Create your own Authentic Red Chile Enchilada Sauce made with dried New Mexican red chile pods and use on burritos, enchiladas, eggs, tamales – anything!
Canned enchilada sauce cannot compare to anything you’d make yourself. If you buy it from the store, you’re either going to get the cheap stuff that is disgusting and full of things you shouldn’t put in your body, or if you can find some really good stuff its likely to be insanely expensive. Making your own is not only cheap and easy, but it is insanely delicious. I’ve made my own green chile enchilada sauce from freshly roasted hatch green chiles, but I was a little unsure at first as to how to make enchilada sauce. Turns out, its almost the same exact process except that I like to toast the chiles for a couple of minutes to really bring out their flavor and then rehydrate them before blending them up. Starting from whole pods helps to ensure freshness and give the most authentic flavor.
Chile sauce is a staple in New Mexican cooking. You can use the sauce in enchiladas, burritos, tamales, or smothered on top of basically anything. This sauce will keep up to 6 days refrigerated and freezes well. I personally love to smother my breakfast burritos with the stuff. YUM!
Authentic Red Chile Sauce
Ingredients
- 25 dried whole red New Mexican chile pods mild, medium, hot, or a combination
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil I used avocado oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Rinse any dirt off the chile pods. Gently toast dried whole chile pods in a heavy skillet over medium heat until they are warm and release their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Be very careful to prevent any burning. Remove the chiles from the skillet immediately. When cool enough to handle, break each chile pod into several pieces and discard stem and seeds. Wearing rubber gloves is highly recommended.
- Heat the chicken broth in a medium sized saucepan with the chiles submerged. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté several minutes until the onion is limp. Add the flour and spices and continue to cook until the flour becomes fragrant.
- Combine the chiles, chicken broth, onion, garlic, and spices in the blender and blend until smooth. You may have to do this in several batches.
- Return blended sauce to the saucepan and heat until it just starts to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a total of 20 to 25 minutes.
- After about 15 minutes, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings. When ready, the sauce will be cooked down enough to coat a spoon thickly but still drop off of it easily. Use warm or refrigerate for later use.
CAN THIS BE CANNED? LIKE IN A WATER BATH FOR LATER USE?
yep!
I just can’t explain any other way!! We Mexicans do NOT USE CUMIN!! I can’t tell u people CUMIN is a midle eastern spice!! Is disgusting the amount of CUMIN that Americans use thinking that CUMIN makes it mexican!! We very seldom use CUMIN and when we do is a little pinch!!! PLEASE STOP THAT NONSENSE!!
Perhaps, but based on what I’m reading, today the plant is mostly grown in Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Mexico, Chile, and China. So I guess it’s being adapted.
Man dude chill @pedro. Maybe they don’t use cumin in the part of Mexico ur from but countries are big and cooking is different based on what region ur in. This sauce doesn’t call for much cumin and it tastes pretty freaking good to me. Tastes like the sauce I’ve had in Mexican restaurants. Don’t be such an a-hole at ppl u don’t even know.
I’m simmering my sauce now and it’s does not taste good. I don’t know what I did wrong 😞 it has a bad bitter taste. I tried adding more salt even some garlic powder….. I’m super bummed. I have no idea what went wrong. Maybe I over cooked my peppers at the beginning
Oh boy, Jaclyn. I’m not sure! Could it be the chiles you used?
I use tomato sauce to bring down the bitterness of the sauce and a little sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, I know , I know that sounds weird but believe me it helps with the bitterness. But just about a 1/8 of a tsp. Play with it a little.
Are any adjustments necessary to can the sauce?
Nope!
Actually cumin is an indian spice sir
You can use the spice in anything you like its how much you use…
I love this sauce as it’s authentic New Mexican Chile Thanks. I get my sun dried Chile’s from El Portrero Trading Post. But I had lost my recipe card from them. This is exactly what I needed. If you don’t want to go to all the trouble to use dried Chile’s, check out the trading post Chile powder. MAN it’s damn good. THis recipe is right in.