Roasted Hatch Chiles

Make these Roasted Hatch Chiles in season from late summer to early fall, then freeze them and enjoy them all year. For easy preparation at home with only two ingredients, try broiling these delicious peppers and have them ready in less than an hour.

These chiles have a short season, so get them while they're still available in the United States. Most peppers are harvested between August and September yearly, but some may be harvested as early as mid-July or mid-October.

Hatch chile season is short, so make the most of it! These Hatch green chiles are best enjoyed broiled, roasted, or grilled. Enjoy them all year long in soups, stews, enchiladas, and more!

These roasted chiles would be a great addition to my Vegan Southwest Skillet Cornbread and this Vegan Southwestern Tofu Scramble in which I used canned green chiles; substitute an equal amount of chopped roasted Hatch chiles.

Jump to:

• What are Hatch chiles?
• How hot are Hatch chiles?
• What do Hatch chiles taste like?
• What to cook with Hatch chiles
• How to choose Hatch Chiles
• Ingredients
• How to roast Hatch chiles
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Expert Tips
• FAQ
• More Hatch chile recipes
• Recipe

What are Hatch chiles?

Hatch chiles are unique peppers known for their distinctive taste and are grown in the Hatch Valley region of New Mexico. They are also called New Mexican chiles.

The Hatch valley used to be a floodplain for the Rio Grande Valley, so the soil is full of nutrients that make this incredible chile.

Hatch Valley is the only place with the ideal growing conditions, or terroir, including a dry climate, high altitude, cool nights, and necessary temperature fluctuations for the Hatch chile to flourish.

There are many types of Hatch chiles ranging in heat level, from mild (Machete and Joe Parker), medium (Big Jim and Charger), hot (Sandia), and extra-hot (Lumbre). There are many more varieties!

The heat comes from capsaicin which is found in the veins of this green chile, not in the seeds. The flavor of Hatch green chiles is spread throughout the pod when roasted, leading to that irresistible smell and taste!

How hot are Hatch chiles?

They are about one-third as hot as a jalapeño pepper. These large chiles can vary in spiciness from mild to hot; however, they are relatively mild compared to other chiles.

Smaller chiles tend to be hotter, and larger chiles tend to be milder. Hatch chile peppers range from 1,000 – 8,000 Scoville heat units, with a median heat of 4,500 Scoville heat units. Some Hatch peppers score over 8,000 SHU!

What do Hatch chiles taste like?

I love the smoky and earthy, unique flavor of roasted Hatch green chiles picked early. Then, they turn red and taste slightly sweeter while retaining the earthiness as they mature. I look forward every late summer for Hatch green chile season to return!

What to cook with Hatch chiles

These roasted Hatch chiles are ideal for making chile verde, adding to burritos, enchiladas, chili, dips, salads, sandwiches, soups, and stews.

We recently added chopped roasted Hatch chiles to aloo gobi and chana masala. It was delicious and added some extra heat and flavor.

You can make savory corn muffins, vegan "cheesy egg cups," cornbread, vegan queso, vegan chile rellenos, and vegan chile con queso. 

We have added them to dahls, salsas, casseroles, and lentil black bean burgers.

We love roasted Hatch chiles and keep dreaming up new ways to use them!

How to choose Hatch Chiles

Here are a few tips to help you pick the best Hatch green chiles:

• Look for symmetry - the ones with curly edges are harder to roast evenly.

• Look for firm and glossy chiles with bright green color and no blemishes.

• The peppers should be smooth and heavy for their size. I typically check them by placing my hand in a plastic bag at the grocery store - you don't want to rub your eyes with your hand after handling chile peppers!

Ingredients

For this recipe, we are using green Hatch chiles. However, if you can't find any, you can use poblano peppers or Anaheim peppers similar in color and shape.

To make these roasted Hatch chiles, you need only two ingredients:

• Green Hatch chiles - you need a dozen or so since that's the number that fits nicely on a baking sheet.

• Avocado oil - we use a spray bottle of avocado oil. Refined avocado oil is neutral in taste and has a high smoking point of 520°F which is ideal for broiling. I don't recommend olive oil or grapeseed oil in this case because the smoking point is not as high - there would be a lot of smoking.

I do not add salt before roasting because it's unnecessary; we don't eat Hatch chiles alone. I add them to dishes that have salt added. Roasting these chiles brings out their incredible flavor!

