🌽 What Makes This Recipe So Good
Roasted chili corn salsa is one of my favorite salsas. It’s an absolute must with every Chipotle order. The flavors are so fresh and delish – a balance of tangy, smoky, sweet, and spicy. PLUS I just love how veggie-packed and nutrient-dense it is. Of course, that meant I had to really do it justice. A “close enough”, “inspired by”, “close your eyes and it’s pretty similar” version of my beloved corn salsa just wouldn’t do. No, no. I set out to make an authentic homemade copycat of the OG from Chipotle, and that’s exactly what this recipe is! Not only did I verify with an insider (👀) but I also went bite-for-bite with a bowl from Chipotle to ensure my version tasted exactly the same. This corn salsa is super easy to make, even factoring in the extra step of roasting the poblano pepper. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a ready-to-eat topping for nachos, tacos, salads, or bowls; a vegan and vegetarian filling for quesadillas and burritos; or a dip you can pair with your favorite tortilla chips. If you’re in charge of the next tailgate, taco night, or block party, or if you just need a low effort crowd-pleaser for the company potluck, roasted chili corn salsa is the way to go. It’s SO easy to scale up for a crowd, and you can absolutely make it ahead of your event. Just refrigerate it in an airtight container and it’ll keep up to 5 days. That also makes it great for just snacking on through the week, so don’t be ashamed to keep a batch on hand!
👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips
The broiler works really quickly, so set a timer and keep a close eye on the poblano pepper. It is possible to char it too much. You want the skin to be blistered and blackened, but don’t broil it so long that it turns ashy white or burns entirely. Steaming the pepper after you take it out of the oven is an absolute must, so don’t skip it, even if you’re in a hurry. I like to just cover the pepper with an upside-down bowl to trap in the steam, but you can transfer the pepper to a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap if you’d rather. If you skip the steam, you’ll have a much harder time removing the papery skin of the pepper. Steaming it makes it easy to peel right off. If you’ve got time to prepare your roasted chili corn salsa in advance, I highly recommend it! The flavors deepen the longer the salsa sits, since the ingredients have more time to mingle. One hour in the fridge will give you a noticeable difference over freshly-prepared salsa, and overnight will amplify things even more. Just make sure your container is airtight! I don’t find this salsa to be very spicy at all. Since there’s only one jalapeño pepper, and we remove the seeds entirely, you really just get that jalapeño flavor with a vague hint of spice. You can omit the jalapeño entirely if that’s not for you, though. If you like things hot, you can use the seeds from the pepper in your salsa, or even double the jalapeños.
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