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Green Chile Sauce Recipe

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Try this Green Chile Sauce recipe with enchiladas, burritos, green chile stew, or other Mexican dishes!

Green Chile Sauce is delicious with enchiladas, burritos and many other Mexican dishes! Easy to make, healthy and better tasting than the canned stuff. Gluten free as well!

This green chile sauce uses both green chiles and tomatillos. I love the tart flavor of tomatillos, but over the years I haven’t been able to cook with them as often as I’d like because they aren’t always consistently available at our local grocery stores. Thankfully, it’s much more commonplace to see them in the grocery store nowadays!

A few years back though, I was picking up my tomatillo stash weekly at the farmer’s market. One of the local farms was bringing homemade salsa verde to the farmer’s market, but not tomatillos. I finally asked why they never brought them, and they told me they didn’t always sell well at our market, but they did sell them at other markets. After that, they started bringing them for me every week.

I was quite happy, until last year, when they stopped growing them. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was.

When our farmer’s market first opens every year, the farm stands sell a lot of plants. I get my tomato plants from that particular farm stand every year because they always have Sungolds, and their plants are always bigger than anyone else’s. While I was there making my purchase, Laura, one of the farm owners, looked over at me and said “Tomatillos, right?” Of course that prompted me to ask if they were going to grow them again. I got such a nice surprise when she replied “I was hoping you were going to show up today, I brought you plants!”

Can I just tell you how excited I was?!! Big shout out to Riverbank Farm…thank you!

According to the information I read online, tomatillos are not self pollinating though, so you need two plants. Laura assured me that they’re relatively easy to grow, and I found this article on growing growing tomatillos helpful as well. Hopefully I’ll be able to freeze enough Green Chile Sauce and Salsa Verde to get me through the winter season!

Here’s a close up of one of my plants. I already have flowers!

Tomatillo plant

GREEN CHILE SAUCE RECIPE

You really can use this sauce in so many different ways. My favorites are Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, smothered burritos, and Green Chile Stew, but I bet you can find plenty of other uses for it as well!

Get started by heating olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onions, and saute them until they’re translucent. Then add the garlic, and cook for another minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Now remove the onion and garlic from the pot.

Wipe down the pot. Add the tomatillos and enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the skins start to split. That should take about ten minutes. Drain the water, and puree the tomatillos in a food processor or blender.

tomatillos in food processor

Now add the tomatillos back to pot, along with the onions and garlic, green chiles, chicken broth, salt, oregano, and cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Mix two tablespoons of cornstarch with two tablespoons of water and add it to green chile and tomatillo mixture.

I used canned chiles in my green chile sauce recipe because it’s easier. But for a really special sauce, roasted Hatch green chiles will give you amazing flavor, and you can order fresh ones online if your local grocery stores don’t carry them.

making green chile enchilada sauce

Continue simmering the green chile sauce for about 5 more minutes, allowing it to thicken.

Then add the mixture back to into the food processor or blender, along with 1/4 cup cilantro, and lime juice. Add salt to taste.

making the green chile enchilada sauce, adding cilantro

Now it’s ready to use!

 

Green chile sauce...great with enchiladas, burritos, and other Mexican inspired dishes!

I used my Green Chile Sauce recipe on these Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. Stay tuned for the recipe. It’s coming soon!

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, made with Green Chile Sauce

OTHER MEXICAN RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY

Let’s get cooking now!

 

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

Yield: 4 1/2 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Pair this delicious Green Chile Sauce with enchiladas, burritos, or your favorite Mexican dish!

Ingredients

  • 1 large white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 12 oz tomatillos, husks removed, tomatillos rinsed (about 6 tomatillos)
  • 2 cups fire roasted green chiles, including liquid (4 four oz cans)
  • 1 cup chicken broth (use gluten free broth for a gluten free sauce)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven.
  2. Add chopped onions, saute until translucent. Add garlic, cook for another minute or so until garlic is fragrant. Remove onion and garlic from pot.
  3. Add tomatillos to pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tomatillo skins start to split, about 10 minutes.
  4. Drain water, and puree tomatillos in food processor or blender.
  5. Add tomatillos back to pot, along with onions and garlic, green chiles, chicken broth, salt, oregano, and cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to green chile and tomatillo mixture.
  6. Continue simmering for about 5 more minutes, allowing sauce to thicken.
  7. Add mixture back to food processor or blender, along with 1/4 cup cilantro, and lime juice. Add salt to taste.

Notes

Make sure to use gluten free chicken broth to make a gluten free sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 148Total Fat: 8gCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2g

Try this Green Chile Sauce recipe with enchiladas, smothered burritos, green chile stew and other Mexican dishes! Very easy to make, healthy, and tastes much better than the canned stuff! Mexican | Green Chiles | Tomatillos | Green chile enchilada sauce | Sauces | Condiments | Gluten free

 

This delicious Green Chile sauce recipe works great with enchiladas, smothered burritos, green chile stew, and other Mexican inspired dishes! Easy to make and healthy as well! Mexican | Green Chiles | Tomatillos | Green chile enchilada sauce | Sauces | Condiments | Gluten free

Trish

Saturday 6th of May 2023

Just wondering what kind of green chilies you used? what’s the name? Thanks

Janelle

Wednesday 4th of October 2023

For this recipe I used Ortega brand. Hope that helps!

Lori M Snyder

Wednesday 12th of July 2017

what can I use to replace the cilantro?

Michelle Nahom

Thursday 13th of July 2017

That's a tough one. I love cilantro so I've never substituted anything for it. I think I'd just leave it out if you are allergic or don't like the taste. The other combination I'd be tempted to try would be some flat leaf parsley mixed with some oregano, but having never tried it, I can't definitively say if it's a good substitute or not.

Alison's Allspice

Monday 10th of July 2017

This sauce looks delicious! Its great to get to know the folks at the farmers market. That's so awesome that they brought you tomatillo plants!!

Catherine

Wednesday 28th of June 2017

Michelle, this green chili sauce sounds absolutely wonderful! I know my whole family would enjoy it. I would love this with my eggs in the morning too!

Dee Samaan

Monday 26th of June 2017

Oh we have Mexican day coming up for work, this would be perfect for me to bring!! YUM!

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