Roast hatch chiles at home with this quick and easy recipe. Use right away or freeze and save for later use.
Hatch Chiles are a delicious pepper that are grown in Hatch Valley, New Mexico. They’re a staple of New Mexican cuisine, featured in dishes like enchiladas and burritos.
These peppers generally have a mild heat, though you can also purchase some on the spicier end. Their flavor profile has more depth than most peppers. They have been described as having spicy, smokey, as well as onion and garlic-like notes.
They’re generally in season during August and September. We always buy a large box, then roast and freeze them to use throughout the rest of the year.
Ingredients
- Hatch Chiles – In late Summer, fresh Hatch Chiles start to become available at supermarkets and farmer’s market.
If you’re having a hard time finding them in your area, consider ordering them from The Hatch Chile store. I bought a 10lb box from them this year and the peppers arrived in great condition.
How to roast
- Place hatch chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Poke a few holes in each one of the chiles using a fork.
- Bake under your oven’s broiler for 6-8 minutes on each side, until the skin is blistered.
- Gently peel the skin off of each pepper.
Tips
- Place peppers in a paper bag after roasting to “steam” them and allow for easier skin peeling.
- You can also roast your chiles on the grill. Just cook them over high-heat for about 4-6 minutes until skin is blackened.
- Want to get fancy? Though less traditional, these chile roasting apparatuses make roasting a breeze. They even peel the peppers for you!
This post contains affiliate links (when you buy we make a little money at no cost to you). See our disclosure for more information.
How to freeze
If you don’t want to use your chiles right away, you should freeze them. All you need to do is but them in an airtight bag. I use a FoodSaver to vacuum seal them.
I chop some of the Hatch Chiles and seal 1 cup in each bag. This makes using them in recipes that call for chopped hatch a breeze.
Other chiles I keep whole. You can choose to peel them or not or before storing. Leaving the peel on can help preserve the pepper better, but ultimately it comes down to preference.
Ways to use hatch chiles
In dips like queso and hummus or to make sauces for burritos and enchiladas.
They are also delicious diced, then used to top chili dogs or burgers.
A favorite way of ours is to make New Mexico style chiles rellenos, which are stuffed with cheese, covered in egg battered, then deep fried.
Roasted Hatch Chile
Fresh green Hatch Chiles roasted in the oven.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Hatch Chiles
Instructions
Place hatch chiles on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Turn your oven on the “broil” setting. Place baking sheet under the broiler for 6-8 minutes, until the skin has blackened.
Remove baking sheet from the oven and flip over each pepper using tongs. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes, until this side of the pepper has also blackened.
Carefully pull the skin off each pepper and store in Ziploc bags or vacuum seal and store in the freezer until ready to use.
Leave a Comment