This Hatch Chile Enchilada Sauce Recipe has incredible flavor and can be used in any recipe calling for enchilada sauce. Substitute poblanos if you prefer.
Who’s gotten their hands on some hatch chiles this year? What have you made with them??
I am so addicted I can’t stand myself anymore 🙂
This enchilada sauce recipe was created solely to use up more of my hatch chile stash. That, and it was my dad’s birthday last week and I knew he’d love some. So I made a few big batches, some for me, some for Dad.
This is my favorite enchilada sauce recipe to date. It’s not spicy at all (I know, can you believe that me-oh-my didn’t put spice in it??) although the hatch chiles were very mild this year. Next year I could make this exact recipe with no alterations and it could turn out super burn-your-mouth-and-grab-a-beer-fast spicy. My mom isn’t a fan of spicy though and since I figured she’d be eating some herself, I let my dad add his spice himself.
You can also substitute other chiles in this easy enchilada sauce recipe, especially since hatch are only around for a short time each year and can be difficult to find. Poblanos would be fantastic – they’re actually my favorite chile of all. Use this enchilada sauce recipe in any recipe that calls for enchilada sauce and it makes a great canning recipe, too. Nothing like being in the middle of a frigid winter and remembering you’ve got some hatch chile enchilada sauce in your pantry!
Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Homemade enchilada sauce is the key to amazing Mexican food. This hatch chile version will have you swooning over your own cooking!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 14.5 ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 large hatch chiles, roasted, stemmed and deseeded (or poblano or anaheim)
- 1 small jalapeno, chopped (optional if you want some spice, leave seeds in for extra spicy)
- 1 tablespoon fresh hot and spicy oregano, or regular oregano
- 2-3 large pinches kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add oil, then onions and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes or until starting to soften and translucent. Add cumin; sauté for a minute or so. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture, cook and stir for a minute or two. Slowly stir in chicken broth until no flour clumps remain. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another five minutes or so until mixture is hot and thickened.
- Add chiles, oregano, sauce from skillet and jalapeno (if using; consider adding a small amount of pepper until you reach desired heat level) to a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix). Process on high until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 59Sodium: 422mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 1g
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Jan
Saturday 21st of August 2021
Hatch is a farming TOWN and Poblano is a Variety of chile. They are not exchangable! The Chile grown in and around HATCH are all sorts of varieties eg, Anaheim, Big Jim, Sandia.... Different varieties are different heats (Anaheim is mild, Sandia is Med/Hot. Different chile grown in different soil will have different taste. This means that Sandia grown in the Mesilla valley near Hatch will have a different taste than that grown near Chimayo in Northern NM. (Chimayo chile is usually picked red and has a more smokey flavor from the soil) and has a wonderful taste.
Kristy Bernardo
Saturday 21st of August 2021
Hi Jan! Having been to Hatch, toured hatch chile farms, and studied chiles at the New Mexico Chili Institute, I'm aware that they're not exchangeable. However, if someone doesn't have any hatch chiles on hand, poblano is a good choice. The Big Jim is my personal favorite but I definitely love them all!
Fufi
Tuesday 8th of September 2020
Love this recipe! It’s so easy and flavorful. I’ve made it three times now. Our last batch of chilies were really mild so the addition of a jalapeño when sautéing onions and garlic really elevated an already delicious (but tame) sauce. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Kristy Bernardo
Wednesday 16th of September 2020
A jalapeño sounds wonderful! So happy you love it!
D
Saturday 12th of October 2019
Why is there no option to print the recipe on your site? This is very inconvenient for the users who do not simply want to share or pin something.
Kristy
Saturday 9th of November 2019
There is a print button just above the ingredient list. Some of my old recipes don't have one, however, and I'm slowly converting them over (most of those recipes don't get much traffic so it hasn't been a high priority...yet).
Andrea
Wednesday 22nd of August 2018
Can this be easily frozen for later?? I have such a big batch of hatches and don’t want them to go to waste!
Kristy
Thursday 23rd of August 2018
I haven't tried but I don't see why not!
Dianna
Monday 20th of March 2017
Okay, Kristy...you opened up a can of worms when you said it could be canned, too!....lol! I would love to know how to water bath this recipe or just the chiles themselves as I'm sure other Hatch chile fiends would like to know. I just tasted my first batch of Hatch chiles last year and oh my, were they delicious!! I made a green chile with them (no tomatillos) and it was one of the best chiles I've ever made! I saved the seed from the mild and the hot Hatch chiles hoping I could grow them in California this summer. If not, I'm gonna try to wipe out the local supply when I come across them! Not a threat but a promise...lol! I would like to know how to save some for the other 9 or 10 months of the year when I can't get my hands on them.
JC
Tuesday 10th of September 2019
You can freeze green chile. That’s what most New Mexicans do. Roast chile, cool and bag in freezer bags. Some folks peel and chop before bagging. Lasts all year. Canning changes the flavor and it takes a long time as it needs to water bathe for longer than 5-15 minutes. Some pressure can and it’s at least an hour.