New Mexico Red Chile Sauce

Red chile sauce is a favorite in New Mexican and West Texan cuisine; this recipe includes aromatic toasted red pepper pods and chicken stock

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 23 mins
• Total Time: 43 mins
• Calories: 371 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 20 New Mexico dried red chile pods, stemmed and seeded
• 10 dried chile de arbol peppers, stemmed and seeded
• 1 quart chicken stock, or more if needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Coat the bottom of a heavy saucepan with oil; add chile pods. Toast over medium heat until aromatic, about 3 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in onion and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add enough chicken stock to allow pods to float; simmer until they develop the texture of wet leather, 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 3

Fill blender halfway with chile-stock mixture. Cover and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Pour into a bowl; repeat with remaining mixture. Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan over medium heat. Discard solids.

Step 4

Stir cumin, coriander, and oregano into the saucepan; add honey. Cook until sauce is thick and evenly coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.