from the archives
Fall is in the air! That means that Hatch Green Chilies are in season and should be on sale between $0.39 – $0.69 per pound. I like to buy in bulk, roast them and then freeze to use all year.
Not only is roasting your own chilies cost effective, but the flavor is so much better than canned.
The Hubs loves them in his burritos, atop burgers and I add them to casseroles for a bit of pizazz.
How to Roast Your Own Green Chilies
Step 1 – Pick the fleshiest green chilies you can find.
Step 2 – Set your oven to broil and remove the seeds and stems, or you can use your grill if there are no burn bans in your area.
Note: Some tutorials recommend roasting the whole chili and then removing the stems and seeds. I find this to be more difficult and time consuming so I remove them before roasting.
Step 3 – Lay chilies in a single layer, flesh side down on a baking sheet. Line with non-stick foil if you’d like.
Step 4 – Broil until the skins are brown black.
Tip: I roast mine only until they are dark brown I find that if I roast them until blackened, sometimes they dry up and I get less product.
Step 5 – Remove from oven and place in large container, cover with a towel and let steam for awhile.
Step 6 – Peel blackened skins away from chili flesh. Be sure to wear gloves to protect your hands (trust me, don’t ignore this part). The skin should peel easily. If you have areas that won’t peel, use a sharp knife to gently scrape flesh from skin.
This is what you should have when you’re done.
Step 6 – Dice or leave whole and freeze in containers or bags until needed.
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t tell you how many gazillion recipes I have that call for diced green chiles, and though I usually keep them in the pantry, I have had the occasional time where I realized that I was out . . . in the middle of preparing the recipe.
I’ll be so happy to replaced canned for fresh or frozen!
I grew up in New Mexico….roasting green chilies is one of the best smells in the world! 🙂
Jennie, where in New Mexico? My husband and I moved to OK from Farmington about 7 years ago.
I like how you show to do it inside the kitchen. I have roasted them a few times outside on my gas grill. I just left them whole after washing and roasted until black. Then with gloved donned, I would peel and remove the top and inside at the same time. It comes off easily if you “burn” them. I hear that the Homeland on south 44th will be roasting them for free in their big rotating roaster this weekend.
I do this often-usually outside on the grill. I have found if you go ahead a freeze the chilis with the black skins on, it slips off easily when they are thawed!