new Mexico

delicious hatch green chile chicken casserole.

December 28, 2023 by Becky Spoon

Indulge in the irresistibly cheesy and creamy delight of this Hatch Green Chile Chicken Casserole. It epitomizes comforting goodness, utilizing simple ingredients and effortless preparation. Prepare to be amazed by its delectable taste. I devoured a whole casserole dish of this scrumptiousness within just two days, even enjoying it for breakfast. Truly, it is a culinary triumph.

Hatch Green chile chicken casserole

For this recipe you can either cook your chicken or buy rotisserie chicken. Canned Hatch green chile is typically found in the Mexican food section of stores, the brand 505 offers jarred green chile and they are found in the frozen section of many stores. Another option is to order them from a New Mexico store that ships them to your location. Personally, I order them annually. If you’re lucky, you might live near a store that roasts them for you during the season. Additionally, you will need cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup (or just one of them), corn tortillas, cheese, and chicken broth. Personally, I like to prepare my own stock and freeze it in plastic containers for later use.

I first tried New Mexico Green Chile Chicken Casserole in Las Cruces while my sister resided there, where it enjoys great popularity. I thoroughly enjoyed it when she prepared it, and I continue to make it myself! We prefer to use hatch green chile, and the spiciness of the dish can be adjusted based on whether you opt for mild, medium, or hot chile. I tend to combine medium and mild to get a little heat but not too much. I have tried some New Mexico Hatch chiles very hot.

I have used The Hatch Chile Store to purchase if we haven’t brought them home with us. Their link is: https://www.hatch-green-chile.com . HOWEVER, you can buy green chile in cans on or in the freezer section of your grocery store.

This is comfort food at its best. I like to serve it with pinto beans, https://the2spoons.com/pinto-beans-for-refried-beans/s: shredded lettuce and tomatoes, and some tortilla chips.

Hatch Green chile chicken casserole

I think you’ll add this recipe to your favorites! It’s creamy, spicy from Green Chile, luscious with the cheese and tortillas and hearty with the chicken! Enjoy!

Hatch Green Chile Chicken Casserole

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Prep Time 10

Total Time 55

Servings: 6 Servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 Onion, chopped
1 Can Cream of mushroom soup
1 Can Cream of chicken soup
2 Cups Hatch Green chile (if hot you may want to reduce the amount to 1 cup, then see how much more you want, I used 1 1/2 with hot chiles)
2 Cups Chicken broth
2-3 Cups Chopped or shredded chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tsp Ground cumin
12 Corn tortillas
Grated cheddar for layering and topping
12-15 corn tortillas

Method

Combine the chopped onion, soups, green chiles, chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste in a saucepan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the onions are soft. You don’t sauté the onions first. After the onions are soft add the chicken, stir to combine and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Get your casserole dish, sauce, cheese and tortillas together to start layering.
In a 9×11 casserole or pan put a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom. Top with 6 tortillas (they’ll overlap a little).
Top with a layer of sauce.
Add a layer of cheese, a little sauce, then top with 6 more tortillas.
Add the remaining sauce and cheese.
Cover with foil that you have sprayed or rubbed a little oil on so it won’t stick to your cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and cook about 10 minutes longer.
Serve with pinto beans or refried beans, Mexican rice or even a nice salad and tortilla chips.

we love a new mexico green chile cheeseburger.

September 3, 2021 by Becky Spoon

NEW MEXICO GREEN CHILE CHEESEBURGER! Wow! If you haven’t had one, you must. Not mentioned in the title is that these are actually on homemade potato buns and here’s the recipe for the buns https://the2spoons.com/the-best-potato-hamburger-buns/

Of course, the homemade buns are not necessary, but they make a huge difference! If you don’t make them, get a good potato bun from your deli. A great potato bun I’ve bought on line before is Martin’s Potato Bun. https://amzn.to/3iQ5SJe. Buying them on line isn’t cheap, but they are the best potato buns I’ve ever had. But, a regular hamburger bun will work!

we love a new mexico green chile cheeseburger.

I’m hoping that you bought green chile in the store recently as we’ve just passed this years season. If you didn’t, you can use the canned Hatch Green chile or you can find it in the freezer section of many stores. The green chiles are roasted and the outside skin is removed leaving a beautiful chile!