How to roast Hatch chiles

If you've been wondering how to make roasted peppers, here's how! This method applies to all kinds of peppers and chiles.

The oven broiler is the heat source, although you can roast them over an open flame until they char; oil is not needed in this case.

Refer to the FAQ below for directions on roasting Hatch chiles in the oven without broiling.

Caution

• Always wear gloves when handling chiles (unless you're dealing with a mild pepper, like bell peppers).

• Be sure to have good ventilation, especially with a gas stove.

• Turn on the range fan, and if you have a fan in your kitchen, turn it on.

Prepare & Preheat

Rinse and pat the green Hatch chiles dry. Meanwhile, put an oven rack in the top slot of your oven, approximately 4 inches from the top, and turn on the broiler; if you have a setting, choose high.

Once it's hot, lightly spray oil on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Broil

• Place the chiles on the foil, lightly respray them, and place them under the broiler.

• Check the chiles every couple of minutes and more frequently towards the end as they're charring.

• You'll need to pull out the baking sheet, flip the chiles over, and move them around with metal tongs to ensure you get a good, even char, about 60 to 70% of the chile.

• Broiler time may vary; it will take 5 to 8 minutes under the broiler.

Steam

• Once the Hatch peppers are charred, use tongs to lift them from the baking sheet immediately and place them in a resealable plastic bag or paper bag. Seal the bag.

• This step allows the chiles to sweat and steam, removing the thin outer skin easier once it's cooled enough to handle. This step takes 15 to 30 minutes.

Peel

Hint: Wearing gloves, remove the outer blackened and blistered skin. The metal tongs can help if you need a scraper, but you shouldn't need them.

Next, use your hands to open the softened chiles, scrape the seeds from the inside, and discard the stem, leaving behind the meaty flesh. This will be easy to do if your chiles have been under the broiler long enough.

That's it! Now that you've done the hard work, you can chill. Have a beer, a tamarind margarita, or a blood orange margarita.

Substitutions

If you can't find Hatch chile peppers, here are a few alternatives:

• Anaheim peppers - Anaheim chiles are mild and are typically used in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine.

• Cubanelle peppers are also called Cuban peppers and are six to eight inches in size. They are typically used in Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban cuisine.

• Poblano peppers - This is a mild variety of chile pepper named for the state of Puebla, Mexico, where they originated.

The roasting method in this recipe works well for roasting green peppers of all kinds.

Equipment

Here's a list of what is handy for making this recipe:

• Disposable gloves: We like the nitrile exam gloves we purchased. They're powder-free and latex-free.

• Aluminum foil to line the baking sheet.

• Metal tongs for flipping the chiles over while broiling and then transferring them to a plastic bag.

• Resealable plastic freezer bags to steam the roasted chiles - the gallon size works well. You can also use a bowl that you can tightly cover. I recommend reusable plastic bags or a paper bag over the single-use plastic wrap.

• Metal rimmed baking sheet - A rim is preferable so the chiles don't slide off as you move the tray around.

• I love these silicone oven mitts!

Storage

Refrigerate: Store fresh Hatch chiles in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for up to five days.

After roasting: Store roasted, peeled, and seeded chiles in an airtight glass container in the fridge within two hours of roasting for up to three to five days after they have cooled on the counter. If you haven't eaten them within five days of roasting, freeze them.

Freeze the cooled chiles in a single layer in resealable freezer quart bags.

They will keep in the freezer for up to a year, any longer than that, and they lose their distinctive flavor.

• Stack the bags and put them in the freezer, ensuring the air is squeezed out to prevent surface crystallization.

• Once the chiles are frozen, transfer them to a single bag (squeeze out the air) or freezer-safe glass container.

• You can chop the chilies and place them in small freezer bags or glass containers; that way, you are not dealing with a huge frozen block of chopped chiles.

Hint: Don't discard the ice crystals after freezing for the fullest flavor since they contain heat and flavor from the peppers. Keep them with the pepper after you chop it, and add them to whatever you are cooking.

Expert Tips

• Wear gloves when handling the chiles.

• Do not touch your face or eyes while preparing or handling chiles, as the heat from the chiles can cause burning.

• Remove contact lenses before starting.

FAQ

More Hatch chile recipes

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ★★★★★ below. I love to see your amazing creations on Instagram, make sure to tag me @resplendentkitchen and #resplendentkitchenrecipes. To get more ideas follow me on Facebook and Pinterest.

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