An Inspired Cook

It’s green chile season here in New Mexico. It’s a special time of year when the chile roasters come out and the smell of roasting chile is in the air. One of my favorite things to make during chile season is chile rellano chimichangas. Traditionally they are stuffed with cheese, however I sometimes I add chicken, steak, or smoked pulled pork. Another idea is to add some farm fresh corn, fresh pico de gallo, or diced sauteed zucchini. I even fry up some pan fried potatoes to add which is always tasty. Whatever you stuff your chile relleno chimi with, it elevates the flavors for each individuals taste. Look for NM Hatch Green Chile in many grocery stores across the US. Here are some links where you can order fresh green chile to ship from New Mexico straight to your door: Hatch Chile Store, Chile Monster, or The Fresh Chile Co.

In New Mexico there will be roasting events at various grocery stores across the state or you can get your chile roasted at one of the farms stands where local farms will bring in freshly picked chiles to roast daily. Place your order with your preference of heat level and amount of chile you want; then wait in line and smell the roasting chile until they call your name. This is our chile from last season that we bought from Rosales Produce. It is Lemitar chile grown just north of Socorro, NM. Once roasted they place it in a garbage bag to sweat it out. Usually by the time we get home it’s ready to pack in zip lock bags or vacuum seal for the freezer.

We don’t peel our chile before packaging, it protects the chile from freezer burn that can happen over time. If roasted properly it will peel easily either by scraping it off with a knife for running under cold water.

See how easily it peels, leaving thick meaty chiles.

Next step is to remove the stem and seeds. Blot with paper towels to absorb any excess liquid.

I took 2 chicken thighs and cut them into small pieces. You can cook these cut pieces easily in a wok in just a few minutes. You can also grill or bake your chicken, whatever is easier for you. I like the wok because it’s easy for me. Heat the wok over medium high heat until it is hot, then add a drizzle of oil. Add the pieces of chicken to the wok.

Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning.

Let cook 2 – 3 minutes until the chicken browns on the bottom. Use a flat wooden scraper to scrape the chicken off the bottom of the wok and toss to cook the other side. I cooked this in 2 batches, add another drizzle of oil before starting the second batch of chicken.

These are 8 inch flour tortillas. If you plan to add meat and/or other fillings you may want to go with a larger size tortilla. Place the tortilla on a plate or cutting board, lay the chile flat in the center of the tortilla.

I’m making 4 chimi’s so I divided the cooked chicken into fourths and spooned it onto each chile.

I grated 4 ounces of Monterey Jack Cheese and placed about 1 ounce of cheese per chimi. We like Monterey Jack or Oaxaca Cheese but you can use any cheese of your choice.

Pick up the ends of the tortilla and fold to the center. Wrap the tortilla from the bottom up until it is wrapped like the photo above. Place toothpicks to secure in place.

Now wrap the rest of your stuffed chile relleno chimi’s.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat with 1/4 inch of oil. I use grapeseed oil, but you can use vegetable oil or canola oil too. I usually place a small little piece of tortilla in the oil and when it starts to fry it’s ready to add the wrapped chimi’s to the pan. Place toothpick side down so that they will stay in place.

Fry the chimichangas for 1 – 2 minutes over each side until all sides are browned and crisp. Make sure to remove all toothpicks before serving.

Serve hot with guacamole and salsa on the side. Enjoy

Chile Relleno Chimichanga with Chicken

2 Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless and cut into bite size pieces
NM Red and Green Seasoning, recipe follows
Olive Oil for drizzling
4 (8 inch) Flour Tortillas
4 large Green Chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
4 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
Oil for frying, can be grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil
Guacamole, recipe follows
Salsa, recipe follows

To make Chicken: Heat a wok over medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When hot add a single layer of chicken pieces to the wok and let cook for 2 – 3 minutes until browned on the bottom. Use a flat wooden scraper to scrape the chicken off the bottom of the wok and toss to cook the other side. If cooking in batches, add another drizzle of oil before starting the next batch of chicken. Remove from wok to a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Set aside.

Prepare roasted chile by peeling and seeding the chile. Blot with a paper towel to remove excess liquid. Place an 8 inch flour tortilla on a cutting board. Place a green chile flat in the middle of the tortilla. Divide the cooked chicken into fourths. Spoon the chicken on top of the green chile. Add 1 ounce of grated cheese on top of the chicken. Pull the sides up and fold inward toward the chile, then roll from the bottom up around the filled chile.  Secure with toothpicks.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat with 1/4 inch of oil. I use grapeseed oil, but you can use vegetable oil or canola oil too. I usually place a small little piece of tortilla in the oil and when it starts to fry I know it’s ready to add the chimi’s to the skillet. Place toothpick side down so that they will stay in place and fry for 1 – 2 minutes over each side. Once they are brown and crisp, remove to a plate lined with paper towels and remove the toothpicks. Serve hot with salsa and guacamole.

NM Red and Green Seasoning

1 teaspoon Ancho Chile, roughly ground
1 teaspoon Guajillo Chile, roughly ground
1 teaspoon Green Chile Salt, (1/2 teaspoon Green Chile Powder plus 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt)
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Corriander, ground
1/4 teaspoon Chile de Arbol, roughly ground
Combine together and store in a glass jar with a lid.

Jan’s Salsa

2 Cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes
6 Green Onions thinly sliced, green part only
2 Jalapeno peppers, chopped
5-6 NM Green Chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 Lime
Salt to taste

Combine all the chopped ingredients, set aside.  Run the fire roasted tomatoes through a food processor a few seconds.  Once you get the consistency for the salsa, add the green onion, jalapeno, green chile, garlic, and cilantro.  Mix together, spritz with lime juice, and salt to taste.

Fresh Guacamole

2 Avocados
2 tablespoons Red Onion, finely chopped
1 large clove Garlic, minced
1 large Jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Tomato, chopped
Spritz of Lime Juice
Salt to taste

Cut avocado in half and remove seed and peel.  Mash avocado with a fork, add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro.  Gently mix together.  Spritz with lime juice and salt to taste.

Note** If not using immediately, store in a tightly sealed container with lime slices placed on top of the guacamole to prevent browning.