Mexican Burger

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Quick Bite

A Mexican burger usually refers to a hamburger topped with green chile, a regional favorite made with roasted green chiles, tomatoes, onions, and spices. It is not a traditional Mexican dish, but rather a Colorado and New Mexico-style comfort food that blends American burgers with Southwestern flavors.

History

The Mexican burger, as it is known in Colorado and parts of the Southwest, developed in the mid-1900s as American diner food blended with regional Mexican and New Mexican flavors. As Mexican and Hispanic cooking traditions became part of everyday cuisine in the Southwest, cooks began adding ingredients like roasted green chiles, chili sauce, and melted cheese to classic hamburgers.

A major influence on the dish is the green-chile cooking tradition of New Mexico, where chile peppers have been a staple for centuries. When this style of cooking spread north into Colorado, diners and cafés started serving hamburgers topped with green chile, sometimes calling them Mexican burgers or green chile cheeseburgers.

The dish became especially popular in small roadside cafés, family diners, and local burger stands during the 1950s–1970s, when smothered foods and hearty comfort meals were common across the region. The name “Mexican burger” did not refer to a specific recipe, but rather to the use of flavors people associated with Mexican or Southwestern cooking.

Today, the Mexican burger remains a regional specialty in Colorado, where green chile is considered a signature ingredient and is often served on burgers, fries, and burritos.

Fun Facts

• Green chile is so popular in Colorado that many diners put it on almost everything.
• You may find green chile on burgers, fries, eggs, burritos, and even pizza.
• A Mexican burger may be covered in chile and cheese and served open-faced with a fork.
• Despite the name, the Mexican burger is considered a Southwestern U.S. creation, not a traditional Mexican dish.
• The name comes from the use of chile peppers and flavors associated with Mexican and Southwestern cooking.

Where to Try

The Original Chubby’s Denver, Colorado

Hamburguesas Don Jesus Denver, Colorado

Lucero’s Denver, Colorado

Recipe

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Mexican Burger Servings: 4 Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Difficulty: Easy Style: Colorado Green Chile Burger

Ingredients

For the burgers

• 1 lb ground beef, 80/20 works best
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 hamburger buns
• 4 slices cheddar or pepper jack cheese
• Lettuce, tomato, and onion, optional

For the green chile sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 cup roasted green chiles, fresh, frozen, or canned
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Salt, to taste
• ½ cup shredded cheese, optional, for thicker chile

Instructions

1. Make the green chile: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Slowly whisk in broth.
4. Add green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, and salt.
5. Simmer for 5–10 minutes until thickened.
6. Stir in cheese if you want a creamy chile.
7. Cook the burgers: Form beef into 4 patties.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Cook in a skillet or on a grill over medium-high heat, about 4–5 minutes per side.
10. Add cheese during the last minute to melt.
11. Lightly toast the buns in a pan or oven.
12. Assemble: Place each burger on a bun.
13. Top with green chile sauce.
14. Add extra cheese, lettuce, tomato, or onion if desired.
15. For a true Colorado diner style, spoon extra chile over the top and serve open-faced with a fork.

Serving note: For the most Colorado-style version, smother the burger with extra green chile and melted cheese, then serve it open-faced with a fork.

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