Every time we are in New Mexico, green chile cheeseburgers are a requirement. Many times we are there during chile harvesting season and we load up and bring them home to keep in the freezer.

They come in mild, medium or hot. It’s just a personal preference as to the heat level you like.

we love a new mexico green chile cheeseburger.

I cooked this on a charcoal grill, but a gas grill will be great too, whatever you have available. I use 80/20 ground beef for any burger recipe If you’re going to eat a burger, you have to have that fat for flavor. If I’m making a smash burger I may even use a 73/27 ground beef which is 27% fat. Honestly, I won’t make a burger with any number above 80/20.

I also used two cheeses, cheddar and muenster. Also, you want to be sure and place the green chile on top of the meat patty, then place the cheese over the green chile.

Now, here’s the recipe!! If you haven’t had green chile, you are in for a treat!

Green Chile Cheeseburgers

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb ground beef (80/20 or 73/27)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic
3 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
4 whole Hatch Chile (You can use chopped if that is what is available to you)
4-8 slices cheese of your choice (I used cheddar and Muenster
4-5 Buns
lettuce
tomatoes
chipotle mayonnaise

Equipment

Grill of your choice

Method

In a medium bowl combine ground beef, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Mix with hands to combine. Form into four 1/3 lb patties.
When ready to cook, Prepare the grill of your choice.
Toss the garlic with 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper; seal them in foil to form a pouch. Brush the onions with the remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste.
If you are using chile from the fresh point, grill the whole chiles, onions and garlic for about 15 minutes, until the chiles are blackened all over (turning them every 5 minutes), and the onions are tender and grill-marked (turning them, and the garlic pouch, after 7 or 8 minutes).
Place the chiles in a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and steam the skins loose, about 10 minutes. Peel and seed the chiles, chop finely and transfer to a medium bowl. If you are using purchased chile, most likely this process has been completed, You can purchase whole green chile that has been charred and skins removed, or the same with the canned chopped chle, they are ready to go. The freezer section usually has chopped ready to use also.
Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and the onions and add to the chiles. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir to mix, and set aside until ready to use.
Place the burger patties on the grill and cook each side 4 minutes or until desired doneness (140 degrees F for medium). In the last minute or two, top each patty with the chile mixture, then cheese to melt.
Lightly toast the burger buns if desired.
To build the burger, place patties on burger buns, spread the chipotle mayonnaise, layer the bottom with lettuce and tomato, and top with your burger that has the green chile mixture and cheese. Enjoy!

Chipotle Mayonnaise

Combine one cup mayonnaise with one chipotle chile with 1 tsp sauce from the can.

We Love New Mexico Hatch Red Chile Beef Enchiladas Too!

August 22, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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New Mexico Hatch Red Chile Beef Enchiladas! Awe…we love them too! Just like the green chile beef enchiladas! Ok! I promise! This is the last New Mexico chile post for a couple of days! Several days ago I posted New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce, then New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce Beef Enchiladas. Yesterday, I posted the New Mexico Hatch Red Chile Sauce and I promised I’d post my Hatch Red Chile Beef Enchiladas too! So here we go!

Hope you enjoy this recipe! It is absolutely one of our favorites. I make a large batch and store in the freezer in quart bags so that when we get a craving for New Mexico style Mexican food the sauce is already ready!

Just like green chile sauce, there are so many uses for the red chile sauce. Enchiladas, burritos, tacos, red chile pork, and tamales to name a few! I love it for breakfast on a breakfast burrito loaded with eggs, sausage, and potatoes.

We Love New Mexico Hatch Red Chile Beef Enchiladas Too!

The New Mexico Hatch Red Chile is the green chile that has been allowed to ripen, then they are dried. Many times they are strung on a ristra and you can hang them in your home to dry or continue to dry. http://newmexicocatalog.com/html/ristras_and_wreaths.html.

After the chiles are dried they are ready for use. The stems are removed from the chile, the seeds are removed, they are toasted a little in an iron skillet or griddle, then added to a pot with water and cooked for a little bit until they become soft. They are then removed from the liquid, placed in a blender or food processor and blended to a puree. They are then strained through a strainer so that any skin or seeds are left behind and you are left with a beautiful chile paste to use to make your sauce.

