New Mexico Hatch chile peppers are a popular spicy pepper with a depth of flavor that allows it to be used to create delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes. Learn how Hatch chiles have become one of the most popular chile peppers in America. Then make some of your favorite Mexican foods using these delicious Hatch green chile recipes below!
What’s up with the New Mexico Chile Pepper craze? Is it normal to get so obsessed with a chile pepper? For us here in Colorado, it’s completely normal because we happen to have neighbors to the South that spoil us with their famous Hatch Chile Peppers.
Each Fall, we celebrate the arrival of Hatch Chile peppers. Parking lots and roadside stands fire up their chile roasting drums and the aromas of New Mexico chiles fill the air.
We evangelize and we obsess. We talk constantly about them and we add Hatch chile peppers to almost everything we cook. And we stock our freezers with baggies full of the roasted chile peppers.
What are Hatch Chiles?
There are several New Mexico chile varieties, but the Hatch chile peppers are highly coveted. Simply stated, for a chile pepper to be labeled “Hatch” it must be grown in the Hatch Valley in Southern New Mexico.
The town of Hatch, New Mexico (population 1,600) and the Hatch Valley region are home to some of the most coveted chile peppers on the market.
Known as Hatch peppers, these chiles are more than a single type. In fact, there’s a wide selection of sub-varieties grown in the Hatch Valley, that fall under the title of “Hatch chiles” which gives Hatch peppers a wide swing on the Scoville scale.
If you have ever lived in or visited New Mexico, you likely know that New Mexico chile peppers are part of the rich culture and heritage that the state is famous for.
In 1999, the New Mexico legislature adopted an official state question; “red vs. green chile”. If you have dined in a traditional New Mexico restaurant, you have likely been asked which type of chile pepper you prefer, a red or green chile. The debate over red vs. green chilies will likely last for generations to come.
Basically, a red chile pepper is one that’s been left on the plant long enough that the pepper turns red. Most chile peppers are harvested as green.
Are Hatch Chile Peppers Hot?
Hatch New Mexico chile peppers vary in their level of heat, but the spiciness of Hatch green chili varieties is often compared to Anaheim chilies. They have a great balance of smoky and sweet flavors.
New Mexico Chile Powder
You bet I own a good supply of both red Hatch Chile Powder and green Hatch Chile Powder, as well as other varieties of chile powders from regions in New Mexico.
How to make chile powder? Chile peppers are dried and then ground into a fine powder to use in sauces, soups, and chili. And to season tacos, enchiladas and burritos. It’s flat out delicious.
And one of the most sought after New Mexico chile powder is Chimayo Chile Powder. With an exquisite copper red color and a bold flavor that can’t be beat, it’s my first choice for cooking any Southwestern recipe.
Be cautious of purchasing packages of chile powder labeled Chimayo Chile Powder. It only comes from Chimayo, New Mexico and comes with a pretty price tag. I’ve seen bags of chile powder labeled Chimayo that are selling for $3.00. I doubt this is authentic. Bags sold in Chimayo sell for $15 – $25.
I purchase my Chimayo chile powder in the village of Chimayo and trust the purchases from the Trading Post next to El Santuatio de Chimayo. I’ve also feel comfortable with my purchases from Ortega Weaving in Chimayo.
- Pure Chimayo Red Chile Powder comes from Chimayo, New Mexico
- Chimayo Chile comes from a less common strain of pepper, called Capsicum annuum Chimayo.
- This distinctive smaller Chile has been adapted to live in the high and dry arid climate of northern New Mexico.
- The chile is grown in small batches from original heirloom seeds passed down from generation to generation.
- The local families in Chimayo have been farming this strain of chile for over four hundred years.
- Chimayo Red Chile powder is wonderful in any Southwestern dish as it maintains its heat without being overwhelming.
- It’s excellent in soups, chili, stews, and sauces.
Hatch Pepper Recipes
The versatility of Hatch chiles to be used in Mexican food recipes is amazing! You can use them to create everything from Hatch chile dip and Hatch green chile sauce to breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes.
We’ve even heard of people who add Hatch green chile peppers to Mexican dessert recipes like Hatch chile apple pie!
Here are some of our favorite Hatch green chile recipes:
Hatch Chile Breakfast Recipes
Using the Hatch New Mexico chile peppers in these easy breakfast recipes gives them a little extra kick to get you going in the morning!
Hatch Pepper Recipes with Chicken
Chicken recipes with Hatch chiles are the most popular, probably because smoky chilies pair so well with the blank canvas of chicken breasts! Let’s take a look at these Hatch Chile chicken recipes.
Hatch Chile Burgers
Appetizers – Hatch Green Chile Recipes
When game day rolls around and you’re looking for a spicy party appetizer, make one of these delicious Hatch chile appetizers. They’ll be the hit of the party!
Green Chile Stew Recipes and Soup Recipes
More Delicious Hatch Chile Recipes
Whether you want a spicy stew, some Hatch chile chili, or some New Mexico chile quesadillas, we’ve got you covered! These tasty comfort food dinner recipes are easy to make and are hearty enough to please the biggest of eaters.
Colorado Chile Peppers, The Pueblo Chile
The Southern part of Colorado also is well known for growing chile peppers. The Pueblo chile is the most famous chile of Southern Colorado.
Its pungency ranges between 5,000 and 20,000 Scoville Heat Units, the measurement method used to rank chile heat. Pueblo chilies are comparable in heat to moderate jalapeno peppers, and are usually a little warmer than cayenne peppers.
The growing conditions in Southeastern Colorado make for some of the best chile available. Hot, dry, sunny summer days, combined with our rich soils and pure Colorado Rocky Mountain water yield some of the hottest and most flavorful chilies. Watch out for the little ones – they’ve been tortured the most and are the hottest.
Colorado chile peppers are mostly Mirasol peppers. The name means “looking at the sun”. It grows reaching for the sun rather than handing down from the plant. And in dried form are called Guajillo peppers. They are easy to find and commonly used in Mexican And Southwest Recipes.
Pueblo Chile vs Hatch Chile
Compared to New Mexico Hatch Chile, a Pueblo Chiles are bigger, meatier and hotter. And I’m here to say has a more notable chile flavor.
Hatch green chiles are grown in the Hatch Valley in New Mexico about 500 miles to the South of Pueblo. Each state believes that their unique growing conditions yield the better tasting pepper, but this is a debate that may never be laid to rest, since flavors depend so much on personal preference.
Recipes Using Colorado Pueblo Chiles
