New Mexican Green Chile Sauce (Gluten Free)

This 6-ingredient New Mexican Green Chile Sauce reminds me of my trips to Santa Fe and other towns in the state. Jam-packed with freshly charred and peeled green chiles, the flavor jumps to the front and lingers long after the meal is finished. Use mild chiles if you are sensitive to hot foods, adjusting to suit your family’s tastes.

New Mexico is perfect for vacations, especially if you like art, Indian jewelry, and delicious foods. My last trip to Santa Fe was with IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) and my friends and I had a wonderful time exploring the area, shopping, and of course sampling as much of the local foods as possible.

When you think about New Mexican food, their two primary sauces, served on nearly every dish, immediately come to mind. They make a green sauce like today’s recipe from fresh chiles and a red sauce from dried chiles. There is always a debate as to which is better at each restaurant.

If you want to try both sauces at the same time, ask for “Christmas” the red and green sauces when you order your entrée. It is the best of both worlds and lets you do a side-by-side comparison of your own. While I like them both, the green sauce has a slight advantage over the red in my opinion.

This green chile sauce is often served over sautéed or grilled meats; I like mine over chicken or pork. Or you can cook and shred or chop the meat and stir it into the sauce to make a green chile stew. Serve this with corn tortillas to scoop up all the delicious sauce.

This sauce begins with fresh green chiles which are broiled or cooked over direct fire until charred all over. The char is removed and the chiles are split and the stem and seeds discarded. If you want to work with fresh chiles and char then yourself at home, here is a great article to guide you: How to Roast Chile Peppers at Home. You can use Hatch, Anaheim, Poblano, or other green chiles that you can find.

I usually buy already prepped Hatch chiles because I prefer the flavor and time savings. Hatch is a town in New Mexico where the primary crop is green chiles. Once a year they have a festival to celebrate where the air is perfumed with roasting chiles and people buy them by the pound to take home and use in their cooking all year long.

If you want to experience the flavor of New Mexico, give this Green Chile Sauce a try. And be sure to check out all of the Progressive Eats’ homemade condiment recipes below – they will enhance your meals all year long!

 

Key Ingredients for New Mexican Green Chile Sauce:

• Onions, garlic, vegetable or chicken broth
• Green chiles, tomatoes, cornstarch, salt and pepper

 

Can this be made vegetarian or vegan?

Yes, just use vegetable stock and the rest of the recipe is already vegetarian/vegan.

 

PRO Tip:

If you want to work with fresh chiles and char then yourself at home, here is a great article to guide you: How to Roast Chile Peppers at Home.

 

How to make New Mexican Green Chile Sauce:

1. Cook onions until softened, add the garlic and cook another minute
2. Pour in the broth and add the chiles and tomatoes; bring to a boil and reduce for 10 to 15 minutes
3. Whisk in cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened
4. Serve over cooked chicken or pork or add them to the sauce to create a stew

 

Why does the recipe call for white pepper?

White pepper has a slightly different flavor than regular black pepper and doesn’t show in light colored dishes. If you don’t have it, you can use regular pepper instead.

 

Kitchen Tools I Use to Make This Recipe (affiliate links):

• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Medium saucepan
• Wooden spatula
• Nonstick Whisk

 

Gluten-Free Tips:

Watch the broth that you use, make sure it is gluten-free. If you have it handy, you can use homemade broth which is guaranteed safe and always tastes better anyway!

 

 

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a progressive dinner party where each course is held at a different home. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. This month’s theme is Homemade Condiments hosted by Lauren of Healthy-Delicious. We have a great mix of recipes to complement all your favorite dishes. See the links below for more inspiration and great recipes!

 

 

 

 

 

Create a New Tradition Today!

 

Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This page may contain affiliate links.