I often have red chile that I purchased in New Mexico; however, if I am out, you can purchase at your local grocery store like the photo below. They do come bagged by different brands. The HEB I go to has bins of dried chile, so I usually get them from the large bins, but either they both are the same. Just be sure and check for the heat you want, as there will be mild, medium and hot.

We Love New Mexico Hatch Red Chile Beef Enchiladas Too!

I usually serve these with my pinto beans and easy Mexican rice. https://the2spoons.com/pinto-beans-for-refried-beans/.

I don’t have a recipe on the blog yet for the easy Mexican Rice but it is: Place a little oil in a skillet and add one cup long grain rice. Cook the rice until it has browned a little, making sure not to burn. Add one chopped garlic clove and stir quickly so that it too will not burn. Add two cups of water and one cube of Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor, breaking it up into the water and stirring to help it dissolve. When the water comes back to a boil, immediately reduce to a simmer, place a lid onto your pan and cook until all the water has absorbed about 15-20 minutes. Delicious!

Hope you love these as much as we do! Use this sauce for so many other recipes! I love this for breakfast on burritos! Make the red and green chile and make your dishes Christmas style like they do in New Mexico! Perfection!

New Mexico Hatch Red Chile Beef Enchiladas

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Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

8 oz (about 20-25 dried whole red New Mexican chile pods, mild, medium or hot, or a combination
2-4 cups water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tsps Mexican Oregano, crushed and 1 tsp salt or to taste

For the filling and assembly

1 lb ground beef
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
12 corn tortillas
oil for frying the corn tortillas
1/2-1 lb cheddar cheese grated or a combination of cheddar and monterey jack (the amoun djust depends on how much cheese you want…some for stuffing and some for topping).
salt and pepper to season the ground beef
Prepared Red Chile Sauce

Method

For the Red Chile Sauce

Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chile pods. Toast the chile pods in a heavy skillet over medium heat until they are warm and release their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Remove the chile pieces and place into a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the chile is soft.
Remove the chile from the liquid and place into a blender or food processor. Blend until a smooth paste. Strain the paste, pushing through with the back of a spoon. This takes a few minutes. You just want to keep straining, pushing the puree through leaving behind any skin or seeds, adding a lilttle water if you need to.
Warm the oil in a skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is limp. Add the chile mixture to the onion mixture, along with the oregano and salt , adding more water. You want a pourable sauce, not a thick sauce.
Cook for about 15 minutes, taste and adjust the seasonings. When ready the sauce will coat the back of a spoon but still be pourable. At this point I always strain again, pushing through the sauce, leaving behind any solids. This is not mandatory, but if I'm making enchiladas I want a very smooth sauce. Enjoy!

For the filling and assembly

Heat a large skillet with a little oil. When sizzling, place a corn tortilla in the oil for just a second to soften and remove to a paper towel. I place one side of the tortilla in oil, place the not oiled side up, repeat the process and put the oil side onto the unoiled previous tortilla. Sounds complicated, but not turning in the skillet and letting both sides into the oil helps with the tortillas holding together and to not fall apart…so basically your first tortilla is oil on the bottom, none on top but you'll top that with the oiled one, on and on. Set the tortillas aside.
Grate your cheese and chop your onions.
Cook your meat in a skillet with salt and pepper just until lightly browned.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Get a large baking dish or individual plates if you prefer. Line up all your ingredients so easy folding.
place a tortilla down on a flat surface. Add your desired amount of beef, onion and cheese. Roll the tortilla with the seam side down and place in the baking dish or in a plate. Continue until all the tortillas have been used. You want to kind of eye the filling to make sue you have enough to the last tortilla or that you have used all of it by the last tortilla.
Ladle some of the sauce over the enchiladas, insuring the ends have sauce and the entire enchilada is covered in a little sauce. Add cheese down the middle of your enchiladas. You can cover if you really like them cheesy, but remember ou have cheese in the filling.
Place the enchiladas in the hot oven and cook just until your cheese has melted.
I serve these with Mexican rice and pinto beans! Yum! Delicious!

