Substituting Frozen Green Chile for Canned in Chili Recipe

11 years ago

Hi all, Happy New Year. I would like to try the White Chili recipe posted by Carol back in 2011 (recipe below). I have home roasted, diced, frozen Hatch chiles that I would like to substitute for the can of chiles in the recipe. Can I do that safely? Any idea how much to use by weight? Any suggestions you have are useful. I love the flavor of the Hatch chiles, and I already have them on hand, so would like to use them.
Thanks!
Heather

Posted by readinglady z8 OR (My Page) on Mon, Jul 4, 11 at 13:07

This recipe comes from Canning and Preserving for Dummies. Recipes in that book comply with current USDA/NCHFP standards. I did add instructions for wait time, which were not included in the individual recipe. Also, the recommendation to boil opened contents for 10 minutes is, from my perspective, excessively cautious. It does no harm, but properly canned low-acid product does not require anything beyond being well-heated.
White Chili

Yield: About 5 pints

1 pound small white beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 quarts chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
7-ounce can diced green chilies
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups diced, cooked chicken

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a 6-to 8-quart pot. Bring ingredients to a boil over high heat; reduce heat a simmer, covered, until the beans are soft but don't disintegrate, about 30 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer.

2. While the chili is simmering, prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot.

3. Ladle the hot chili into the prepared jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands. Process filled jars at 10 pound for 1 hour and 15 minutes (pints), 1 hour and 30 minutes (quarts).

4. After the pressure in the canner has returned to 0, remove weight and wait 10 minutes. Open the canner and remove hot jars. Place on a clean kitchen towel or layered newsprint away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals. (Unsealed jars should be immediately refrigerated; use within one week.)

5. Before tasting or eating, boil the contents of each jar for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with shredded cheese, diced red bell pepper, onions, etc.

From Canning and Preserving for Dummies, 2003.

Carol

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Comments (5)

pqtex
11 years ago
I can't answer your question about the substitution of the green chiles for the canned, but I just made this recipe last week, and it is well worth making! The time spent processing really enhanced the taste and texture of the final product. I will definitely make this again.

Jill
grlsixx
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the recipe review Jill! Did you add the cloves? I am worried they will add a strange taste.
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digdirt2
11 years ago
There is no safety issue with the substitution as long as the amounts of the peppers are kept the same - 7 oz.

Dave
pqtex
11 years ago
I made it exactly by the recipe, including the cloves.

I saved out enough of the batch for supper that night and processed the rest (a full canner load). I had never used the dried beans (rehydrated per the recipe) before, and thought they tasted rather bland in the unprocessed supper batch of chili.

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened one of the processed jars--the flavors and texture were much improved and matured by the pressure canning.

If you do a taste test prior to processing and are thinking of adjusting the seasonings--I would wait. You can always adjust seasonings after opening the jars, but you can't take it back once you put it in!

I've heard that cloves can give a strong taste in canning, but this is a small amount in the recipe. It does NOT give it a clove taste, and after tasting it, I doubt I could even identify that it had cloves in it. On the other hand, when I make this again, I won't leave it out because the whole recipe works as-is.

I hope you like it as much as I did.

Jill
grlsixx
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the advice on the chile Dave and the detailed recipe review Jill!

I used the Hatch chiles and omitted the cayenne, was afraid it would be too spicy for the kids. Next time I will leave it in. I kept the cloves in and was glad I did. I am usually very sensitive to them and feel that they can over power a dish, but they were undetectable in the finished product. I might add a little more cumin next time, seemed a little flat after processing.

I did doctor it up to serve (had to test a jar to see what it was like). I felt it needed more heat, so added a few drops of green habenero sauce, a squeeze of lime, and cilantro. I definately recommend this recipe. It is so nice to know exactly what is in our food!

Heather