What Are Hatch Chiles And What Makes Them Unique

Whether you're watching Hot Ones with Sean Evans or perusing the growing hot sauce selection at grocery stores, you may have noticed that America seems to be having a bit of a chili pepper renaissance. Some popular chili pepper varieties include jalapeños and habaneros, but new chili peppers like the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X have been developed in recent years to bring the heat to a whole new level. Chili peppers are a great way to introduce unique flavors and spice into everything from tacos and salsa to soups and sandwiches. Those who prefer more delicate flavors and spice levels often gravitate towards hatch chiles — also referred to as New Mexico chiles. 

Hatch chiles are a staple in kitchens across the country and you may have some lingering questions about this popular pepper. If you'd like to learn more about what hatch chiles are and what makes them unique, then you're in the right place.

Named after the region that they're grown in (Hatch Valley, New Mexico), hatch chiles have a subtle spice and tasty flavor that give them mass appeal. They are typically wider and a few inches longer than jalapeños, and their heat level can fluctuate anywhere from mild to medium. Hatch chiles start out green and mild, but over time they develop red skin and become spicier and more complex. Hatch chiles can add a lot of flavor to dishes without being overpowering.

Once hatch chiles have been harvested, they are typically sold fresh in produce sections or roasted, diced, and canned. Various brands of canned diced hatch chiles are widely available in grocery stores across the country. Hatch chiles are used in everything from melty queso dip to cornbread and they're even used in some specialty cocktails. Affordable and easy to use in lots of different recipes, hatch chiles are a great ingredient for home cooks and chefs to experiment with.

Hatch chiles are grown in the high desert of New Mexico. Today's hatch chiles are descendants of chili pepper plants that are centuries old and were first grown by Hispanic and Pueblo communities in the region. The valley that hatch chiles are grown in was a floodplain for the Rio Grande, which made the land extra fertile. The deeply rich soil around Hatch Valley is a big part of what makes hatch chiles so distinctive and delicious.

Once hatch chiles have been harvested, they are typically sold fresh and whole or roasted and canned. Hatch chiles are often prepared for sale in a pepper roaster, which is a rotating metal cage that spins and sears the peppers. The spinning cycle ensures that the peppers are evenly roasted and batches usually only take a few minutes. To get a similar result, home cooks can also roast hatch chiles over the flames of a grill and then gently scrape off the blackened skin.

Hatch chiles and jalapeños are similar in many ways, but there are also important differences in terms of size, flavor, and heat level. For starters, hatch chiles are often larger and wider than jalapeños. But it's their flavor and heat level where their differences really come into focus. While jalapeños have a mild flavor, hatch chiles are a bit more complex with hints of smoky sweetness.

Jalapeños and hatch chiles can both vary dramatically in terms of their spiciness. For the most part, hatch chiles tend to be milder than jalapeños, with a score of about 2,000 on the Scoville scale, which is comparable to a poblano pepper. However, some hatch chiles can be much hotter than that, scoring around 8,000 on the Scoville scale — which is the equivalent of a hot batch of jalapeños.

In terms of cooking, jalapeños and hatch chiles can be used pretty much interchangeably, depending on the recipe. I often use them both in queso and chili and the difference between them is practically unnoticeable. Just be sure to taste test the peppers to see how spicy they are before you start cooking with them, so you can adjust the recipe as needed.

The flavor of hatch chiles depends on whether they're raw or roasted. When hatch chiles are raw, the texture is much more crisp and the flavor is bright. When hatch chiles are roasted, the texture softens up and the pepper becomes almost butter-like. Whether they're raw or roasted, hatch chiles retain a delicious earthy flavor and their gentle spiciness tends to slowly develop on the tongue, unlike other peppers that hit you with heat right away.

However, roasting hatch chiles does change their flavor significantly. When they're roasted, the pepper becomes more sweet and smoky. After hatch chiles are roasted, they are often canned in production and delivered to grocery stores. Canned hatch chiles are immersed in a liquid that usually contains some preservatives such as salt and citric acid. Because the peppers are submerged in this liquid, the liquid becomes infused with the rich and tasty flavor of the hatch chiles.

