Dish × condiment pairing
Which roasted chile for a breakfast burrito?
Season : all-year · Occasion : breakfast, weeknight
Hatch green chile. Roasted Hatch is the New Mexico breakfast burrito's whole point, its grassy heat waking up eggs, potato, and cheese. Stir chopped roasted chile into the scramble, or smother the burrito in green chile sauce. The mid-tongue 5-out-of-10 heat is bright, not heavy, at breakfast.
In detail
The roasted chile for a breakfast burrito is Hatch green chile, grown in the Hatch Valley of southern New Mexico and protected by name under the state's Chile Advertising Act. The New Mexico breakfast burrito runs on it: roasted Hatch, with fresh-cut-grass and charred-pepper-skin notes, wakes up soft eggs, potato, and cheese without the heaviness a red chile brings to a morning plate. The heat is clean and bright, landing mid-tongue around 5 out of 10, and Hatch is graded mild to hot so you choose your level. Stir chopped roasted chile through the scramble so the heat runs all the way through, then smother the rolled burrito in green chile sauce on the plate. A 2 oz jar of powder runs about $8 to $13. Order it Christmas-style for both green Hatch and red Chimayo at once.
Our recommendation
Spice · Chile
Hatch Green Chile Powder
Hatch Valley, a 30-mile stretch of the Rio Grande between Hatch and Rincon, southern New Mexico, United States (Hatch Valley (geographic name, not a federal PDO; protected by the New Mexico Chile Advertising Act, 2012))
roasted green chile · fresh-cut grass · charred pepper skin
A New Mexico breakfast burrito runs on Hatch green chile. Roasted Hatch, with its fresh-cut-grass and charred-skin notes, wakes up soft eggs, potato, and cheese without the heaviness a red chile brings to a morning plate. The heat is clean and bright, around 5 out of 10. Stir chopped roasted chile through the scramble or smother the burrito. A 2 oz jar runs about $8 to $13.
Intensity 5/10
Where to buy it
Prices checked on
| Merchant | Price | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Burlap & Barrel (Hatch Green Chili) | — | Burlap & Barrel (Hatch Green Chili) |
| Amazon US (Hatch Green Chile Powder, Mild) | — | Amazon US (Hatch Green Chile Powder, Mild) |
| Hatch Chile Store | — | Hatch Chile Store |
Prices may vary depending on current promotions on the merchant site.
Affiliate links — La Pincée may earn a commission on some sales, at no extra cost to you. Read more.
The catch
The catch: drowning the burrito in green chile sauce at the end isn't the same as building the chile in, and it's why a smothered burrito can still taste of nothing inside. Sauce on top is the finish, not the flavor. Stir chopped roasted Hatch through the eggs as they cook so the heat runs all the way through the burrito. Skip that and you get a bland scramble hiding under a green puddle, all sauce and no soul.
Chef's note
Fold the roasted Hatch into the eggs off the heat, in the last thirty seconds. Soft-scramble the eggs over low heat, then stir the chopped roasted chile in just before they set, so the chile warms through without the grassy brightness cooking out. Hatch loses its fresh edge with long heat. Late and gentle keeps the burrito tasting of green chile, not just of warmth.
Tasting note
roasted green chile · fresh grass · soft egg · bright morning heat · about $8 to $13 for a 2 oz jar; a little in the scramble goes far. Worth it for breakfast that wakes you up.
These three sections appear on every one of our pairing pages — our methodology.
Alternatives to explore
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Spice · Chile
Chimayó Chile
Chimayó, Española Valley, Río Arriba County, New Mexico, USA
Intensity 4/10
Order it Christmas-style and Chimayo red joins the green. On its own it makes a red-smothered burrito, earthier and sweeter; a New Mexico heirloom splurge.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I add Hatch chile to a breakfast burrito?
- Two ways, often both. Stir chopped roasted Hatch through the scrambled eggs so the heat runs all the way through, and smother the rolled burrito in green chile sauce on the plate. The first builds it in, the second is the New Mexico finish.
- Is Hatch chile too spicy for breakfast?
- Not if you choose your grade. Hatch sits around 5 out of 10, a bright grassy heat rather than a heavy burn, which suits a morning plate. Hatch is sold mild to hot, so pick mild for a gentle wake-up and hot if you want the bite.
- What does Christmas-style mean for a breakfast burrito?
- In New Mexico, Christmas means both red and green chile on the same plate. Order your breakfast burrito Christmas-style and you get Hatch green alongside a red chile like Chimayo, two heats and two flavors at once.
This pairing was validated according to our methodology. Purchase links are marked sponsored and may earn a commission — details on our Affiliations page.