I cannot tell you how delicious this one pot Chipotle Beef Stew is, you're going to have to make it yourself to taste depth of flavors that are in every morsel of beef and a rich sauce! Potatoes and carrots are the perfect finish but first the meat is coated in yogurt for extra tenderness, as though the 4 to 5 hours was not enough! But listen, the beauty of a slow cook is that the meat can take it all in, and it does! You end up with the most soulful, homemade, rich and delicious chipotle beef stew ever made!

The best meals are those that hold memories of pure comfort and this delicious beef stew is one of them. Food that transports you in time through taste, and for you, perhaps through smell too.

This Oven-Bake Chipotle Beef Stew recipe also includes:

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Beef Stew Instant Pot

The inspiration for this recipe came from our cold winter days right now and making lots of beef stew! We love comfort food in the winter and adding chipotle marinade to the beef was such a delicious idea! All that smoky flavor, add a little tomato paste to balance and a couple spoons of plain yogurt, I had a marinade on top of a marinade! I would've loved to leave it overnight but time was not on my side, so I got to cooking immediately and look at the results. One pot, pure comfort, chipotle beef stew.

beef stew with potatoes, carrots and large spoon

What Is Chipotle Marinade?

Essentially chipotle marinade comes from a jar of chipotle peppers.

So what is chipotle peppers? It's smoked and dried jalapeño peppers with unbelievable smokey flavors and very good, also very hot!

What Makes This Beef Stew Good?

Adobe Marinade Imparts a smokey meat-like flavor on its own before adding it to the beef, aromatics and rich red wine sauce, so together the flavors deepen!

Ingredients the ingredients work well together so add them as per the recipe card below, and for example, where the recipe says 'add half the wine and let cook down for a minute' then pour the remaining wine, it's not for nothing, it's all about the flavors welcoming each other and sort of melting in together, like a partnership. Therefore season in layers as you go because even one pot meals need love.

The Oven Now listen, if you follow this blog and my newsletter, you know that I've fallen in love with the instant pot and air fryer because they are the most convenient kitchen appliances, it's true! However, perhaps I'm old school but my goodness, the oven cooks your food like no other appliance can. Each have their own advantage.

In a nutshell, if you have the time to make this recipe, you will be rewarded with the very best beef stew with chipotle marinade.

Ingredients

Please find the full recipe card below, but here is an idea of the key ingredients.

Beef I used a combination of beef cubes and short rib but you can use any beef. Chuck is also a great beef option.
Chipotle marinade You can buy a jar of chipotle marinade or you can make your own, both work. The advantage of making your own, is that you have it to add to so many other foods.
Yogurt Plain full fat Greek yogurt was used here but you can use any full fat plain yogurt.
Oil and butter
Spices and seasoning which include, Involtini and smoked paprika.
Tomato paste
Beef stock
Water
Tomatoes

How To Make This Beef Stew

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Meat: I've used two different types of meat here, half beef cubes with no fat at all and the other half is beef short rib, for the fat, because fat equals flavor. Cut the short rib into cubes to match the size of the beef cubes discarding any unnecessary bones and fat (you don't need much fat for flavor). Feel free to remove the bones off the short rib if any, if you want.

Season: Season generously with salt and pepper, and add the yogurt and mix it in. You can use a spoon or your hands to get the yogurt into the meat pieces. Add the remaining spices.

Chipotle Marinade: Add the chipotle marinade and tomato paste.

Brown The Meat: To a Dutch-oven or another oven friendly pot with a lid, heat the oil for browning the meat.

Searing/Browning: I know that you may be tempted to skip this part but I'm here to say don't! You need a little oil to heat up, add the meat and brown it all over. It will take a couple of minutes to brown the meat so be patient. Once the meat is browned, set is aside and cook the onions.

Add The Onions: The pot will have sticky parts at the bottom after searing the meat, add the onions and add a dash of the beef stock to help deglaze the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bits up. Let the onions cook, the dash of stock will cook down very quickly.

Add The Butter: While the onions are cooking and the stock is almost cooked down, add the butter to coat the onions.

Return The Meat: Return the meat to the pot and because it already has all the marinade on it, you don't want to pour in the liquid right away. This presents yet another layer of flavor as you mix and coat the meat into the onion mix. Just a minute or two as you make sure that every piece of meat is coated, makes a difference.

If you stove is on medium heat, increase it to high at this point. You don't want the meat sitting on a low heat, that's for the oven to do.

Bring to a bubbly simmer: Bring the stew to a boil or bubbly simmer. Turn the heat off, place the lid on the pot and place the pot into the oven.

Oven Cook: The oven is preheated on a higher temperature only to get it hot but when you transfer the pot into the oven to cook, reduce the heat to 160 degrees. Cook in the oven for 4 to 5 hours.

Add the Veg: Carefully remove the pot from the oven (its very hot and heavy!) extra thick gloves will do the trick. Add the potatoes and carrots, check to see if you need a dash more water, if so add. I like the sauce in a beef stew so I added about a cup of water with the veggies. Continue cooking for another hour to an hour and a half or until your veggies are just over the fork tender mark.