We Love New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Beef Enchiladas

August 20, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Beef Enchiladas are a favorite in our home and it is no secret that the 2 Spoons love Mexican food whether it be our beloved Tex-Mex or New Mexico style which is different when it comes to the sauces. New Mexico style uses a green enchilada sauce and a red enchilada sauce. Both sauces have additional uses and they both are made from the Hatch Chile.

Green chile sauce is made from roasting fresh Hatch green chiles. The Red sauce is from Hatch green chile that has been allowed to ripen, turn red and then dried. They are grown in Hatch New Mexico and you can’t duplicate these growing them anywhere else. Here’s a link for the village of Hatch which is considered the Chile Capital of the World! http://www.villageofhatch.org.

We love both. The green and red chile both come in mild, medium and hot. You kind of don’t know what the heat level you are getting because hot is sometimes really hot and sometimes it’s not hot at all. I usually get a medium and a mild and maybe a few bags of hot and mix until the right heat for a dish.

We Love New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Beef Enchiladas

The recipe for these beef enchiladas with Hatch green chile uses my green chile sauce from a previous post. Here’s the link for that post: https://the2spoons.com/a-favorite-new-mexico-hatch-green-chile-sauce/. Sometimes we make beef enchiladas with a red and green sauce which is called Christmas in restaurants in New Mexico. That’s usually what I order because I want a little taste of both! Yum! So delicious are they both! I’ll be posting a new recipe for the red chile soon so you too can make Christmas Enchiladas. Sometimes we like to do the green chile enchiladas with chicken, but beef is our favorite.

We love New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Beef Enchiladas

Cannot wait for you to try this recipe. I think you will love it. I make up large batches of the green and red sauces and freeze them so that when I want New Mexico food, I have it already prepared.

New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Beef Enchiladas

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Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 to 1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced or grated
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups pureed green chile, mild, medium-hot from fresh roasted chile that the seeds have been removed, the stems and the outside char has been romoved.
2 cups water
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

For the filling and assembly

1 lb ground beef
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
12 corn tortillas
oil for frying the corn tortillas
1/2-1 lb cheddar cheese grated or a combination of cheddar and monterey jack (the amoun djust depends on how much cheese you want…some for stuffing and some for topping).
salt and pepper to season the ground beef
Prepared Green Chile Sauce

Method

For the Green Chile Sauce

Warm the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour and continue cooking for another 1 or 2 minutes.
Mix in the chile. Immediately begin pouring in the water or stock, stirring as you go, then add the salt. Add the cumin and oregano if adding.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until thickened but still very pourable. Use warm or refrigerate for later use.
For an extra smooth sauce, I like to strain pushing the solids as much as you can through with the back of your spoon. You won't get all the solids, but you will definitely get the amazing flavors.

For the filling and assembly

Heat a large skillet with a little oil. When sizzling, place a corn tortilla in the oil for just a second to soften and remove to a paper towel. I place one side of the tortilla in oil, place the not oiled side up, repeat the process and put the oil side onto the unoiled previous tortilla. Sounds complicated, but not turning in the skillet and letting both sides into the oil helps with the tortillas holding together and to not fall apart…so basically your first tortilla is oil on the bottom, none on top but you'll top that with the oiled one, on and on. Set the tortillas aside.
Grate your cheese and chop your onions.
Cook your meat in a skillet with salt and pepper just until lightly browned.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Get a large baking dish or individual plates if you prefer. Line up all your ingredients so easy folding.
place a tortilla down on a flat surface. Add your desired amount of beef, onion and cheese. Roll the tortilla with the seam side down and place in the baking dish or in a plate. Continue until all the tortillas have been used. You want to kind of eye the filling to make sue you have enough to the last tortilla or that you have used all of it by the last tortilla.
Ladle some of the sauce over the enchiladas, insuring the ends have sauce and the entire enchilada is covered in a little sauce. Add cheese down the middle of your enchiladas. You can cover if you really like them cheesy, but remember ou have cheese in the filling.
Place the enchiladas in the hot oven and cook just until your cheese has melted.
I serve these with Mexican rice and pinto beans! Yum! Delicious!