This Mexican style green chili sauce is made with roasted chilies, garlic, and tomatillos, perfect as a salsa or as a table sauce for tacos or burritos.
Easy Green Chili Sauce Recipe (Salsa Verde)
You need a simple green chili sauce recipe in your recipe box in case of emergencies, or in case of the need for easy yet awesome flavor.
With a good green chili sauce, you can spice up anything from tacos and burritos to sandwiches, breakfasts foods, and even soups and stews.
I have yet to find any foods that couldn't benefit from a great sauce.
What is Green Chili Sauce?
Green chili sauce is a simple yet flavorful all-purpose sauce made from roasted chili peppers. It often contains green tomatillos for further body and flavor, along with other herbs and seasonings to round it out.
It can be made with a variety of different peppers, most commonly made in the Southwest U.S. with different Hatch chile peppers, New Mexican green chilies, or poblano peppers, though other green peppers can be used.
Let's talk about how to make green chili sauce, shall we?
Green Chili Sauce Ingredients
- 6 tomatillos
- 2 poblano peppers or use a mix of poblano, jalapenos and/or serranos for a hotter green chili sauce
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Juice from 1 lime
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil as needed
How to Make Green Chili Sauce - the Recipe Method
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees, or the broil setting.
- Toss the garlic cloves in a bit of oil and salt, then wrap loosely in aluminum foil. Set into the oven and bake for a total of 20 minutes.
- Slice tomatillos and poblano peppers (or other peppers, if using) in half lengthwise and set them onto a lightly oiled baking sheet, skin sides up. This recipe works great with different peppers, from a variety of Hatch green chiles to sweet green bells to poblanos, jalapenos, fiery serranos and more. Use a mix!
- Set into oven and bake for 12 minutes. Be sure not to get too close to the top heating element or the tops will burn too much.
- Remove all items from the oven and cool slightly. Peel the pepper skins away and discard.
- Place tomatillos, chili peppers, roasted garlic, cilantro, and lime juice into a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Salt to taste and serve!
I received some Sugar Rush peppers from Refining Fire Chiles and made this recipe. They are quite spicy with a fruity flavor that is not unlike the habanero, but not as hot, perhaps as hot as a Cayenne pepper.
It had the perfect amount of fruitiness to compliment the tang of a Mexican style green table sauce, which usually have great flavor but are quite low on the heat scale. This version adds a bit of kick to it.
Recipe Tips and Notes
Other Peppers. I usually make this sauce with a mixture of poblano peppers and jalapeno peppers or serrano peppers, but as you can see, it can be made with other peppers as well. Hatch green chile peppers are GREAT for this recipe, too.
Straining. I like to strain my table sauce a little but so it isn’t quite so chunky, but that is your personal choice. If you strain too much, you’ll be left with a much thinner sauce. I like to have a bit of character in my table sauce.
Thinning and Simmering. You can thin out your sauce by adding water, chicken broth or vegetable broth, then simmering it until you reach the flavor and consistency you prefer.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes Like This One
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Easy Green Chili Sauce Recipe (Salsa Verde)
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 tomatillos
- 2 poblano peppers or use a mix of poblano, jalapenos and/or serranos for a hotter green chili sauce
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Juice from 1 lime
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees, or the broil setting.
- Toss the garlic cloves in a bit of oil and salt, then wrap loosely in aluminum foil. Set into the oven and bake for a total of 20 minutes.
- Slice tomatillos and poblano peppers (or other peppers, if using) in half lengthwise and set them onto a lightly oiled baking sheet, skin sides up.
- Set into oven and bake for 12 minutes. Be sure not to get too close to the top heating element or the tops will burn too much.
- Remove all items from the oven and cool slightly. Peel the pepper skins away and discard.
- Place tomatillos, chili peppers, roasted garlic, cilantro, and lime juice into a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Salt to taste and serve!
Notes
Nutrition Information
Karen says
How much vinegar would you add to this recipe to extend its shelf life and when would you add it?
Mike Hultquist says
Karen, it's about pH, so if you want a shelf stable recipe, shoot for a pH of 4.0 or lower.
Karen says
****How long does this green chili sauce last?
Mike Hultquist says
Karen, this should last a few weeks in the fridge in a sealed container Enjoy!! due to the acidity.
Tami says
About how many ounces of sauce does this recipe make?
Mike Hultquist says
Tami, this should make 8-12 ounces or so, depending on the size of the tomatillos and poblanos, possibly a bit more.
Rachel says
I love salsa verde so much that I'm trying to grow tomatillos here at home! Problem is, it's really hot (110°) so pollination is nonexistent. No worries, I grabbed some tomatillos from the grocery store with the intent of making this recipe and I was not disappointed!! I followed the directions exactly (a must for any first time). I cut everything up and used my toaster oven to broil. I really liked the flavor and consistancy and I will make this recipe over and over again. I need to make a huge batch next time, maybe make some enchiladas. Green is king!! Huge thanks to Mike and Patty for this amazing website (I found you first looking for Sugar Rush Peach Pepper hot sauce) and for the YouTube. Super appreciate the efforts you put into everything!!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing this, Rachel! I hope you find many more recipes you enjoy. Cheers!
Michele Turney says
Great recipe! But I noticed in the directions when you add the things to the food processor, you forgot to say the garlic. No problem I put it in anyway.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Michele! I appreciate it, and have updated that info.
Remy says
Tasty!!!! So Good! Roasting really brings out extra flavours and complexities. Nice One. I love your recipes. Do you have any tips on making a version of this or similar green chilli sauce with tomatillos that can be bottled and has a long life please? Would I just need to add vinegar? Thanks, Remy
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Remy. Yes, you'd really only need to add acidity, like vinegar or citrus, if needed. Shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower for home canning.
Dave says
Hey Mel, grow some Tomatillo's they are super prolific. I live in northern Ontario and I planted about 5 plants that produced roughly 10 pounds of Tomatillo fruit, if Mike is okay with it can refer you to where I got seeds to produce the Tomatillo's
Mel says
Hi Mike, as I live on the Greek Island of Corfu, Tomatillos are unavailable. Do you know if there is there a substitute I could use ? Fingers crossed..
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Mel. You might try unripe/green tomatoes with a touch of lime juice. Let me know if this works for you! Enjoy.