New Mexico Red Chile Sauce

Hand holding a jar of New Mexico red chile in a mason jar.

5 from 11 votes

New Mexico Red Chile Sauce

New Mexico red chile sauce is a simple sauce filled with the complexity of smoky red chiles! You can make it with fresh or dried chile pods. Enjoy it on top of enchiladas, burritos, huevos rancheros, tamales and so much more!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: American

Cuisine: Mexican, New Mexican

Diet:

Servings: ounces of sauce

Calories: 8kcal

Author: Ruth Grindeland

Cost: $5 - $20 depending on chiles

Equipment

Blender
medium-sized pot with lid (optional)
baking sheet (optional)

Ingredients

New Mexico red chile peppers* See notes for types and measurements.
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ white onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Step One: Prepare the Chiles - Follow the correlating instructions for the chile type you are using:
Option #1: Fresh Fire Roasted Chiles - Wearing gloves, use kitchen scissors to remove the stems and seeds. If there is a lot of char from the fire roasting, I also recommend removing that.
Option #2: Frozen Chile Puree - Let the chiles thaw before moving to step two.
Option #3: Dried Chile Pods - Preheat oven to 350°F and heat 3 - 5 cups of water. Break the stems off and shake the seeds out from the pods. Place peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 2 to 5 minutes or until you smell the chiles roasting. Remove from oven. Place the chiles in the pot with hot water. Remove from heat and let the chiles soak for 30 minutes.
Step Two: Prepare the Onions - Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan until the oil starts to shimmer. Add the diced onion and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt. Sauté for one minute. Set aside.
Step Three: Blend - Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. If the sauce is too bitter, you can add a teaspoon of honey or blue agave.
Step Four: Strain - Place a mesh strainer or sieve over a bowl and pour the chile sauce into the strainer to remove any seeds, onions, etc. Use a spoon to push as much sauce through as possible.
Step Five: Deeper Flavor/Chile Colorado-ish (Optional) - Place the sauce in a medium-sized saucepan. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or until you reach your desired thickness.

Notes

Dried, Fresh and Frozen Chile Conversions -

Dried chile pods - 10-12 peppers
Fresh fire-roasted - 20-24 peppers
Frozen Pureed - 14 ounces, the equivalent of one 14-ounce tub of Bueno.

Read Before Working With Fresh Chiles - The chile oil from fresh peppers can stay on your hands for a day or two. I strongly recommend removing your contacts and wearing gloves. This is from personal experience. Even when I have removed my contacts, but did not wear gloves, the oil burned my eyes up to two days later!

Refrigerator Storing Instructions: Store in a glass container or a mason jar for up to one week.

Freezer Storing Instructions:- Store in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to three months.

Nutrition