Main Course
Hatch Green Chile Enchiladas
4.9 · 112 reviews
Of all the Hatch green chile recipes we make on the farm, a plate of green chile enchiladas is the one that feels most like home. With a creamy roasted Hatch green chile sauce and your favorite fillings layered between warm corn tortillas, this is the dish that brings everyone to the table fast — and it is the one our family requests again and again.
If there is one meal that says New Mexico, it is stacked green chile enchiladas. This recipe keeps it simple and delicious, just the way we like it. Roasted Hatch green chile and a creamy sauce do the heavy lifting, and the best part is you can make it your own — pile on chicken, beef, a fried egg, or extra cheese. There are no wrong answers here.
Stacked or rolled? The New Mexico difference
In New Mexico, enchiladas are traditionally stacked, not rolled. You dip a corn tortilla in green chile sauce, lay it flat, add chicken and cheese, and repeat — building two or three layers like a little tower or a pancake stack. It is easier than wrestling filling into rolled tortillas, it serves a crowd, and it is honestly more authentic to how families here have always done it. You can absolutely roll them casserole-style if you prefer; the flavor is identical. Either way, finish with an over-easy egg on top — the runny yolk and green chile together are a New Mexico rite of passage.
Green chile chicken enchiladas (and other fillings)
Shredded chicken is the classic. Poach a couple of chicken breasts or pull the meat off a rotisserie bird, and you have green chile chicken enchiladas in minutes. Want them creamy? Stir a few spoonfuls of sour cream or a little cream cheese into the warm green chile sauce — that is the trick behind the creamy green chile chicken enchiladas everyone asks about. Ground beef, shredded pork, sauteed mushrooms, or just cheese all work beautifully too.
Why the green chile makes or breaks it
This dish lives or dies on the chile, so use the real thing. Our flame-roasted frozen Hatch green chile is picked and roasted at peak season, which gives the sauce that smoky, vegetal Hatch flavor you cannot fake with a generic can of "green chiles." If you would rather skip a step, a jar of our Hatch green chile sauce is the whole flavor base in one move. In fresh chile season, chopped fresh Hatch green chile roasted at home is unbeatable. Choose your heat: order mild for the kids, hot if you grew up on it.
Tips, serving, and storage
A few hard-won tips: warm and lightly fry the corn tortillas before saucing so they do not tear or turn to paste; be generous with the sauce, especially if you are baking casserole-style, so it does not dry out; and double the green chile sauce — leftover sauce freezes and turns a weeknight into dinner. Serve with pinto beans, Spanish rice, and that fried egg. Assembled enchiladas keep 3 days in the fridge and reheat well covered at 350°F. Looking for more ideas? Our red chile enchiladas are the other half of the New Mexico answer to "red or green?"
Hatch Green Chile Enchiladas
- Prep20 min
- Cook30 min
- Total50 min
- Serves6 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, add the roasted green chile and garlic, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sour cream for a creamy version. Season with salt.
- Heat a little oil in a skillet and warm each corn tortilla a few seconds per side until soft and pliable, then drain.
- Dip a tortilla in the green chile sauce and lay it flat on an oven-safe plate or baking dish.
- Top with shredded chicken, diced onion, and cheese. Repeat to build two or three stacked layers, finishing with sauce and cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top each stack with a fried egg if desired and serve hot with beans and rice.
Made with Hatch Green Chile Sauce, grown by our family in the Hatch Valley for five generations.
Everything for this recipe
