Green Chile Risotto Recipe (Mexican Risotto)

For risotto fans, there is nothing better than a steamy bowl of cheese-laden rice, bathed in sauce and seasoned to perfection with a little fresh lemon or creme fraiche. Well, today we’re sharing a recipe for this Mexican risotto with freshly roasted green chiles and pepper jack cheese!

This recipe was developed for the Spring Grilling Madness Tournament, where expert-level pitmasters all over the country battle it out for bragging rights and a bonafide heavyweight style belt. This green chile rice recipe was my winning entry, along with my Grilled Steaks with Mole Butter which you can find here.

How To Roast Poblano Peppers On The Grill

To roast the poblano peppers, I will take 3 fresh green chiles, wash them well and place them on the grill. I am using these grill plates, and use them again later to sear my steaks.

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The peppers should be placed over low coals (smoldering heat) or I am using my pellet grill here, over high heat and I will turn them throughout the process to make sure they get wrinkly on all sides.

To roast peppers on the grill, cook for 15 minutes, flip, and then roast an additional 12 minutes on the other side. A charcoal grill will roast chiles much faster if you are using one, so be advised.

Transfer the chile peppers to a large bowl with a lid, or tent with foil. Leave them for 15 minutes while you work on the Mexican risotto if you like, and then peel them by brushing off the wilted skin layer with your fingers, or scraping it off with the blade of a knife.

How To Make Green Chile Rice Risotto

Begin by melting the butter and oil in a large stockpot and adding in the arborio rice.

Toss well with a spatula over medium-low heat. This process is just toasting the rice gently and covering each individual rice kernel with oil, so that they will not stick together in the final completed green chile rice dish.

With risotto, the hot stock is added in by the ladle when the previous ladle full of stock has been absorbed by the rice.

This makes a wonderfully creamy rice dish, as the rice releases starch, which thickens the chicken stock, transforming the juices into a heavenly sauce.

This process is continued for 20 minutes, adding hot stock, and stirring until combined, until all the hot stock is absorbed into the risotto recipe. The final rice should be al dente– cooked thoroughly with a nice chew, and swirling in creamy white sauce.

In traditional risotto, parmesan cheese is added to finish off and flavor the natural sauce which is created during the rapid stirring. For our Mexican version, we will be using pepper jack cheese which is creamy and rich with a spicy flair.

If you want to keep this dish mild, an excellent substitute is plain monterey jack cheese. Fold in to incorporate and watch the cheese melt into the sauce.

Finally, we will add in the roasted green poblano chiles. And stir well. This is where it really begins to smell amazing!!