Spice up your dip game with this simple homemade Hatch Green Chile Salsa recipe. Made with fire-roasted Hatch peppers, tomatillos, and other fresh ingredients, this salsa is perfect for any occasion and will have your taste buds dancing.
Green chile brings a burst of flavor to any salsa or sauce! Hatch chiles from New Mexico are the real MVPs, roasting to perfection and adding a delicious kick to dishes from stews and chili to vibrant salsas. Prepare your taste buds for an unforgettable adventure!
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Hatch Green Chiles – You can use traditional Hatch varieties or you can substitute with Anaheim peppers if you can’t find them.
- Poblano Peppers – Poblanos add a richer earthy flavor.
- Tomatillos – Tomatillos add a rich and sweeter flavor profile. When roasted they also help thicken the salsa.
- Jalapeño – This adds a touch of heat. If you want more heat consider using a serrano pepper instead.
- Garlic Cloves – Adds a nice background flavor.
- Cilantro – If you don’t like cilantro you can leave it out. But the floral notes brighten up the dish.
- Onion – We use a milder yellow onion for the acidity and flavor. But you can use red or sweet onions depending on the flavor you like most. Be sure it’s a medium size versus jumbo for the right ratios.
- Lime – Fresh lime adds acid and liquid to the salsa.
- Kosher Salt – We prefer the flavor and texture of kosher salt over typical table salt. We use Diamond Crystal.
Preparation
Since we are fire-roasting the ingredients the biggest prep step for Green Chile Salsa is to get the grill started. Use direct grilling and target 500 degrees Fahrenheit in the cooking chamber.
- If you are using your oven prepare the broiler on high. Set the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Remove the husk from the tomatillos. Rinse tomatillos, dry them, then slice them in half. For the peppers leave them whole, rinse, and dry.
- For onions, remove the outer peel and slice them into slices.
- For the bunch of cilantro cut roughly with a chef’s knife. You can use the leaves and stems for flavor.
How to Make Green Chile Salsa
You can also read more in our guide on how to roast green chile for more details on fire roasting.
- Preheat Grill: Prepare your grill for direct grilling targeting 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grill Ingredients: Place the peppers, slices of onion, tomatillo halves, and jalapeños over direct heat. Rotate often as you see the skin brown and blacken. Remove from the grill and place on a sheet pan. Allow the peppers to cool for 15 minutes to make it easier to remove the skin. Each pepper type will take different amounts of time. Plan 6 minutes for the Hatch, 7 minutes for the onions and jalapeños, and 8 minutes for the tomatillos.
- Prep for Blending: Remove the skin from the peppers. If you want a milder salsa, remove the ribs and seeds from each pepper. Coarsely chop each ingredient.
- Pulse: Place in a blender or food processor. Add the lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. Pulse just a few times for a chunky-style salsa. If you want more of a purée pulse until you reach your desired consistency. I prefer a chunky style of salsa.
Using Oven: If using an oven, place the chiles, peppers, tomatillos, and onion onto a baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven. Rotate the ingredients as they begin to brown and blacken and follow the same directions.
Expert Tip
If you want this Green Chile Salsa to last longer you can add white vinegar. Start with 1 tablespoon and adjust to taste.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The most common substitute for Hatch Chile is the Anaheim pepper. It has a similar flavor profile.
We use chile for the actual pepper (ingredient) and chili for the stew dish or dried ingredient.
Not necessarily. The Hatch chiles and tomatillos do not make the salsa spicy. It’s any jalapeños or other spicy-style peppers that would add the heat to any salsa, weather it’s a green salsa or red salsa.
Make Ahead + Storage
You can make this salsa a day prior to eating it. It will thicken up in the refrigerator. We recommend taking out the salsa an hour prior to eating it so it can warm and loosen. You can add more lime juice if needed.
It will store up to five days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What To Make With Green Chile Salsa
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or you can use as a marinade or base to a stew. You can add to enchiladas or top your favorite tacos. We also have some of our favorite green chile inspired recipes.
Tools Used
- Long Tongs – Any time we grill we use long tongs. It prevents your arm hair from burning over high heat.
- Blender – Use a good blender like a Blendtec or strong food processor.
About Vindulge
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
- 1 pound Hatch green chile, (you can substitute Anaheim chile peppers)
- 1 pound poblano peppers
- 10 tomatillos, sliced in half, (about 12 ounces)
- 1 medium onion, sliced thickly, (we use yellow onion, you can also use red onion for a more pronounced flavor)
- 1 jalapeño
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 whole lime, (juiced, it should be 3 tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, (adjust salt to your taste)
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Preparation: Prepare your grill for direct grilling targeting 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Grill: Place the peppers, slices of onion, tomatillo halves, and jalapeños over direct heat. Rotate often as you see the skin brown and blacken. Remove from the grill and place on a sheet pan. Allow the peppers to cool for 15 minutes to make it easier to remove the skin. Each pepper type will take different amounts of time. Plan 6 minutes for the Hatch, 7 minutes for the onions and jalapeños, and 8 minutes for the tomatillos.
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Chop: Remove the skin from the peppers. If you want a milder salsa, remove the ribs and seeds from each pepper. Coarsely chop each ingredient.
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Pulse: Place all of the fire-roasted ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add the lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. Quickly pulse just a few times for a chunky-style salsa. Continue pulsing a few more times if you want more of a pureed salsa.
- If you are using your oven prepare the broiler on high. Set the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Remove the husk from the tomatillos. Rinse tomatillos and then dry. For the peppers leave them whole, rinse, and dry.
- For onions, remove the outer peel and slice them into slices.
- For the bunch of cilantro cut roughly with a chef knife. You can use the leaves and stems for flavor.
Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 996mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 1380IU | Vitamin C: 245mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
