Hatch chiles have a very short season every year in late summer. Instead of paying more to buy roasted hatch chile from your local grocery store, use this super easy guide to roast hatch chile in the oven and then store them in the fridge or freezer to enjoy in the months to come!
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Spicy is my jam. And hot and spicy is my PB and J. I grew up eating chile peppers of all kind – serrano, jalapeno, banana pepper, anaheim pepper, poblano peppers, and even some without distinct names, red and green ones that simply grew in our backyard or someone else’s. I love ’em all. There’s a long list of different varieties of chile peppers but they all have that one thing in common – capsaicin; the active ingredient that produces the heat.
But for a very brief period every August and September, another type of chile pepper makes an appearance in grocery stores across North America – Hatch chile! Also called New Mexico chile, hatch chiles are simply one of several varieties of chile peppers grown in New Mexico. Originating from the Hatch valley region of New Mexico, these chile peppers are grown in a fairly unique habitat that contributes to their somewhat distinct flavor.
So when hatch chile season rolled around this year, I made sure to stock up on them while they were still around and on sale. Hatch chiles are planted around April and then harvested in late summer, and then they are gone for another year. So the best way to make sure you can enjoy them throughout the year is to roast hatch chile and peel them and then store in the fridge/freezer. Hatch chiles were on sale at our local grocery store a couple of weeks ago at 98c per pound which was a pretty good deal that I didn’t want to pass up on. But when I saw that roasted hatch chiles were being sold for a whole dollar more per pound, I knew that wasn’t right.
So I decided to roast hatch chile on my own at home and then store in the freezer for whenever and whatever I wanted them for. It’s super easy, works really well, and the flavors are amazing! You can roast hatch chile over an open flame for that nice charred flavor too.
A few tips for roasting hatch chile –
Pat dry the chile peppers before roasting.
If you’re using an open flame to roast, do NOT coat the chile peppers with oil. You can ditch the oil even if you’re roasting them in the oven, but I prefer to lightly coat them with some oil when I roast them in the oven.
The roasted hatch chiles should be covered (with foil, plastic wrap or a plate) while hot, this is to let them steam which makes peeling a lot easier.
If you’re using the roasted hatch chile right away, then peel them. If you want to store them for later however, it’s better to pack them away WITH the skin. This protects the chile pepper and they last longer that way too.
You can also can them, or vacuum pack them to make them last even longer. I usually store 4-5 roasted hatch chiles in one pack and then freeze them. This way, I can thaw out a pack at a time when needed. If you stored them in the freezer, simply thaw in the fridge overnight. The pepper skin will be easy to peel once defrosted.
If you don’t have access to hatch chiles – use Anaheim peppers instead for similar roasting and storage purposes. However, there will be a difference in flavor if chile pepper is the main ingredient in your dish.
Hatch chile can be very spicy, medium spicy or not spicy at all. This depends largely on the growers. The ones I have access to aren’t very spicy, so I like to add some jalapeno peppers when I cook with them.
Tune in for a couple of fantastic recipes that I made with hatch chiles, which I’ll be sharing on the blog very soon like this delicious spiced pork stuffed hatch chile! 🙂
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How to Roast Hatch Chile in the Oven
Ingredients:
- 450 g Hatch chile peppers 1 lb (approximately 10 - you can use as many peppers as you like). Washed and dried
- Any neutral oil you can also use olive oil or avocado oil
- Salt
Instructions:
- Preheat the broiler to 425°F. Line a baking tray with foil.
- Lightly coat the Hatch chile peppers with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, and place them on the baking tray in a single layer. DO NOT overcrowd the pan.450 g Hatch chile peppers, Any neutral oil, Salt
- Place the baking tray in the upper third of your oven, and roast for about 10 minutes, until the chile peppers start to blister and blacken.
- Using tongs, turn the chile peppers over to roast on the other side for another 10 - 15 minutes.
- When the chile pepper skins have blistered and blackened, remove from the oven.
- Place the roasted Hatch chile peppers in a bowl (while hot), and cover with foil or plastic wrap and let the chile steam.
- If you're using the chile right away, go ahead and peel them (when they're cool enough to handle), and use right away.
- If storing, place the cooled chiles in vacuum bags and vacuum seal them. I store about 3 - 4 chile peppers in one bag to batch freeze them. Store in the freezer until needed. Thaw out in the fridge overnight when you're ready to use them.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Recipes that use Hatch Chile
Dawn says
The whole kitchen smells of pepper wonderfulness. The salt really made the skins pop. Thank you for your clear directions.
Jan P says
Chiles turned out perfect! I had been over-roasting them and losing some of the delicious flesh. Not any more!
Meg L says
There is no option on my oven to preheat the broiler to a certain degree, you can only set it to high or low. What should I do?
Theresa C says
on hi
RickS says
So easy I couldn’t stop until the store was finally out of them!
Gene says
First time trying.
Victoria says
How long do you steam the chili after you roast it?
Dini says
Hi Victoria!
You only need to steam the chile for about 5 – 10 minutes.
Hope that helps!
Lorraine Vlakovich says
Excellent instructions! Worked perfectly! My days of standing over a charcoal grill are over!! Thank you for sharing!
Stacy says
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Jane Gamber says
Great info on my favorite chilis!
John Lee says
These are easy directions to follow and it worked!!! Add red, orange, and green hatch chilies all different shapes!
Dee Dee Justice says
Wonderful! We lived in Las Cruces, NM for a number of years and fell in love with Hatch Green Chilies! I miss the tradition of open market roasting. Thank you for letting me and the family taste NM!
