Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa

Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa combines the spicy, smoky flavor of dried chiles roasted with tomatillos, tomato, and jalapenos with fresh onion & cilantro.  The ultimate homemade salsa!

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There’s a Mexican restaurant that my family and I go to that has a great salsa.  Not the house salsa they bring to your table, the good stuff you have to ask for. 

I’ve been trying to recreate it at home, and I have finally done it with Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa!  My husband actually said that it’s BETTER than the salsa at the restaurant! 

This salsa is spicy, tangy, and full of flavor from roasted veggies!  Fresh onion and cilantro adds great freshness.

If you like tomatillos, Roasted Tomatillo & Avocado Salsa is a great salsa verde! 

Ingredients needed to make this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):

• Tomatillos
• Tomato
• Jalapenos
• Cilantro
• Onion – yellow or white
• Garlic
• Salt & pepper
• Dried chile de arbol

📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

What are chiles de arbol?

Chile de arbol is a chile pepper that you can find both fresh and dried, but you’ll probably have more luck finding the dried version.  I use the dried chiles in this salsa. 

The chile peppers are about 2-3 inches long and have a dark reddish, brownish color.  They are hotter than a jalapeno, but not quite as hot as a cayenne pepper. 

They add nice heat to the salsa, but also a slightly smoky flavor too.   

Here are some more salsa & Mexican condiment recipes:

• Easy Homemade Salsa
• Pickled Mexican Hot Carrots 
• Fiery Habanero Hot Sauce
• Avocado Pico de Gallo
• Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa

Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa

Kaylen

This Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa recipe combines the great spicy, smoky flavor from dried chile de arbol and the tang of tomatillos with other fresh ingredients for the ultimate homemade salsa!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Condiment

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 2 cups

Equipment

• skillet
• food processor or blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound fresh tomatillos husks removed, washed
• 5-6 jalapenos
• 1 large tomato I use a slicing tomato
• 4-5 dried chile de arbol
• 1 garlic clove smashed
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion (white or yellow)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Add the tomatillos, jalapenos, tomato, and dried chile de arbol to a large skillet (save the onion, garlic, and cilantro for later). Turn heat to medium/medium-high and sauté the produce for 5-7 minutes, occasionally using tongs to turn things over. Continue cooking/turning until all sides are nicely charred.
• Add roasted ingredients to a food processor or blender with the garlic, salt, and pepper (save onion and cilantro for later). Puree until large chunks are gone. Pour the salsa into a bowl and then stir in the onion and cilantro. Taste for needed salt and pepper. Enjoy!

  * This recipe makes approximately 2 1/2 cups.

Notes

• The gorgeous bowl in the photo came as part of a taco serving set.  It includes taco holders, salsa spoons, and this pretty bowl. 
• An alternative to roasting the veggies in a pan is to put them under the broiler, checking them every 1-2 minutes, and turning as needed.  
• Homemade salsa can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. 
• This salsa can be frozen in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags for up to 4 months, however, the texture of the salsa may change since tomatoes contain a lot of water.  

Keyword Chile de Arbol, Cilantro, Jalapeno, Salsa, Spicy, Tomatillo, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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