilantro; then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with basmati rice.
Notes
Commentary: This is a classic basic curry – chicken & peas – with chiles to add heat and dimension. Very easy to make with ingredients I tend to have always around … except that I usually don’t have fresh ginger. I love a good curry, and this one also freezes well. It’s also very meaty – lots of chicken in it.
I used a medium hot chile – Big Jim. It’s very easy to adjust the heat with more or less chile or by using hotter or milder chiles. When it comes time to add the chiles, just add some, stir in, taste, and adjust.
Southwestern Flatbread Pizza is a simple dish – based more on quesadillas than pizza in ingredients. Never fail, easy to throw together, everybody loves this.
This simple “pizza” was inspired by 3 things: Quesadillas made with just cheese and diced chiles … and sometimes diced fresh tomatoes have been a staple at our house for years. And I happened to have lots of fresh tomatoes and some absolutely wonderful flatbread (Stonefire Artisan Flatbread). But I wanted a bit more Southwestern kick, so we’ve got spices in this.
But if you’re expecting a classic pizza with a Southwestern flavor – this isn’t it. There’s no sauce on this pizza so it’s more like flatbread topped with cheese, chiles and tomatoes. More like the kind of quesadillas I love, but in pizza form. (BTW, I think I’m going to try a classic pizza made Southwestern next.)
I used mild green chiles in this. Personally, I prefer a medium hot like a Big Jim in this, but I was also serving this to someone who likes it really mild.
2½ cups Mexican blend cheese (Cheddar & Monterey Jack - I used Costco)
1½ cups diced or sliced tomatoes (about 1½ large tomatoes)
1 cup diced green chiles
1 tsp taco seasoning
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, dump the cheese, then sprinkle the seasoning and green chiles over it reserving a couple tablespoons of green chiles for garnish. (See notes)
With your hands, toss the cheese to blend the seasonings and chiles.
Place the flatbread on a baking dish. Spread about ¾ of the cheese mixture over the bread.
Top with the tomatoes and then the remaining cheese. Add the remaining green chiles on top for garnish.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to bubble.
Cut into squares, serve, & enjoy!
Notes
Alternative: If you've diced the tomatoes, you can blend the taco seasoning in with the tomatoes instead. This produces slightly different result, but is just as good. Also, any brand of flatbread can be used - just make sure it's similar size or adjust amount of ingredients accordingly.
Commentary: This simple "pizza" was inspired by 3 things: Quesadillas made with just cheese and diced chiles ... and sometimes diced fresh tomatoes have been a staple at our house for years. And I happened to have lots of fresh tomatoes and some absolutely wonderful flatbread (Stonefire Artisan Flatbread). But I wanted a bit more Southwestern kick, so we've got spices in this.
But if you're expecting a classic pizza with a Southwestern flavor - this isn't it. There's no sauce on this pizza so it's more like flatbread topped with cheese, chiles and tomatoes. More like the kind of quesadillas I love, but in pizza form. (BTW, I think I'm going to try a classic pizza made Southwestern next.)
I used mild green chiles in this. Personally, I prefer a medium hot like a Big Jim in this, but I was also serving this to someone who likes it really mild.
Calabacitas Stuffing is a wonderful, easy to make turkey stuffing with vegetables and a Southwest flair. Just a bit spicy and with lots of flavor.
Am I jumping the gun here publishing a turkey stuffing recipe a month before Thanksgiving? I got the idea for this, happened to have the ingredients, so I just had to try it. I knew it would be good, and sure enough, it is!
Calabacitas is one of my all-time favorite Southwestern vegetable dishes, and it’s even incredibly nutritious, Paleo, and low-fat, low calorie. I just knew it would be a great enhancement to traditional stuffing, blended in and stuffed into the bird. Calabacitas is a sautéed melange of zucchini, onion, garlic, corn, chiles, and spices. Yummy! In this recipe, I just mixed it in with a package of Stove Top Stuffing Mix prepared (almost) per the directions. (I used half the water; vegetables add liquid to the mixture.) Then I stuffed a turkey with it and after scooping it out, browned it in the oven. If you’re stuffing a bird with it, use the guidelines on the stuffing mix to determine if you need to double or triple recipe. (See notes)
It’s hard to resist – very tasty! Of course, the dressing is not low cal, Paleo, and low fat like the calabacitas. Sorry! Can’t have everything, you know….
