Spicy, cheesy sauce goes well with chicken

It has been a bit of a sweetsfest in my kitchen lately. Cookies, candies, lebkuchen, Buche de Noel cakes, meringue mushrooms …

But not everything has been sugar-laden. We’ve also thrown in some spice

— as in Hatch green chile spice.

The Boom Boom sauce at Chuy’s, according to the company, its employees and everyone else I’ve talked to, is one of the chain’s most popular sauces. It’s also my husband, Joe’s, favorite.

For the unfamiliar, the sauce is spicy and cheesy with a bright, herbal finish.

According to the Chuy’s online menu, the sauce is made with cheese, roasted New Mexican green chiles, tomatillos, green onions, cilantro and lime juice. But a visual inspection of the sauce tells me there’s a little more to it than that. Little flecks of red indicate there’s another pepper in the mix, perhaps a ripe serrano or ripe jalapeno.

At Joe’s request, I decided to try to re-create the sauce at home. After reading several copycat recipes online and using those as a guide, I came up with one of my own.

Because fresh Hatch chiles have such a limited season, I had to use canned, which worked fine. But if you have access to fresh or if you have some frozen, those would be ideal. If you can’t find canned Hatch green chiles, use regular canned green chiles. Whether you use mild or hot is up to you.

My sauce didn’t turn out exactly like the restaurant’s, but it was close. And tasty enough that it has become my go-to sauce for chicken enchiladas.

But don’t limit yourself to enchiladas. This sauce works with just about any chicken dish where you’d want a touch of Southwest or Tex-Mex flavor.

With a little extra cheese the sauce would make an excellent cheese dip.

Copycat Boom Boom Sauce

1 bunch green onions, root end trimmed 1 bunch cilantro, tough stems trimmed 2 large tomatillos, husks removed,

quartered

½ pound roasted Hatch green chiles OR 2 (4-ounce) cans fire-roasted green chiles, lightly drained

1 fresh red chile such as Fresno or

serrano, roughly chopped (see note) Juice of 1 lime

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1 teaspoon coarsely ground cumin ½ teaspoon smoked paprika Generous pinch crushed red pepper

flakes

½ pound American cheese, shredded ½ pound Velveeta, cut into small cubes Milk, as needed for thinning

In a food processor or blender, puree the green onions, cilantro, tomatillos, green chiles, red chile and lime juice until smooth.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the puree with the vegetable broth and spices, whisking until incorporated. Bring to a bare simmer. Gradually whisk in cheeses and cook over medium-low heat until cheeses melt and sauce is smooth. Thin with more broth or milk, as needed.

Makes about 4 cups.

Note: If a milder sauce is desired, remove the seeds and membranes from pepper.