If you have raw hatch chiles that haven't been cooked yet, then you can roast them over an open flame for a few minutes, turning them often to ensure they're evenly roasted. After they're roasted, let them cool so that they're easy to handle and you don't burn yourself. Once they've reached room temperature, scrape the blistered skin off with the edge of a knife or spoon, then dice them into bite-sized pieces.

If you have cans of hatch chiles that have already been roasted, then you can simply scoop out however much you need for the recipe that you're working with. The most important thing about cooking with hatch chiles is tasting the peppers before you start incorporating them into your dish, since the spice level of hatch chiles can vary. If your hatch chiles are hot, they could potentially overpower your dish, so it's best to test them out.

Most likely, finding a source to buy fresh hatch chiles outside of the Hatch Valley region will be challenging. If you happen to live in New Mexico, then it should be fairly easy to track down fresh hatch chiles by shopping at farmer's markets and grocery stores with well-stocked produce sections. When shopping for fresh hatch chiles, keep in mind that green hatch chiles will be more mild and earthy, while red hatch chiles will be more complex, sweeter, and spicier. Look for fresh hatch chiles that are firm to the touch and absent of softened spots or bruising.

Outside of New Mexico, the good news is that hatch chiles are available at many grocery stores in the canned food aisle. Hatch is my favorite brand of canned hatch chiles, mostly because the peppers are available diced, chopped, and whole and I like having different options available. Hatch also makes peppers available in different heat levels (mild and hot). When you're looking for canned hatch chiles at the grocery store, keep in mind that they are usually stocked near pickled jalapeños and salsas. 

Did you know that hatch chiles contain Vitamin C? In fact, one fresh hatch chile pepper contains about the same amount of Vitamin C as six oranges. So the next time you want a boost of Vitamin C, you might want to considering opting for some fresh hatch chiles instead of citrus fruit. Hatch chiles are also full of other vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorous, niacin, and folate. 

Hatch chiles also contain capsaicin, which is the substance in chili peppers that makes spicy food taste spicy. Consuming capsaicin can boost the immune system, alleviate congestion, reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, reduce the risk for developing diabetes, and slow the spread of prostate cancer cells. Capsaicin also helps with arthritis by decreasing the erosion of cartilage. If you're buying canned hatch chiles, note that they contain a small amount of sodium — about 120 mg of sodium for every 30 grams. 

There are a handful of varieties of hatch chiles that vary in size, shape, and flavor. Some popular hatch chile varieties include Big Jim, Charger, Rattlesnake, Barker, and Lumbre. Big Jim peppers tend to be on the larger size, often measuring around 10 inches long. Because Big Jims are larger, they are often used for making stuffed peppers and chile rellenos.  Charger peppers are very similar to Big Jims, so they are also good for stuffing, but they are also a little less spicy than Big Jim peppers, which makes them a great choice for people who prefer milder peppers with less heat.

The Rattlesnake variety are known for being the hottest among hatch chiles. Rattlesnake peppers are a little smaller than Big Jims and Chargers, usually clocking in at about 8 inches long. Rattlesnake peppers tend to score anywhere from 10,000 to 18,000 on Scoville scale, which makes them a little spicier than jalapeños. 

Canned hatch chiles should be stored in a dry, cool, and dark place. Like other canned chili peppers, unopened and well-sealed canned hatch chiles tend to last a few years before they will diminish in quality and possibly become unsafe to consume. After the can has been opened, hatch chiles should be refrigerated and then used within one week. If an opened can of hatch chiles has a sour smell or dark or fuzzy spots anywhere on the peppers, the hatch chiles should not be eaten and immediately disposed of because these are signs that the peppers have gone bad.

If hatch chiles are bought fresh instead of canned, the fresh peppers should be stored in a sealed container and used within one week. To dramatically extend the life of fresh hatch chiles, you can seal them and store them in the freezer. Once in the freezer, hatch chiles can last a year or longer.