Excellent red chile sauce! I use it in many recipes. Very happy to have found The Hatch Chile Store for their variety of Hatch chile products. Highly recommended A++Shaun D · Verified
🌶️ 100% Big Jim Hatch chile🌡️ Medium heat · ~6,500 SHU (NMSU CR706)🫑 Large, thick-walled pods🔥 Best for roasting & rellenos✓ Bred at NMSU with Jim Lytle, 1975
$110$88Sold out
Why 500,000+ Customers Keep Coming Back
Very good sauce for everything.Terry T · Verified
Good quality green chile sauce....John V · Verified
Hatch Green Chili sauce is by far and away the best product on the market. Taste, color, heat, density- it has it all. I have tried others, but never again will I waste money on others...@!!! I was also pleasantly surprised when placing my order on how quickly Hatch staff were able to reply and accommodate my delivery request. I needed to delay an order due to a travel issue. The staff replied and complied with my request immediately. So.... Great product, super service... don't waste time and $$ elsewhere.Paul F · Verified
Hi, the sauce has great flavor and the right heat. Very Happy with the product and the frozen green Chile is so good.Ike M · Verified
This red chili sauce is excellent. I pour it on scrambled eggs at breakfast, on tortillas at lunch and over hash at supper. Basically, can use it on so many foods. It enhances flavors and adds to the taste.Carolyn C · Verified
The very best products you can buy at the very best prices bar none the very best.Thomas B · Verified
I love this sauce, I am a repeat Customer. I put it on everything, its very tastie with just the right amout of heat.Blaine J · Verified
They made it very well. Just add a little cumin and garlic powder salt and it’s out of this world!Kathy K · Verified
My husband loves your green chili sauce! He puts on about everything!Joanne L · Verified
I use the sauce to make my green chili, I also put it in hamburger beans or anything that I may want to put it on, including hamburgers, because I love Hatch green chilies. I will scramble some eggs, with green onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and green chilies and fix me up some warm tortillas and enjoy.LINDA M · Verified
Best red chili sauce !! Great enchiladas with it !!Big J · Verified
This isn't my first time to order this product & quality is consistantDaryl N · Verified
Finished my first jar, makes a great start for a burrito.Larry D · Verified
I put it on everything eggs and tacos and almost every thing I eat so delicious and great taste I will never buy anything else but your's 😀Toni B · Verified
So good has a nice kick to it in a delicious way we love it ❤️Toni B · Verified
First time & It's a WINNER! Been looking for an onion dressing & This one is perfect! Used on different lettuce salads! Recommend to anyone liking a sweet onion taste!Sandi T · Verified
This product is not just good, It is AWESOME! You can taste the pride, love and care put into this product. It is my favorite and I sincerely appreciate your family and dedication to what you do.Timothy H · Verified
This Hatch Green Chile Sauce is AMAZING! I will be ordering more of this!Elizabeth C · Verified
Love it, use it for everything and just chips for a snack, only think I wish it was hotter but my taste may be different than some, but overall it is a great salsa!Steve W · Verified
It's The best flavor! Its quick for vamping up anything you make. Good Job 👍Josie J · Verified
Great, yummy, delicious,and the best there is!!!Michael J · Verified
I use this in 2 pounds of hamburger. Let it sit overnight. Had a great flavor to my sloppy Joe hamburger mix.Erdean J · Verified
I have found the mild red chile sauce to be the perfect sauce for Chile Colorado. I always laugh that black pepper is too spicy for my wife but this Hatch Red Chile Sauce at the mild level is excellent for her. Cube and sear some beef then slow cook it with Hatch Red Chile and everyone will think your a master chef LOLMichael N · Verified
Super product at a super price the very best.Thomas B · Verified
This is SO good. We love it!Sandi C · Verified
I used them to make my breakfast green chile sauce with my hot sandia chile that i roasted and freezed last year i thought it would be to hot because i normally use the big jims but the medium chile sauce came out perfect i couldnt tell the difference. all in all its very good. My only suggestion would be to put that same batch of mild, medium, and hot in 4 oz cans for a longer shelf life and you want need shipping protection also if you did not want to roast your own chile this would be easer to just open cans and make your green chile sauce etc.Ralph C · Verified
Reminds me of living there (in a good way). The flavors and heat were as advertised, which is getting rare in the space. Hot was HOT. Perfect in a breakfast burrito.Kurt v
I marinated three chicken breast with this sauce came out. Fantastic flavor was very very good.Erdean J · Verified
Love all Hatch Chili productsKIM M · Verified
on top of many dishes this is the go to Hatch sauce for us ! Delicious, fresh, flavorful and just enough heat.Mark B · Verified
Quick answer: The Big Jim is a large, thick-walled Hatch green chile pepper developed at New Mexico State University with farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s. It runs Medium heat (~6,500 SHU) — hotter than an Anaheim or poblano, comparable to a medium jalapeño — with long, meaty pods ideal for roasting and chile rellenos.
The Big Jim Pepper at a Glance
Heat
Medium · ~6,500 SHUNMSU CR706. Hotter than Anaheim or poblano.
Pods
6–12″ longThick-walled and meaty — the big Hatch pod.
