History

Green chile arrived in Denver through Pueblo growers and Mexican working families in the early 20th century. The Contos family opened Pete's Kitchen on Colfax in 1942 and made the smothered breakfast burrito a 24-hour ritual; Sam's No. 3 carried it forward from 1927. The Pueblo versus Hatch green chile rivalry remains a Colorado political question; Denver kitchens use the Pueblo Mirasol pepper from August to October. La Loma on Osage Street has run the smothered tradition since 1973, and Chubby's at 38th and Lipan keeps the pre-dawn version going for the night shift.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 35 minTotal 1 hr 10 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 medium russet potato, diced 5mm
  • 4 strips bacon, chopped (or 200g chorizo)
  • 120g shredded sharp cheddar
  • Salt and pepper
  • For the green chile: 450g roasted Pueblo or Hatch green chiles, peeled and chopped
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin

Method

  1. Make the chile first. Sweat the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and flour; cook 1 minute, stirring.
  2. Add chopped roasted green chiles, tomato and chicken stock. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt.
  3. Cook the bacon in a separate skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove; leave 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan.
  4. Cook the diced potato in the bacon fat over medium-low heat, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt; scramble soft in a non-stick pan. Stir in the potato and bacon, off the heat.
  6. Warm the tortillas in a dry pan, 30 seconds per side. Divide the egg mixture, roll tight. Plate seam down, ladle hot green chile over the top to cover, and finish with cheese under the broiler 90 seconds.

Tip from the editors. The chile should be thick enough to hold the burrito; if it runs off the plate, simmer it down another 10 minutes. Pueblo Mirasol is the canonical pepper; Hatch is the accepted southern substitute.

Where to eat smothered green chile burrito

Smothered green chile burrito in Denver

Pete's Kitchen ★ 4.4

$$ American dinerUntil 24 hours Fri-Sat; 21:00 Sun-Thu

Pete's Kitchen in Denver is the Contos family's East Colfax Greek-American diner, running 24 hours Friday and Saturday nights for burritos and gyros.

OrderSmothered green chile breakfast burrito at 2 am on a weekend.

TipThe kitchen runs all night on Friday and Saturday only; the rest of the week it closes at 9 pm, so check the day before a late-night run.

Directions

Sam's No. 3 ★ 4.2

$$ American dinerUntil Daily until 24:00 (later on weekends)

Sam's No. 3 in Denver is the 1927 Greek-American diner downtown, with a kitchen that runs to midnight and slopper burgers, smothered burritos and Denver.

OrderSlopper burger smothered in green chile.

TipAurora location runs late. The downtown spot fills up after Rockies and Nuggets games; expect a wait at 11 pm.

Directions

La Loma ★ 4.7

$$ MexicanDowntown

La Loma in Denver is a Castro-family Mexican kitchen since 1973, moved from its longtime Osage Street Victorian to Broadway in 2018, the Denver template.

OrderSmothered green chile burrito with sopapillas.

TipThe bar pours classic margaritas; ask for the Pueblo green chile (hotter than the mild version).

Directions Book

Santiago's ★ 4.2

$ Brunch

Santiago's in Denver is the Colorado-chain green chile breakfast burrito counter, the cheapest smothered burrito on Front Range menus with 30 metro locations.

TryGreen chile breakfast burrito

Directions

Chubby's ★ 4.3

$$ MexicanUntil Daily until 03:00

Chubby's in Denver is the West Highland Mexican counter on 38th Avenue, a 1971 family shop open until 3 am for the bar-and-shift-worker burrito trade.

OrderSmothered chorizo burrito at 1 am.

TipDrive-through line runs longer than the walk-in counter on Friday nights; bring cash for the fastest service.

Directions

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