Green Chili

Update 5/3/16: My Green Chili recipe is in my second cookbook “One Dish Wonders”. This is the recipe that I’ve developed over the years of trying different things to get an amazing version of green chili using shredded chicken. It can be eaten in a bowl, used as filling for burritos, or to smother burritos or other Mexican dishes. Also in the book, Green Chili Mac & Cheese that can be made with the leftover Green Chili. You may purchase my second cookbook here!

Original Post:

In the past couple of days, I’ve been participating in, and watching a discussion about Green Chili over on my facebook page. Put simply: People love green chili. Several of you even had photos handy of different batches you’d made. I’m no exception. Long before starting this blog I began documenting food with photos. Everything from phone snaps to beautiful, hi-res shots taken on my husband’s SLR camera with a variety of lenses. The picture below is a batch of my Chicken Green Chili that I took to a Superbowl party in 2014.

I love Green Chili. In fact, it may be in my top five favorite foods of all-time. Every cook makes it a bit differently, but one thing remains clear amongst my friends who cook and eat it: Roasted Hatch’s Green Chilies are the way to go for the best flavor and lots of spice.

I will finish this article with photos and comments left here regarding your experiences cooking or eating Green Chili. What ingredients or techniques do you use? What is the best restaurant to get it where you live? Did you grow up eating it, and if so, where were you raised? Share your thoughts and photos and once the discussion winds down, I will re-publish this article with my photos and in-depth coverage of Green Chili!

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Reader Contributions! — Feel free to send me your photos and comments with permission to use them within my posts! Cooking improves with collaboration, and I love learning from you! I’ve included some photos, comments, links and suggestions from a discussion on my facebook wall on the subject.

Update: 2/1/15

“Pork or no pork? That is the question. If I’m am I like to use large pork pieces and make it more of a stew to eat straight up with some tortillas. If I plan on using it to smother a chimichanga or whatever I won’t use pork as then I can cook it for less time and get a chunkier vegetable consistency. I like to make my own chicken stock (which then usually leads to chicken chimichangas) I roast a few small or one large tomatillo and a few jalapenos throw them in a blinder with a little cilantro to make a salsa verde. Only about 1 cup or so. I use cumin but more so if pork is being used. I will mix cumin salt flour and cayenne to lightly coat pork before browning. If no pork maybe a 1/2 tsp added to the pot. Other than than just one LARGE yellow onion about 2 cups worth green chilies some diced tomatoes and enjoy.” — Tom Mick

In a fascinating discussion about Green Chili on my facebook page, Tom also recommended ordering fresh or frozen Hatch’s Green Chilies online. He likes http://diazfarms.com/ for their better prices. This works well for people in areas where Hatch’s are unavailable, or if you grow your own and need supplemental chilies seasonally.

Once you get your hands on some Hatch’s chilies, be sure they’re roasted. If not, here’s a great link about roasting them at home. 

Another way to get Hatch’s seasonally is at Whole Foods. In September they roast and sell them in a wide market, including the Pacific Northwest.

I will update this post again with your comments on vegetarian green chili, the cut of pork recommended, and my trick for replacing pork without losing the smoky flavor. Stay tuned!

Resources for further learning:

• Hatch Chili Fest
• Denver Green Chili
• Order Green Chili Sauce Online (Thank you Tom Fouch)
• Order Hatch’s Green Chilies Online