Best for
Roasting & rellenosAlso smothering, sauces, and freezing.
Origin
NMSU × Jim Lytle, 1975Bred for the Hatch Valley.
Every chile product in this collection is made with Big Jim, our Medium-heat Hatch variety. Read the full Big Jim guide →
The Big Jim is the variety most people picture when they think of Hatch green chile. Co-developed at New Mexico State University by Dr. Roy Nakayama and chile farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s, Big Jim was bred specifically for the Hatch Valley — long meaty pods, thick walls, and Medium-tier heat (~6,500 SHU per NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute, CR706; varies plant-to-plant and our pods often run a touch milder than the cultivar mean) that lets the roasted chile flavor take center stage without scorching the table. A single pod can run six to eight inches, which is why it became the standard for chiles rellenos and stuffed preparations.
What makes a Hatch Big Jim different from a Big Jim grown somewhere else is the soil and elevation of the Hatch Valley in southern New Mexico. The alkaline Rio Grande bottomland, the altitude, and the swing between hot days and cool nights concentrate a depth of flavor you don't get from peppers grown in California, Mexico, or anywhere else — even if they carry the same variety name. Our Big Jim chile comes from fifth-generation farms in the Hatch Valley, harvested at peak season and processed at our packing shed in Garfield, NM.
In this collection you'll find fresh-frozen roasted Big Jim chile, Big Jim-based sauces and powders, and prepared foods — tamales, chimichangas, salsas — made with real Big Jim chile. If you're new to Hatch chile, Big Jim is the right starting point: classic flavor, approachable Medium-tier heat, and versatile enough to go into almost any New Mexican dish. See What Are Hatch Chiles? for more variety background.
Quick answer: The Big Jim is a large, thick-walled Hatch green chile pepper developed at New Mexico State University with farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s. It runs Medium heat (~6,500 SHU) — hotter than an Anaheim or poblano, comparable to a medium jalapeño — with long, meaty pods ideal for roasting and chile rellenos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Big Jim pepper?
Big Jim is a New Mexico chile cultivar — a large, thick-walled Hatch green chile bred at New Mexico State University with farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s. At about 6,500 SHU it sits in the Medium band: real Hatch flavor, manageable heat, and pods long enough to stuff for rellenos.
How hot is Big Jim chile?
Big Jim is a Medium-tier chile — approximately 6,500 SHU per NMSU's CR706 (Nakayama & Lytle, 1975). Heat varies plant-to-plant and we find our Big Jim often runs a touch milder than the cultivar mean. The roasted flavor stays the star, with a real but manageable warmth that suits everyday New Mexican cooking. If you're buying for kids or heat-sensitive guests, our Mild varieties (1904, Joe Parker, NuMex 6-4) are a gentler step. For a full comparison of our heat levels, see our Heat Level Guide.
Can I use Big Jim chile the same way I'd use an Anaheim or poblano?
Structurally yes — Big Jim, Anaheim, and poblano are all in the same long-pod category and can swap in most recipes. The flavor is different, though. Big Jim has a more complex, earthier roasted profile than Anaheim (which can taste thin by comparison) and a lighter heat than poblano. Anywhere a recipe calls for green chile, Big Jim works.
Why are Big Jim pods so large compared to other chiles?
Big Jim was specifically bred for large pod size — that was part of the original NMSU development goal. The thick walls make it ideal for stuffing (chiles rellenos, whole chile strips) and mean more actual chile per pod when you're chopping or processing for stew or sauce.
Are your Big Jim products gluten-free?
Our plain roasted and frozen Big Jim chile is naturally gluten-free. Prepared products like tamales and chimichangas contain wheat — check the individual product labels for allergen details. If you have celiac disease or a strict gluten intolerance, stick to the straight chile products and sauces.
How should I store frozen Big Jim chile after it arrives?
Transfer straight to your freezer on arrival — our frozen chile ships with dry ice or gel packs to arrive cold, but the sooner it goes in the freezer the better. Properly frozen, it holds well for 2 years. Once thawed, use within 3 days and do not refreeze.
What's the best way to cook with frozen roasted Big Jim chile?
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or run under cool water still in the bag. From there, chop it into green chile stew, layer it into enchiladas, stir it into scrambled eggs, or pile it on a burger. The roasting is already done — you're just reheating and seasoning. For more ideas, visit our Recipes page.
The Complete Guide to the Big Jim Hatch Chile
Big Jim is the chile that put Hatch on the map. Developed in 1975 at New Mexico State University by Dr. Roy Nakayama and Hatch Valley grower Jim Lytle—a son-in-law of Joseph Franzoy, the valley's first commercial chile farmer—Big Jim once held the Guinness World Record for the largest chile pepper on Earth, with pods stretching past thirteen inches. Its thick, meaty walls and approachable Medium-tier heat (approximately 6,500 SHU per NMSU's CR706; our pods often run a touch milder than the cultivar mean) made it the definitive relleno chile and a staple in kitchens across New Mexico. Every Big Jim product below is Certified Hatch—grown in the same Hatch Valley soil where Lytle and Nakayama first tested the variety nearly fifty years ago—and flame-roasted, shipped fresh, or jarred into sauces within days of harvest.