All About Hatch Chiles: Roasting, Storing, and Delicious Recipes

Discover the unique flavor of Hatch chiles, along with tips on how to roast them, store them for freshness, and ideas for delicious recipes. These spicy and smoky chiles are only harvested once a year and are highly desired for their irresistible flavor.

What is So Special About Hatch Chiles?

Short story: They are uncommon, seasonal, and have an incredibly unique flavor.

Hatch chile peppers are only grown in Hatch Valley, New Mexico, coming into season during the late summer. It’s a sense of urgency because once they are gone, they are gone. Well, until the following year.

New Mexico hosts an annual Hatch Chile Festival, drawing in 30,000+ people to their tiny town for the celebration. These are a big deal!

There are many varieties of Hatch Chile Peppers. Red and green aren’t the only choices, other characteristics such as heat, pungency, and size vary as well. However the most common, the one you’ll likely find in stores, is named the Big Jim. It tends to be the largest variety of chile and has a medium heat level, making it one of the most versatile of Hatch chiles.

Read this article on the Hatch Chile Store if you’d like to learn more about the different varieties.

What Do Hatch Chiles Taste Like?

Hatch chiles have a wide range of heat, which largely depends on the color of the chile. Sometimes (just like a shishito pepper) you’ll find a green one that lights a fire in your mouth. At the top end of the Scoville scale, it will be as spicy as a hot jalapeno.

Scoville Heat Units (SHU): 1000 – 8000

Roasting the Hatch chiles is important, as it creates a very unique flavor profile. Once roasted and peeled the Hatch chiles taste slightly smoky, and have a rich, almost buttery taste.

Tips for Buying Hatch Chiles

Once the season starts, you may see them at markets or in grocery stores. Over the years, they have become more widely available across the country.

Roasted or Fresh – If you can find these chiles already roasted, that’s a huge time saver. In the southwest, markets will have large rotating roasting baskets filled with chiles, spinning over the fire. The vendors will sell bags by the pound of already roasted Hatch chiles, saving time and energy.

Purchasing fresh chiles will give you more options, as you can hand-pick colors, shapes, and sizes. Try to find chiles that are smooth, and not overly wrinkled. You’ll need to go home and roast them yourself, so make sure to read below on how to roast Hatch chiles.

Green or Red – How spicy do you want it? That’s all you need to ask yourself because red and orange chiles tend to be spicier than deep green chiles.

Straight and Long – Don’t laugh, that’s childish. Seriously though, you’ll want to choose chiles that are as straight as possible if you’re planning to grill them or roast them in the oven. They are much easier to char and will be simpler to peel as well.

How to Roast Hatch Chiles

This process is much easier than it seems, and you can use either a grill or an oven to roast them. Gas grills work too, you just need some direct heat!

Grilling

Charcoal grill: Light the coals to create an even, medium heat. Leave a small cool spot on the side. Place the chiles directly over the coals and roast on each side until the skin is dark and blistered. Move the chiles to the cool side of the grill until they are all roasted.

Gas grill: Set the burners to medium-high heat on one side. Place the chiles directly over the heat and roast on each side until the skin is dark and blistered. Move the chiles to the cool side of the grill until they are all roasted.

Place them in a sealed container, allowing them to steam for about 15-20 minutes before peeling.

Oven Roasting

Turn the oven to broil. Add a sheet of foil to a baking sheet and a light spray of cooking oil. Place the chiles on the foil in an even layer, and set in the oven. Stay nearby and watch closely, they will need to be flipped about every 4-6 minutes depending on the oven. Continue to do so until they are roasted on each side and the skin is dark and blistered.

Place them in a sealed container, allowing them to steam for about 15-20 minutes before peeling.

Caution: If you oven-roast Hatch chiles, be prepared for the house to smell. The roasted chile flavor is quite strong.

Peeling and Storing

You can immediately store the chiles without peeling them! However, I highly recommend peeling them right after roasting:

• You need to peel them anyway, and it’s much faster to grab & cook if they are ready to go.
• They get slimy in the freezer bags when thawed. It’s not fun to peel after thawing.

Wear protective gloves when peeling Hatch chiles. I cannot stress this enough. Not only will you have charred bits of chile skin all over your hands, I promise you will be tempted to scratch your face or rub your eyes… and that is not good. Be safe, wear gloves. Here are my recommended gloves for prepping food.

You can remove the stems and seeds. This is not a requirement for storing, but again, you’ll probably need to do it when you’re ready to use them.

You can chop them up before storing them. Do you always want to have diced Hatch chiles on hand? Go for it, just make sure that you press out the air when you store them in a freezer bag.

DO NOT RINSE WITH WATER! As tempting as this may be, washing the chiles will remove some of the natural oils that are flavorful, but also help to maintain the freshness of the chiles. They will have less taste and will spoil faster. Not worth it.

Storage Tips

Roasted Hatch chile peppers will keep in the fridge for up to about 5-6 days, then they will start to turn watery and soft. You can keep them in the freezer for months, just set the bag on the counter to thaw them before using.

Cool them off before storing them. Hot steam can create bacteria, causing your chiles to spoil. Make sure they are cooled to room temperature before sealing.

Use zipped plastic storage bags. Freezer bags work very well if you plan to roast and freeze them. Layer the chiles to fill the bag, and have it freeze flat. They will stack easily in most freezers.

Write the date. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten which bags are which. Use a sharpie, and note it on the front of the bag.

Hatch Chile Recipes

We have plenty of recipes to satisfy your chile craze. Take a look at our most popular Hatch chile pepper recipes and join in the fun.

Hatch Chile Pico De Gallo

Dive into a bowl of Hatch Chile Pico de Gallo, featuring smoky chiles, juicy tomatoes, fresh cilantro, sweet onion, and a splash of lime.

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Hatch Chile Smoked Shrimp

Savor bold flavors of Hatch chile smoked shrimp, combining a skillet of smoked tender shrimp swimming in a pool of rich, spicy garlic butter. 

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Hatch Chile Queso Burger

Dive into a savory Hatch Chile Queso Burger with roasted chiles, melty pepper jack cheese, and zesty pico de gallo for a flavor-packed bite.

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Roasted Hatch Chile Salsa Verde

This simple recipe for roasted hatch chile salsa verde needs to be doubled. This smoky, fiery salsa will go on just about everything.

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Hatch Chile Chimichurri Sauce

You must make this fresh blend of herbs, chiles, spices and fat. Hatch chile chimichurri belongs on anything roasted, smoked, or grilled.

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Creamy Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese

Creamy, luscious, decadent, and oh so cheesy, Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese is the ultimate celebration of Hatch chile season.

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Roasted Hatch Chile Jam

Sweet, sticky, spicy, and a little sultry. Roasted Hatch Chile Jam is the snap, crackle, and pop of condiments you need in your life.

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Smoked Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Hatch Chiles

This Stuffed Pork Tenderloin packs the flavor from the spicy hatch chiles, creamy cheese, and sweet BBQ rub. Rolled up and slowly smoked, this juicy meal will impress anyone.

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