How to Roast Green Chiles at Home

Blister chile over flame: Turn on your gas burner to the highest setting. Balance the chile pepper directly on the metal grates over the gas burner. Let the chile pepper sit on the burner as its skin begins to bubble and turn black (about a minute). Elise Bauer Elise Bauer Continue until charred on all sides: Once one side of the chile gets well blistered, use tongs (or if you can, grab the stem with your fingers) to turn the chile to another side. Repeat until the chile gets blistered or charred on all sides. Obviously you need to pay close attention to the chile. It should just blister and char a bit, not catch fire. Elise Bauer Using this method you can roast several chiles at the same time. At least 2 per burner, and you can have a couple burners going at once. At this point you can freeze the blackened roasted chiles by letting them cool to room temp, placing them in a freezer bag, squeezing out the air, and freezing them. When you defrost them, the blackened skins will peel right off! If you need to use the chiles right away, continue with the instructions. Place chile in covered dish to steam: Place the chile in a bowl and cover with a plate (or put the chile in a brown paper bag and close the bag). Let the chiles sit for 5 or 10 minutes. The steam from the hot chile will help the peel come off more easily. Elise Bauer Elise Bauer Remove charred peel: Remove the chile from the bowl. Use your fingers or a damp towel or damp paper towel to rub off the charred peel. You may find it easier to do this over a sink because it can get rather messy. Try to avoid running water over the chile itself, as doing so may wash away some of the chile's flavor. Elise Bauer Elise Bauer Prep and store the chile: Make a slice into the side of the chile and cut away and discard the stem, seeds, and veins. Place in a covered container and refrigerate. The chile will keep for several days in the fridge. Or you can place in a freezer bag, press out the air, and freeze. Frozen chiles will last for several months.