1 package Stove Top Stuffing Mix (for a bird up to 8 lbs)*
4 tbsp butter
¾ cup water
optional: fresh parsley for garnish; parsley is also good blended into the mixture.
Instructions
Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add garlic, zucchini, corn, chiles, oregano, and salt and cook, covered for about 3 more minutes. Set aside.
Bring ¾ cup water and butter to boil in medium saucepan. (Note this is half the water called for in the instructions on the stuffing mix box.).
Stir in stuffing mix and let stand 5 minutes.
Stir in the calabacitas sauteed vegetables and mix thoroughly.
Place in 9"x13" baking dish and bake at 400 degrees 20 minutes or until browned. Or stuff turkey or chicken up to 8 lbs if desired and roast bird. Then spoon into baking dish and bake 20 minutes to brown.
Serve & enjoy!
Notes
The vegetables add quite a bit of moisture, so I cut the water in the stuffing mix instructions by half. You may want to reduce the moisture even more as it is still a rather mushy consistency.
Note the stuffing mix calls for 1 box of stuffing mix for a bird up to 8 lbs, 2 boxes for a bird 8-12 lbs, and 3 boxes for 12+ lbs.
Commentary: Am I jumping the gun here publishing a turkey stuffing recipe a month before Thanksgiving? I got the idea for this, happened to have the ingredients, so I just had to try it. I knew it would be good, and sure enough, it is!
Calabacitas is one of my all-time favorite Southwestern vegetable dishes, and it’s even incredibly nutritious, Paleo, and low-fat, low calorie. I just knew it would be a great enhancement to traditional stuffing, blended in and stuffed into the bird. Calabacitas is a sautéed melange of zucchini, onion, garlic, corn, chiles, and spices. Yummy! In this recipe, I just mixed it in with a package of Stove Top Stuffing Mix prepared (almost) per the directions. (I used half the water; vegetables add liquid to the mixture.) Then I stuffed a turkey with it and after scooping it out, browned it in the oven. If you’re stuffing a bird with it, use the guidelines on the stuffing mix to determine if you need to double or triple recipe. (See notes)
It’s hard to resist – very tasty! Of course, the dressing is not low cal, Paleo, and low fat like the calabacitas. Sorry! Can’t have everything, you know….
Nightshade Chili is based on classic green chili … but with all the nightshades. Low fat, unthickened, and flavorful, this is Paleo, gluten free and satisfying.
I like to cook a lot with eggplant and tomatillos – green chiles just work really well with them. So it hit me out of the blue that the nightshades all go very well together. So why not make a green chili with all the nightshades? What are nightshades? Nightshade is a botanical family that includes peppers, tomatillos, eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes (but not sweet potatoes). So I started with a classic green chili recipe and turned it into a Nightshade Chili. Yup, it was very good.
I left potato out to keep it low carb and more of a classic chili, but you can just add 2-3 large potatoes, diced, to turn into Nightshade Chili Stew. The vegetables cook together, so you can’t even tell that it has eggplant and tomatillos in it. The bell peppers help add color and interest here.
I’ll be making this again and experimenting with variations. Hope you like it!
optional: 3 potatoes, diced, to turn into into Nightshade Chili Stew
Instructions
In a large stewing pot (at least 5 quarts) or stovetop slow cooker (see notes), heat oil and brown pork lightly.
Add onion, eggplant, tomatillos, bell pepper, and garlic and cook 15 minutes over medium heat or until soft.
Add remaining ingredients and transfer to slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Serve & enjoy!
Notes
I have 2 slow cookers with nonstick aluminum inner pots that can go directly on the stove for searing or browning - then you place them inside the slow cooker outside contraption that heats up. They are great for recipes like this - no need to brown and then transfer to slow cooker.
