Hatch Green Chile Cheeseburger Recipe

This Hatch Green Chile Burger is grilled hot and fast and finished with a slice of cheese and a topping of fresh roasted green chile. This next level Green Chile Burger recipe is going to be your new favorite burger recipe at your next backyard cookout.

This recipe is sponsored by Beef! It’s What’s for Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. All opinions are our own, and our opinion is that this is one amazing green chile burger recipe.

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• The Original Green Chile Burger
• Ingredients
• Heat Level
• Preparation
• Roasted Green Chile
• Make Patties
• Toppings
• ​Grilled Cheeseburger
• Other Burger Recipes For The Grill
• Tools
• Grilled Green Chile Cheeseburger Recipe

We spend a lot of time traveling to various food and wine regions to understand the culture and importance of where certain foods comes from. After spending some time in New Mexico it was clear that the history, love for, and creative uses for green chiles is something to honor and respect. It was on one of these very trips where we knew we needed more green chiles in our lives. And that also meant coming up with our take of a Green Chile Cheeseburger.

The Original Green Chile Burger

The green chile cheeseburger recipe was said to have originated in the tiny town of San Antonio, NM, at The Original Owl Bar & Cafe. New Mexico Green Chile is some of the best green chile in the world. And green chile from the Hatch Valley of New Mexico is some of the best of the best. If you are driving anywhere in the land of enchantment you will definitely see a variety of green chile cheeseburgers that range from complex green chile sauce to a simple roasted green chile plopped onto a burger. Either way you serve it, it’s a flavor to be remembered.

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store. If you are looking for hatch chiles outside of the Hatch Chile season, then it’s best to order them online for delivery.

• Ground Beef – We prefer an 80/20 blend of lean/fat meat for the flavor. If you really want to elevate a juicy burger, having the 80/20 ratio is important. If you are using lean ground beef like 90/10 or 95/5 then you may want to add a binder like an egg to hold together the beef into solid patties while they grill.
• Roasted Hatch Chiles – Fresh roasted Hatch chile is typically found August through October. But you can also buy them online any time of year and they are shipped frozen, already roasted. Alternatively, you can substitute Anaheim Green Chile, which will have a similar flavor. Learn more from our guide on how to roast green chile on the grill. The last option if you can’t find fresh Anaheim is to buy the roasted and jarred chile.
• Seasoning – The seasoning is added to the Ground Beef before you make the burger patties. We use our SPG seasoning, which contains kosher salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic. You can also add some flavors from the Southwest including chili powder or any ancho style chile powder. For more herbal flavors you can use our beef seasoning.
• Hamburger Buns – The bun texture matters. Opt for brioche buns for the buttery flavor and soft texture. One important prep tip is to be sure that you make the burger patties slightly wider than the width of the bun, so you have the right beef to bun ratio. No one wants to bite into just bread.
• Cheese – Pepperjack is our go-to cheese for the best green chile cheeseburger. It adds a little additional heat and melts well. You can substitute with any cheese you prefer. 
• Lettuce – While New Mexicans may say it’s not authentic, we find that a nice butter lettuce adds a fresh crunch to the bite.
• Green Chile Topping – We use diced roasted green chile, red onion, kosher salt, and lime juice as our salsa topping.
• Burger Sauce – Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, and the juice of ½ a lime in a small bowl.

Heat Level

Hatch Chiles can have a variety of heat levels and that will translate to the burger. Expect a medium heat level for a typical green chile. If buying roasted (canned, jarred, or frozen) they are typically labeled as mild, medium, or hot. 

Preparation

Start by preparing the grill. We typically prepare our grill for burgers with a two-zone grilling set up in case we need to finish the cheeseburgers on the indirect side. Target the ambient temperature of the grill at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you are planning this ahead – you can roast the chile, make the patties, and make the salsa and burger sauce in advance. This is helpful if you are scaling this up for a party.

Roasted Green Chile

Roasting green chile is fast over direct heat. Plan one green chile for every burger served. Some of the chile will be added to the ground beef and the rest cut up into the salsa topping.

1. The set up for roasting the chile is the same as grilling burgers. Two Zone grilling targeting 500 degrees in the cooking chamber. Take the whole green chile and place it on the grill grates over direct heat. Don’t walk away from the grill. Almost immediately you’ll hear popping sounds as it roasts.
2. Continue to rotate the chile every 30 seconds until all sides are blackened. It should take no more than 5 minutes for an entire chile to be fully roasted.
3. Remove them from the grill with long tongs. Then holding the stem, gently remove the skin. It should just fall right off. There may be a few stubborn areas, in that case you can use a good knife. Be sure all the skin is removed. Important: Do not remove the stems first – it’s easier to remove the skin if they peppers are still whole.
4. After skin is removed, then remove the stem and seeds. Finely dice ¼ cup of the chile for the burger patties, and then roughly chop the remainder of the green chile for the salsa/topping.

Another option is buying already roasted green chile. Plan ¼ cup of green chile for every burger. You can see more details at our guide on how to roast green chile.

Make Patties

In a large bowl mix together the Ground Beef, seasoning, and the ¼ cup of finely diced green chile. Be sure not to over mix the Ground Beef, which can make the burgers tough. See the recipe card for exact portions.

Then divide the Ground Beef into four equal sized hamburger patties. We target ¼ pound of Beef per person. But if you want larger burgers or a double stack then feel free to modify.

Toppings

Green Chile Salsa: The final step is to prepare the green chile topping and the burger sauce before grilling so you can focus the attention on the burgers as they cook.

For the green chile topping we combine the roughly chopped green chile, diced red onions, kosher salt, and lime juice in a small bowl. Stir to incorporate.

Burger Sauce: For the burger sauce we combine the mayo, the ketchup, and lime juice in a small bowl and stir together.

​Grilled Cheeseburger

1. Place the burger patty over the direct heat on a clean grill grate and close the lid of the grill. Grill for five minutes (or medium-high heat on a gas grill). Then flip and continue grilling for an additional three minutes. After three minutes the internal temperature of the burger is likely around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Then place the cheese slice on the burger patty and close the grill. Let the cheese melt over direct heat for an additional two to three minutes.
2. Using an instant read digital thermometer, like the Thermoworks Thermapen One, to check the temperature and remove the burger when the internal temperature of the burger reads 160 degrees Fahreneheit. 
3. To build the burger we add a little of the burger sauce to the bottom of the bun, then butter lettuce, the cheeseburger, and the green chile topping. Then top with the bun. Then be sure you have napkins because it’s going to get messy but also delicious.

If you are going with a double meat cheeseburger then be sure to double the burger sauce portions. We still use the same amount of lettuce and green chile salsa.

Other Burger Recipes For The Grill

​Here are some of our favorite beef burgers on the grill or smoker.

• Grilled Smash Burgers with Caramelized Onions – The beef burger taken to another level by grilling on a plancha, adding cheese, and caramelized onions.
• Western Burger – This is a cheeseburger with a stack of beer battered onion rings and beef and slathered with a KC style BBQ sauce.
• The Classic Cheeseburger – Our classic grilled cheeseburger with all the traditional toppings.
• Brisket Grilled Cheese Sandwich – While not a burger this is still one incredible pile of brisket and then grilled to perfection with cheese and butter.

Tools

• Lump Charcoal – Lump charcoal adds a more authentic wood smoke flavor than briquettes.
• You can use a good burger spatula or long tongs to flip.
• Instant Read Thermometer – It’s always important to cook your ground beef to the proper internal temperature, which according to the USDA is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.

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