Chipotle Hot Salsa Recipe (Copycat)
This Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa (Chipotle Copycat) is smoky, tangy, and spicy, made with charred tomatillos, fire-roasted tomatoes, dried red chiles, garlic, cumin, and lime. It’s a homemade version of the hot salsa served at Chipotle, with an easy way to adjust the heat to your preference.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 12 medium tomatillos husks removed and rinsed
- 5 cloves garlic unpeeled and lightly crushed
- ½ cup packed dried New Mexico chiles stemmed OR, 2-3 tablespoons ground New Mexico chile powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons lime zest from about 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 14.5-ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes (with juice)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your broiler to high.
- Arrange the rinsed tomatillos on a baking sheet. Broil them around 4 inches from the heating element for 10-15 minutes, or until the skins begin to char.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the lightly crushed garlic cloves and dried whole chiles (if using chile powder this will form more of a paste- toasting in the pan will bring out the flavors), sautéing for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the garlic turns a light golden color.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the broiled tomatillos, sautéed garlic and chiles, fire-roasted tomatoes (with their juice), lime zest, lime juice, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper. Blend until the mixture is smooth.
- Taste the salsa, and adjust the seasoning with additional salt or pepper if desired. Refrigerate the salsa for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld.
- Serve the salsa chilled with tortilla chips or as a topping for grilled meats.
Notes
- Watch the tomatillos closely under the broiler so they don't burn.
- Adjust the heat after blending so you can control the final spice level.
- Chill the salsa before serving to give the flavors time to meld.
- Pulse rather than continuously blend if you prefer a salsa with more texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4189IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