Ronnie says
So good. Used some fresh for white chili and froze others. Spo easy
A Spiegel says
Your recipe implies setting oven to Roast at 425 where heat comes from below rather than broiling on high (heat from above). Am I interpreting this correctly?
Dini says
Hi
In my conventional oven, roasting (or baking), implies that the heat comes from both the top and bottom. The broiler setting only uses the top element, and is what I use in this recipe. I hope that helps
D Summers says
I understand your oven heats with both the upper and lower elements but I’m still a bit confused on whether you use the broiler or the regular oven setting.
Sorry, I’m just a little slow. 🙁
D Summers says
Never mind! Used the broiler on high, chilis came out great.
Chris says
Thanks for the tips can’t wait to do my hatch Chili’s in the oven!
Dolly says
Turned out perfect! The timing in the oven & when to turn you gave was right on. My house smells so good from the roasted hatch chile – as if I’m sitting at a great restaurant:)
Jan Taylor says
Im loving your Hatch tips and recipes.
Lisa Wise says
Fantastic! I love roasting Hatch chillis in the oven. Absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Michael Spoehr says
Looks really good.
Devoreaha says
Trying for the first time today:)
Thank you for your advice !
Harold says
Good sttuff.
Kat says
Hi, I just purchased some Hatch chiles for the first time.Do you leave the seeds in the peppers after roasting? Thank-you
Dini says
Hi Kat
I like to keep the seeds because it doesn’t bother me. However you can remove it if you prefer too.
Emily says
If you remove seeds, can it be done after you’ve frozen whole chilis, or must it be done before freezing, and is it easy to remove seeds after thawing?
Dini says
Hi Emily
In terms of ease, I think before freezing, or after thawing will be the same! So you can do either.
Tracy Rhodes says
Thank you for the tips on how to roast these yummy peppers!
Sherry Smartt says
Can’t wait to try this!!!
John Williams says
Haven’t had Hatch in many years. There is a restaurant here (Chuys) that has great Hatch Chile sauce…. Homemade is better!!
Mary says
I buy mine through the hatch company itself. I used to live in New Mexico but moved to Missouri and found out they ship them. I roast mine on broil for about 7 minutes each side.
Diane Jackson says
Thank you for sharing your recipes! We buy our Hatch NM here in El Paso TX by the box which is a bushel & 1/2 sized box. It’s $8 a box. We used your oven roasting instructions & they turned out great! We eat hatch green Chile in everything & really enjoy chile rellanos & salsa verde that we make ourselves. Thanks again!
Andrea Colaizxi says
I appreciated the directions. I too wanted to roast my own peppers.
Tom Gass says
Very easy. I had always thought I had to stick the roasted peppers in a bowl of ice water but the results were mixed. The steaming method works much better.
Carol Bronson says
Easy peezy
Angela B says
Easy, convenient, and a real life-saver in the Texas heat. Thanks for sharing!
Susan says
After living in NM for a decade, when Ii moved to the East coast, I began to crave those NM Chili’s. My preference is a “middle heat”, which are the Big Jims. Every year for 2 decades since I order them online from New Mexico Connection web site, sometimes frozen, sometimes fresh. I’m sitting here today waiting for an order to be delivered then I can being to roast again. So If anyone isn’t in a location to buy them from a market, you can always go to the Connection online and a 2 delivery is all you have to wait. They carry all levels of heat.
Cheers.
Jeannie says
Thank you! This was a huge help! I moved to the east coast from Colorado and was missing the yearly hatch chili harvest! Was able to order from them with free shipping! The other sites I found were charging more for shipping than the actual chili cost! Again, thanks so much!!!
JC says
Hey, just so you know, Hatch is not a variety (varietal) of chile. It’s simply chile that grows around Hatch which has a terroir* ideal for chile peppers. What’s in the bag may be Sandia, Big Jim, NuMex 6-4, Barker, etc. Each variety of pepper has a characteristic heat and flavor.(Though stressors can affect heat.)
Unfortunately, Anaheim peppers are a poor substitute with virtually no flavor. That’s too bad because I’m surrounded by them. Fortunately, I have a freezer full of the good stuff.
*(the complete natural environment in which a particular crop is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate)
Drew says
Perfect! I happened to have my electric pressure cooker on the counter, just used it with no power for the “steaming” of the peppers, easy clean up. I love the idea of not peeling them until ready to use, a time saver for sue. Will use the vacuum sealer and put them in the freezer. Thanks for the tips and hints!
Bobby Wallace says
Love Hatch Chile’s.
Rebecca says
I enjoyed your way of roasting Hatch green chili. But when I was done, I forgot some in the broiler and found then the next morning, are they still good to eat. Thank you.
chris bermingham says
prob not, cuz when I’ve spaced you can’t easily get the pulp off the tough skin. Just a stringy mess. 4 mins each side under broiler (maybe even less). Pop in the freezer and easier to peel. or keep the skin on and freeze. The beuaty is the skin will keep the pulp immune to freezer burn. Here in Tucson they’re .(( if you can find them. I just bought 20 lbs. Cheers, Chris
JP says
Excited to try this today for my Anaheim Peppers! You mentioned salt in what’s needed but it’s no where in the directions… At what point should I use it? Thanks.
Dini says
Hi JP! I am so sorry for late reply! The salt is added with the oil before the chiles (or Anaheim Peppers) are roasted 🙂 Hope that helps!
JP says
Good, that’s what I did, it worked perfectly, even better than when I used my grill the last time I tried it. This is definitely my new “how to” with chili’s! ️
Bee says
Thanks. Needed another way to cook these besides on the grill. Your advice was easy & came out Good.