How to Fire-Roast Hatch Chiles and The 12 Best Hatch Chile Recipes!

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Hatch chile recipes are incredibly popular in the southwestern and western portions of the United States. Hatch chiles are a deliciously spicy long green pepper that packs a fair amount of heat.

They are in stores now...so if you like spicy, give them a try. Watch our video tutorial to learn how to roast hatch chiles and get 10 delicious hatch chile recipes to help you explore new ways to enjoy these peppers.

You can also use hatch chiles in desserts! If you want to try something different, be sure to try this homemade Gluten Free Hatch Chile Apple Pie recipe!

Click for Table of Contents:

• What are hatch chiles?
• Varieties of hatch chiles:
• How spicy are hatch green chile peppers?
• How to roast hatch chiles on a grill:
• How to roast hatch green chiles on a stove:
• Do you have to peel the skin off?
• How to peel fire-roasted hatch green chiles:
• Can you freeze hatch chiles?

What are hatch chiles?

Hatch chiles are grown in Hatch, New Mexico (hence their name!) and are a wildly popular spicy pepper. They are most common in the Southwest, but they do show up in other areas of the country like here in the Bay Area! Hach chiles are not for the weak at heart because these peppers are spicy!

I used to think hatch chiles were a specific type of chile, but I was wrong. Hatch really just refers to a region where chiles are grown.

Varieties of hatch chiles:

• New Mexico #20 is the mildest of the chiles.
• Big Jim is medium hot/spicy.
• Sandia Select is HOT.
• New Mexico green chile 6-4 is the most common chile.

How spicy are hatch green chile peppers?

If you love spicy peppers, these roasted hatch chile recipes are for you. Follow along with me and find a new recipe using hatch chiles to try!

You will find easy breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes that help you use these special chiles. Here is an easy to follow, short video explaining how to fire-roast hatch chiles!"

Are you ready to don your gloves and roast some New Mexico green chiles? I can't stress enough that you want to wear gloves when you are peeling the skin off these roasted chiles. If you forget and then touch your eyes, it really hurts!!

I tossed the green chiles onto my grill and allowed them to blister. You want the skins to be very blistered.

How to roast hatch chiles on a grill:

1. Heat your grill to about 400 degrees.
2. Wash your hatch chiles.
3. Toss them on the grill whole.
4. Let them get burned and blistered!
5. Remove from the grill and allow the peppers to cool. This will help to loosen their skin.
6. Don gloves and carefully peel off the burnt skin.
7. Remove the stems and seeds.
8. These are spicy and a little hatch chile pepper goes a long way in a recipe. I cut my chiles into small pieces and freeze them in an ice cube tray. Once they are frozen, I pop them into a freezer bag so I have them on hand all year long.

How to roast hatch green chiles on a stove:

1. Turn on your stove.
2. Heat a cast iron pan until it is hot. Add a teaspoon or two of a high heat oil like avocado oil. You just barely want to coat the pan so less is better.
3. Add the chiles and allow to char on each side. Turn to char each side.
4. Allow the peppers to cool.
5. Follow steps 6-8 above.

Do you have to peel the skin off?

I get asked this question a lot. Hatch green chiles have very thick skins and peeling them is important. The thick skin also leaves a not so good after-taste, so I am giving you easy directions to peel your green chiles.

How to peel fire-roasted hatch green chiles:

Once you remove the chiles from the grill or stove, place them on a plate or in a dish to cool slightly. This cooling allows the skin to soften which will make peeling them a lot easier.

As I mention above, you want to use gloves when peeling your hatch chiles. Grab a hatch chile and pinch a blistered area and pull. The skin will pull back easily from the chile. I don't use the skins for anything so I just toss them into the trash.

Can you freeze hatch chiles?

The best way to preserve your hatch chiles is to freeze them. I freeze hatch chiles ALL of the time. Hatch chiles are only available a few short months in the summer so if you want to enjoy their spicy flavor all year round, you will want to freeze them.

Make sure you fire-roast and peel the hatch chiles before freezing them! I place the peeled hatch chiles into a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out the air and freeze them.

Are you ready to feast your eyes on some delicious ways to enjoy hatch chiles?

If you love all types of chiles, here are 8 amazing Shishito Pepper recipes to try! 

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