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Green Chile Cornbread is a delightful twist on classic cornbread, infused with the zesty and slightly spicy flavor of green chiles. This savory and slightly spicy cornbread is perfect side dish for a Southwestern recipe, Mexican-inspired dish, as side for your favorite chili, or it can stand alone as a tasty snack or appetizer. This quick and easy recipe is a tasty blend of sweet corn flavor, the earthiness of cornmeal, and the gentle heat of green chilies.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
The are no complex ingredients for cornbread and for most home-bakers these will be pantry staples.
In the printable recipe below, you can find a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
- Hatch Green Chiles: We prefer Hatch chiles in this recipe for the flavor, but you can substitute with Anaheim or poblano which are slightly milder in flavor than Hatch. You can use either freshly roasted chile peppers if you can find them or a can of chopped hatch green chiles. If using canned green chiles you will want to drain off the excess liquid before adding it to the cornbread mix.
- Cornmeal: We used an enriched yellow cornmeal for this recipe. There are lots of different cornmeal options -yellow, white, stoneground, self-rising, corn masa, and the list goes on. Yellow cornmeal (which is made from yellow corn) has a more robust flavor that produces a golden-colored cornbread. White cornmeal is made from white corn and has a subtler flavor that produces a lighter color of cornbread. Enriched cornmeal has added vitamins and minerals to replace some of the nutrients that are lost during processing.
- All-Purpose Flour: To get a better structure and a cornbread that is less crumbly the recipe includes flour.
- Rising Agents: This recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder to help get a nice rise to the cornbread.
- Buttermilk: To get a more tender cornbread as well as getting a richer, butter flavor we prefer buttermilk over milk.
- Sugar: This can be a controversial ingredient in cornbread. This is not a sweet cornbread recipe since it only uses teaspoon. Sugar will help promote the golden color as well improve the crumb texture.
How to Make Hatch Green Chile Cornbread
Here are the quick step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions with the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
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Pro-tip: A cast iron skillet makes cornbread that has a nice crispy crust. You can use a metal or glass baking dish, but you won’t get the same tasty crust.
1. Make the Batter: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a cast-iron skillet with vegetable or bacon grease and place in the oven to get it preheated while you prepare the batter. In a medium-size mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients -flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a small bowl whisk together the wet ingredients -buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir the batter just until the mixture comes together. It is okay if there are a few lumps remaining.
2. Add the Hatch Chiles: To the cornbread batter add the Hatch green chiles and gently stir until evenly distributed.
3. Bake: Pour the batter into the preheated cast iron skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cornbread to cool slightly before serving.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Green chile cornbread can be made and baked up to a day in advance. To keep it moist, store it at room temperature in an airtight container to help seal in the moisture.
How to Store: Fresh cornbread is always best and to maintain the freshest taste we recommend freezing leftovers. It can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container or bag.
How to Reheat: Allow frozen cornbread to thaw in the refrigerator and then warm it on a baking sheet covered with foil to keep the edges and top from burning and drying out. You can also add a little butter to the top or spritz it with a little water before covering with foil to help keep the cornbread moist while reheating.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Preheat your cast iron skillet. To help prevent the cornbread from sticking and to get that nice golden brown crust make sure you pour your batter into a hot skillet.
- Let the cornbread cool. It is tempting to slice right in to fresh baked cornbread but letting it cool will help the center get fully cooked and prevent it from crumbling.
Frequently Asked Questions
You sure can. You can substitute roasted Anaheim or Poblano peppers for the Hatch Green Chiles.
Hatch peppers range in heat from mild (1,000-1,500 Scoville Units) to hot (2,500 to 8,000 Scoville Units). The heat can go from an Anaheim mild heat to a jalapeño spicy so give them a taste before adding them to a dish. When purchasing fresh chiles they are usually sorted and labeled so you can make it as spicy or mild as you like.
More Hatch Recipes to Try
Looking for more recipes made with Hatch green chiles? Try these other favorites:
- Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese – This recipe for combines the rich, gooey goodness of melted cheese with the bold, earthy taste of Hatch chiles, creating a mouthwatering dish that will leave your taste buds dancing.
- Hatch Queso – This queso recipe is made with freshly roasted hatch green chiles, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. It’s rich, creamy and makes the perfect snack, appetizer or party food.
- New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas – These enchilades are Indulgent, but not too heavy and are stuffed with chicken, roasted hatch chile peppers, and onions topped with a roasted tomatillo green chile sauce, and cheese.
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Green Chile Cornbread
This recipe may contain paid affiliate sales links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclaimer policy for details.
Equipment
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
Cornbread
- 1 ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 4-6 ounces Hatch green chiles, roasted and diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease cast-iron skillet with vegetable or bacon grease and place in the oven to get it preheated.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine well.
- In a small bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir just until the mixture comes together. There will be a few lumps remaining.
- Add the Hatch green chiles to the batter and gently stir until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the preheated cast iron skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow cornbread to cool slightly before serving.