Chicken Tortilla Soup with Roasted Hatch Chiles – Culinary Seasons

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Sopa de Tortilla) or some variation can be found on restaurant menus across the country. The traditional method originates from the Mexico City area in Mexico. The ingredients in this recipe may vary from more traditional recipes that use dried chiles or other ingredients. The flavors of this soup are filled with chicken, black beans, corn, hatch chiles and a spiced pureed tomato broth with crispy tortilla chips that provides you with a warming, comforting feeling that will bring you into the mindset that a vacation to Mexico is in order.

Jump to Recipe

The Hatch Chile

(Hey isn’t that just an Anaheim Chile?)

Well no, not exactly. Anaheim chiles are a relative of the Hatch chile. It is said that the chile grown in Hatch, New Mexico made its way to Anaheim, California back in the late 1800s. The chile seeds were planted in the soil of Anaheim and produced a chile that was not exactly like the Hatch, New Mexico variety.

The flesh was not as hearty and the spice level was lower (500-2500 scoville units) than the New Mexico relative. The Hatch chile produces a beefier flesh of the pepper and the spice level is bumped up (1500-2500 scoville units) because of the growing conditions in New Mexico.

In Hatch, New Mexico the growing season for the chiles is very specific. Farmers plant during the first couple of weeks of June because they want to hit the optimal heat of the summer to allow the plants to benefit from the blazing heat of the day and the cool nights.

Along with the optimal time and temperatures of planting the peppers the soil conditions in New Mexico also allow the plants to produce the beefier flesh and adds to the increased spice of the peppers.

Chiles being moved from Hatch, NM to Anaheim, CA did not benefit from the same soil and growing conditions as the Hatch so the Anaheim produces a milder and leaner flesh which works well in many recipe applications but it doesn’t compare if you like the bite of the Hatch chile.

The Hatch chile is only available for a very short window of the late summer. Many harvests are done in mid August, they have an 85 day growing period for the Hatch plants. If you are in New Mexico during the late summer months, look for festivals celebrating the famous Hatch chile.

Enjoy them when they are available because they will be gone before you know it. Roasting the peppers gives the best flavor of the chile. You can use immediately or freeze for later use. This is a great way to have the Hatch chile available to make this delicious soup as I did.

Enjoy!

A key step in the process of making this soup as with many soups, be patient, let the flavors build. By letting the onions break down in the cooking process and bringing them to the browning stage, it brings out the sweetness and builds flavor in the resulting soup.

Each step helps build those flavors, sauteing the jalapenos, garlic and simmering for 20-30 minutes allows everything to break down and allows flavors to combine. Pureeing brings all those flavors together to give the soup a thicker hearty flavor filled soup.