Commentary: I like to cook a lot with eggplant and tomatillos - green chiles just work really well with them. So it hit me out of the blue that the nightshades all go very well together. So why not make a green chili with all the nightshades? What are nightshades? Nightshade is a botanical family that includes peppers, tomatillos, eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes (but not sweet potatoes). So I started with a classic green chili recipe and turned it into a Nightshade Chili. Yup, it was very good.
I left potato out to keep it low carb and more of a classic chili, but you can just add 2-3 large potatoes, diced, to turn into Nightshade Chili Stew. The vegetables cook together, so you can't even tell that it has eggplant and tomatillos in it. The bell peppers help add color and interest here.
I'll be making this again and experimenting with variations. Hope you like it!
Tomatillo Chile Pulled Chicken – a simple yet versatile and healthy main dish that can be used in tacos, burritos, on salads, in sandwiches – and it freezes well.
This recipe is about as easy as it gets – and it’s soooo good for you. Paleo, gluten free, low fat, you name it. It also freezes well. Just dump 4 ingredients into a slow cooker, and let it go for 4 hours. It starts to fall apart on its own, but then you help it out with a couple forks and you get some really nice, incredibly versatile pulled chicken.
I used Winking Girl Hot Tomatillo Salsa and Big Jim chiles for this one. It comes out with some significant heat, but also very nice flavor. You can adjust the heat by picking hot or mild salsa, hot or mild green chiles, or both. It was a bit too hot for my son, so I just took another chicken I’d just roasted, pulled off some meat, shredded it, and then blended it in with the pulled chicken. That made it just right for him. This year all the chiles are turning out much hotter than usual, so the Big Jims are a hot chile this year instead of their normal medium.
I like to make simple main dish basics like this pulled chicken and then freeze them in small plastic bags with just enough for 2 to 4 servings. Very convenient for putting together a great dinner in no time.
Gourmet Fig Pizza looks like a small pizza, but with a unique, distinctive taste. A bit sweet, savory, and spicy, it tastes like nothing else. Cut into sections for great appetizers or serve whole for lunch.
I happened to have access to an almost unlimited amount of fresh figs this past week – which I love – so after eating a few dozen as I picked them off my sister’s tree, I made this recipe. Tom Butler invented the recipe. Figs are really quite different from any other fruit, and help make this recipe really special. I might try making this with peaches. This is a pretty easy recipe, but I wouldn’t hesitate to serve this at a fancy dinner. As for the cheese, it absolutely needs a very sharp cheese on top – I used Aged Old Amsterdam Gouda, but it doesn’t matter what kind you use just so it’s sharp rather than mild.
I don’t think anyone grows figs in Colorado, but you can buy them at Whole Foods. Let me know what you think of this, ok?
Slice the figs in about ¼ inch slices and set aside. Cut the sharp cheese into small slices and set aside.
Arrange the pitas on a cookie sheet and top with the provolone cheese just so each pita is covered with 1 layer of cheese.
In a medium skillet, sauté the onions in the butter until soft.
Add red wine and honey and cook over medium heat about 5 to 10 minutes to reduce and caramelize.
Add the balsamic vinegar and green chiles and cook another 2 minutes to blend and reduce further.
Top each pita with a layer of the caramelized onion chile mixture.
Add a layer of sliced figs, then top with the slices of sharp cheese.
Bake for 7-10 minutes or just until the sharp cheese is melted.
Cut each pita into 4 sections and serve.
Enjoy!
Notes
Commentary: I happened to have access to an almost unlimited amount of fresh figs this past week – which I love – so after eating a few dozen as I picked them off my sister’s tree, I made this recipe. Tom Butler invented the recipe. Figs are really quite different from any other fruit, and help make this recipe really special. I might try making this with peaches. This is a pretty easy recipe, but I wouldn’t hesitate to serve this at a fancy dinner. As for the cheese, it absolutely needs a very sharp cheese on top – I used Aged Old Amsterdam Gouda, but it doesn’t matter what kind you use just so it’s sharp rather than mild.
I don’t think anyone grows figs in Colorado, but you can buy them at Whole Foods. Let me know what you think of this, ok?