Adding the vegetables into a slow cook beef stew at the end as opposed to the beginning, gives you really soft vegetables but not overly cooked that they taste like sauce.

Serve: Taste for seasoning and serve.

How To Cook Stew In A Slow Cooker

This same recipe can also be made in the slow cooker. I often use this method since it doesn't heat up the whole kitchen, which is not a bad thing in the winter but it is more cost effective than running the oven. It's an option. Do you know what's better than coming back from your day and food is ready? Nothing.

Slow Cooker Method: Turn the slow cooker on the high setting when you start, because when they named this appliance slow cooker, they meant really slow! So I like to start on high and then lower but first you need to get the ingredients in.

Prep The Meat: Season meat with salt and pepper

Add liquid: (stock or water) and no, you don't need to drown the meat in water, it just needs about a quarter way up (you can always add if you must unless you want the liquid for stock, different conversation).

Add The Remaining ingredients: Add any other spices you may want to use, and tomatoes, tomato paste and the rest of the ingredients accept the veggies.

Timer and Cooking: Cook it for 6 hours on high otherwise, if you going out for the day, or to sleep for the night then cook it on low, it will cook until you turn it off or use the timer setting for 10 hours. Sometimes, I'll put it on just before I go to bed and then it's ready in the morning, on low setting.

Thickener/Slurry: If you've added too much liquid, before serving, simply remove some of the liquid into a cup, mix it with a tablespoon of Maizena/cornflour and then put it back on high to thicken up.

Adding The Vegetables: I prefer adding them halfway through and if I'm asleep at the half way mark, then I add them in the morning and let it continue cooking.

Here's the thing, slow cookers like the Instant Pot and Air Fryer are there to make our lives in the kitchen easier, so we have to use that to our advantage. Go with it, these appliances are are cleverly designed they are hardly going to spoil your food.

Instant Pot Stew

This is the same method although a different recipe but in order to give you the gist of the idea of how to cook beef stew in the instant pot, take a look at this recipe here. Below is a synopsis:

Prep the beef into more or less the same size cubed beef pieces, pat dry and season generously.
Heat oil in the inner pot of the instant pot and brown the beef cubes. You can also add about a heaped tablespoon full of flour to coat the cubes if you want.
Brown the meat and don't overcrowd the pot, do it batches if you must. This step is important although it looks like work it's all about adding flavor! About 5 to 10 minutes to get a good sear all round it what you're looking at.
Set the meat aside once it's done and add a piece of butter or oil if needed and fry your onions and garlic.
Deglaze the pot with your liquid of choice - stock, water or wine.
Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, and any sauces like Worcestershire sauce and the rest of the ingredients on the recipe card.
Then return the meat, veggies if using, add a bay leaf or two, season a little more and seal the instant pot.
Then close the lid of the instant pot and turn the valve to SEAL. Press the MANUEL setting and cook for 35 minutes. Give the IP 10 minutes to release pressure naturally.
When the PIN (valve) drops the instant pot is ready to be opened. Remove the bay leaf and enjoy your beef stew!

If you want to thicken your sauce, you have to make a slurry, but first:

Press the cancel button on the IP to cancel out any settings
Press SAUTE on the IP

To make the slurry, use some liquid from the pot or use water from the tap. Add a tablespoon of Maizena / flour and make a paste which you will then pour into the IP. Stir into the beef while the IP is on sauté. When you are happy with the consistency, press cancel again.

FAQ'S On Beef Stew

Can I brown the meat all at one time or in batches?

It's best to brown the meat in batches to get a good sear all round. Overcrowding the pot will only result in the meat steaming instead of browning.

Serving Suggestions

The beef stew is already the star of the show so whatever you serve it with, will be wonderful as a side but also not critical. This is stew is what's critical, it's so delicious!

Rice White, brown, basmati, long grain, short grain, any rice

Noodles These are very versatile and there's many options!

Bread You know I won't leave without talking about bread! Possibly the best way to serve any stew! Dunk homemade crusty bread into it!

Quinoa Another great idea is a bowl of quinoa, fluffy quinoa, white, red or mixed?

Mashed Potato The most popular way to serve stew is with mashed potato and I have the most delicious fluffy buttery mashed potatoes right here for you.

Salads and Veggies Beef stew is more of a comfort food for us which means we will generally be serving just carbs on this day!

Cuts Of Meat Used For Beef Stew

There are a few cuts of meat that you can use to make beef stew and it's not so much which is the most popular as opposed to your preference. You can use chuck, ox-tail, short rib, shank,

Please rate this recipe if you love it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

More Soulful Recipes

I think you may like these other recipes, so if time permits, do take a look at them.

I would love to hear from you, so if you like the recipe and try it, please rate and comment below and if you share it to Instagram, show me by tagging @anosmickitchen or use the hashtag #anosmickitchen.

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