Celebrate Hatch Chile Peppers with Stacked Mexican Pizza

Don’t tell anyone, but I really like the Mexican Pizzas at Taco Bell. (Except they don’t cut them into wedges anymore at my nearest drive-through, so how am I supposed to eat and drive?)

In celebration of this weekend’s Hatch Chile Pepper festival in Hatch, New Mexico, I decided to play with a Mexican pizza. But my version is a lot plumper than Taco Bell’s…because I’ve loaded it up with chicken, black beans, and Hatch chiles. I call it: Hatch Chile and Chicken Stacked Pizza. Let me know if you’ve got a better title. This SEO thing is really sucking away my creative juices. It’s breaking my heart…

If you’re in Iowa, the Saturday Downtown Farmers’ Market in Des Moines has a vendor during Hatch season (NOW NOW NOW) who roasts chile peppers before your very eyes. He pops them into plastic bags so the charred skin steams and loosens. Take the bag home, peel off the blackened skin and you’ve got a stash of meaty, mildly spicy chiles. Put them in a fresh freezer bag or two, close tight, and tuck in the freezer until the chile mood strikes.

The vendor “Juan O’Sullivan” is generous with tips, recipes, and advice. What do you do with your Hatches?

Take a peek at Pioneer Woman’s how-to guide to roasting peppers here. Or learn a bit more about Hatch chile in a video by Chef Ida Rodriguez of Melissa’s Farm Fresh Produce.

Hatch Chile and Chicken Stacked Pizza

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoon tandoori seasoning or 1 teaspoon cumin plus 1/2 teaspoon coriander

2  cups green enchilada sauce

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used 2 chicken breasts from a deli roast chicken)

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

4 hatch or Anaheim chile peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Three 8-inch flour tortillas

2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Optional toppings: chopped tomatoes, sour cream, fresh cilantro

Lime wedges (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook onion in hot olive oil over medium heat about 4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and tandoori seasoning; cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the enchilada sauce, the chicken, black beans, tomato, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for about 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

3. To assemble, spread  1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Arrange one of the tortillas on sauce. Top with half of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.

4. Top with another tortilla and remaining half of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Top with last tortilla. Spread remaining 1/4 cup green enchilada sauce over tortilla.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through, topping with remaining 1/2 cup cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking. Let stand on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. If desired top with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and/or cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

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