The smoky flavor of green chiles makes a welcome addition to appetizers, pizzas and more

New Mexico’s Hatch Valley is known as the chile capital of the world. Starting in late July or early August, visitors travel to New Mexico to experience “green season,” when the region’s famous green chiles are harvested and roasted in steel drums, filling the air with sweetly scented smoke. The chiles appear on New Mexico license plates and assorted souvenirs, with regional specialties such as the Pueblo slopper – an open-face green chile cheeseburger invented in Pueblo, Colorado – paying homage to the chile also popular in breakfast burritos.

These days, word of the Hatch Valley’s No. 1 export has spread beyond neighboring Texas and Colorado. And flash-freezing makes it possible to enjoy green chile pizzas, pastas and queso all year long.

Green Chile Pizza Toppings

Deena Crawley, chief of staff at Albuquerque-based pizzeria chain Dion’s, describes green chiles as a spicy pepper with a heat and texture profile distinct from others in the Capsicum category. She says Dion’s works with Bueno Foods – which sells mild, medium and hot green chiles – to create a custom blend each year.

“We buy our whole batch of green chile (for the year) all at one time. It’s a blend that’s specific to us,” Crawley tells Pizza Today. “One of my favorite things about the year is when it is roasting season. There is a very distinct green chile smell in the air because of the roasters.”

Dion’s 505 pizza (named for the area code serving the New Mexico towns of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Roswell, Farmington and Gallup) is topped with pepperoni and green chiles, while the Duke City pie features turkey, cheddar, green chiles and Parmesan.

Experimenting With Different Base Sauces

At 575 Pizzeria in Amarillo, Texas, the Green Chile Cheeseburger pizza is a local favorite. Created with a Dijon mustard base, ground beef, red onions, bacon, cheddar and, of course, green chiles, the pizza is topped with fresh romaine, pickles and baby heirloom tomatoes when it comes out of the oven.

“You get a little bit of the warm from the pizza coming out of the oven and then a little bit of the cooler side, so it definitely is very unique – and it’s aesthetically pleasing in my opinion, too,” says General Manager Shane Miller.

Since the pizzeria uses green chiles year-round, they typically come frozen and bagged. A trusted worker inspects each chile to make sure it meets the restaurant’s standards, and the chiles are allowed to thaw completely so they do not add unwanted moisture to the pies.

Miller says the Green Striped Piggy pizza is one of his personal favorites. The white pie has an olive oil base, topped with mozzarella, Parmesan, goat cheese, feta, green chiles and bacon (see recipe). “The green chiles really do bring out that color. … I don’t think it would be the same without the green chiles on there,” he says.

Green Striped Piggy

Recipe courtesy of Brian Kelleher, owner of 575 Pizzeria in Amarillo, Texas

>> Get the Green Striped Piggy Recipe.

Green Chile Ranch Dressing

With Dion’s locations in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas, Crawley says the pizzeria is “equally famous for our pizza and our ranch dressing.” In 2017, Dion’s leaned into its New Mexican heritage and started producing green chile ranch dressing, with the initial production limited to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

“People got wind that we have this green chile ranch in Las Cruces, and they were driving six hours to get their hands on this dressing. People would buy it, and they would go resell it for huge, crazy amounts. So, it was big, big news when we released it,” Crawley says.

The pizzeria’s leadership team quickly realized they had struck gold with green chile ranch and increased production to offer the dressing at all restaurant locations. Eight years later, it’s not uncommon for customers to order the 505 pizza, which comes with green chiles, and request a side of green chile ranch.

Dion’s sells its green chile ranch and other dressings for $4.80 per bottle from its storefronts. The pizzerias do not sell the dressings through grocery stores or online, as the products require refrigeration.

Green Chile Season and Beyond

Thanks to various options for freezing green chiles, pizzerias can include them on their menus all year long. The preferred method is roasting chiles and waiting for them to cool before peeling and removing seeds, then freezing them in air-tight bags either whole or diced. Diced chiles can be added to soups, dressings, queso or spread on pizza as a topping.

Whole, roasted chiles can be stuffed with cheese, fried and served as an appetizer similar to jalapeno poppers. Be sure to remove the seeds, which can be unpleasantly spicy.

KATE LAVIN is Senior Editor at Pizza Today.