Ancho chile is a type of dried chile pepper commonly used in Mexican and Southwestern U.S. cuisine. It is a dry pepper, and its name is due to its width, as "ancho" in Spanish means "wide." Sweet and mild, this chile is easily found all year round. Ancho is commonly added to sauces, soups, and marinades to enhance their flavor; it's used pureed, chopped, or powdered.

The whole chile is sturdy and heart shaped. Its name is true to its physical appearance as it's larger than most other chiles (4 to 5 inches long and 2 inches wide).

Ancho chile can be used dried or rehydrated, whole or ground. It's usually incorporated before cooking sauces, blended with other spices or vegetables to make a base for a stew or soup, or sprinkled on top of meat, poultry, or seafood as part of a rub or marinade before cooking.

• The ancho chile pepper is the dried version of the poblano pepper (from Puebla, Mexico). 
• Sweet and chocolatey, with a flavor also slightly reminiscent of raisins, the ancho chile pepper has heat that is mild to medium-hot when whole, and lesser when ground.
• Ancho chile registers between 1,000 and 2,000 Scoville heat units, which means it's quite mild. For comparison, a bell pepper has from 0–100 units, and a Habanero has 100,000 units.
• Store the chile in an airtight container away from direct sunlight for up to two or three months. Keeping the air out helps the chile retain its leathery and chewy texture; if left to completely dry, it will break apart easily and won't soak in the water when reconstituted. 
• Ancho chile salsa, ancho chile powder, ancho chile sauce, ancho chili powder, ancho chili sauce, ancho chili recipe, ancho chili paste, chile ancho seco, chile ancho relleno.