Roasted Chili Corn Salsa (Chipotle Copycat)
This roasted chili corn salsa is the perfect appetizer or topping for any kind of tacos, bowls, salads, and more. This recipe is dairy free and vegan friendly.
Looking for more corn recipes? Try my mango corn salsa, easy skillet blackened corn, zucchini corn salad, or black bean and corn salad.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this copycat chipotle corn salsa recipe:
- Roasted poblano pepper – in this recipe, we’ll be roasting our own poblano peppers.
- Frozen white sweet corn – if corn is in season you can also use fresh corn. Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the ears of corn.
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapeño pepper – added for a pop of color. Because the seeds are removed, it doesn’t make the salsa spicy.
- Red onion
- Fresh lime juice
- Kosher salt – to taste.
- Black pepper – to taste.
How to Make Roasted Chili Corn Salsa: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
1. Rinse the corn kernels in a fine mesh strainer under cool water, pushing it around with one hand to help remove any ice. Shake off the excess water.
2. Saute the corn. Heat a large cast iron skillet with olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally until the corn is lightly golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Broil the poblanos while the corn cooks. Preheat the oven to the broil setting. Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler for 5-7 minutes on one side, turn the peppers over, and broil for another 5-7 minutes on the other side until the pepper is completely blistered.
4. Let peppers steam and remove the skin. Place the charred peppers in a covered bowl for 10 minutes (using either plastic wrap or a tightly sealed lid). Peel off the charred skin, remove the seeds, and cut them into small pieces.
5. Combine the salsa. Add the cooked corn, diced roasted poblano peppers, and the remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Toss until well combined and add more lime juice, salt, or pepper as needed. Let the corn salsa chill in the fridge for at least an hour for the best flavor.
Helpful Tips
- Use a large cast iron skillet to saute the corn. I like using a large 12-inch cast iron skillet so there’s more surface area for the corn to come into contact with it. If your skillet is smaller, you may need to cook the corn in batches.
- Can’t get all the pepper skin off? It’s okay if there’s still a little stuck to the peppers, just peel off as much as you can.
- Covering the warm blistered peppers allows them to steam, making it easier to remove the skin.
Quick Tip: If you don’t want to turn on the oven, use kitchen tongs to carefully char the peppers over an open flame on a gas range stove.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this easy copycat recipe using what you already have? here are some ideas…
- No white corn? – yellow corn will also work great and won’t change the flavor at all.
- No fresh lime juice? – you can also use fresh lemon juice.
- Don’t like cilantro? – use sliced green onions.
- No red onion? – use a shallot or yellow or white onion instead.
- Add-ins – black beans, red bell pepper, smoked paprika for an extra smoky flavor.
How To Serve
Serve this sweet corn salsa as a side dish or scoop it up with your favorite tortilla chips or sweet potato chips. Add it to taco salad bowls or shrimp burrito bowls, serve it with cilantro lime rice or coconut lime rice.
It’s the perfect topping for grilled meats, chicken, fish, tacos such as Asian shrimp tacos or Jerk shrimp tacos, as a salad topper, over pasta, and more!
Frequently Asked Questions
Poblano peppers are mild Mexican chili peppers with a dark green color and a mild flavor. They’re about the same size as bell peppers but are more narrow and have a pointy tip.
Chili corn salsa is a mild salsa. Poblano peppers register at 1,000 to 2,000 on the Scoville scale. They have slightly more kick than a green bell pepper, but roasting them helps mellow out their heat even more.
More Corn Recipes
I hope you love this Roasted Chili Corn Salsa! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating so I know how you liked it!
Roasted Chili Corn Salsa (Chipotle Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cups frozen white sweet corn kernels for reference, there are 3 cups in a 16-ounce bag
- 2 poblano peppers
- ¾ cup cilantro leaves minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeds removed and diced
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- juice of 1 lime about 2 tablespoons
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the corn kernels in a fine mesh strainer under cool water, pushing it around with one hand to help remove any ice. Shake off the excess water.
- Saute the corn. Heat a large cast iron skillet with olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally until the corn is lightly golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Broil the poblanos while the corn cooks. Preheat the oven to the broil setting. Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler for 5-7 minutes on one side, turn the peppers over, and broil for another 5-7 minutes on the other side until the pepper is completely blistered.
- Let peppers steam and remove the skin. Place the charred peppers in a covered bowl for 10 minutes (using either plastic wrap or a tightly sealed lid). Peel off the charred skin, remove the seeds, and cut them into small pieces.
- Combine the salsa. Add the cooked corn kernels, diced roasted poblano peppers, minced cilantro, diced jalapeno, diced red onion, and lime juice to a large bowl. Toss until well combined and add more lime juice, salt, or pepper as needed. Let the corn salsa chill in the fridge for at least an hour for the best flavor.