Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)

A sweet salsa with medium heat, copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa recipe is made with roasted poblano peppers, jalapeños, red onion, citrus juice, and plenty of corn. Use frozen corn like Chipotle does, or follow my easy tutorial for use fresh corn on the cob.

This corn salsa comes together pretty smoothly, and because it doesn’t have any dairy or mayo, it’s great for backyard barbecues. By the way, corn chips are mandatory with this recipe! They scoop up the salsa perfectly, without any drips.

Recipe ingredients:

Ingredient notes:

• Corn: Chipotle employees have reported with Chipotle uses frozen corn. To substitute fresh corn, bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add 6 ears of corn and boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Submerge ears in a large bowl of ice water. When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut it off the cob and transfer to a large bowl.
• Roasted poblano peppers: Turn the flame of a gas stove to HIGH. Using tongs, place the pepper directly over the flame until the skin is charred and blistered, turning occasionally, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Rub off and discard the blackened skin. Lay pepper flat and cut out stem, remove seeds and membranes, and finely chop.
• Cilantro. Omit or sub parsley if you don’t like cilantro.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Turn the flame of a gas stove to HIGH. Using tongs, place chilies directly in or over the flame until the skin is charred and blistered but not ash white, turning occasionally, about 2 to 3 minutes. Or, roast over a very charcoal or gas grill for 3 to 5 minutes.
   
2. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, so the hot peppers can steam a bit. Let stand until the skin starts to loosen and the peppers are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
   
3. Wearing gloves or using a clean kitchen towel, carefully rub off and discard the blackened skin.
   
4. Lay the pepper flat, remove stem and seeds, and finely chop.
   
5. Cook the frozen corn according to the package instructions. Usually, that means using a big pot of boiling salted water for a couple of minutes. Spread out the hot corn on a baking sheet to cool while you prepare the other vegetables.
   
6. In a large bowl, add the corn, minced roasted poblano peppers, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, and lemon and lime juice together in a big bowl. Then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe tips and variations:

• Roasted corn: Chipotle doesn’t roast their corn, but that doesn’t mean you can’t! Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut fresh corn kernels from cobs. Spread corn in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet pan. Roast until golden brown, stirring twice, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Make it mild: Substitute bell peppers (raw or roasted) for the poblanos and jalapeños if you want to cut out the spice.
• Make it spicier: Substitute minced fresh serrano chiles (with their seeds) for the jalapeños if you like it SPICY. Minced habañeros would also be delicious!
• Mexican Corn Salad: To convert your corn salsa into corn salad, in a large bowl combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 2 minced cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a full batch of the corn salsa recipe below, toss to combine, and sprinkle with ¾ cup Cotija cheese.

More Chipotle copycat recipes:

• Chipotle chicken
• Cilantro-lime rice
• Chipotle guacamole
• Chipotle carnitas

Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)

By Meggan Hill

A sweet salsa with medium heat, copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa recipe is made roasted poblano peppers, jalapeños, red onion, citrus juice, and plenty of corn. Use frozen corn like Chipotle does, or follow my easy tutorial for fresh corn. 

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 10 servings (½ cup each)

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Calories 75

5 from 260 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 24 ounces frozen corn (see note 1)
• ▢ 1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
• ▢ 1 large roasted poblano pepper peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (see note 2)
• ▢ 2 jalapeño peppers stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped (see note 3)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ tortilla chips for serving

Instructions 

• Cook corn according to package directions. Spread on a baking sheet to cool.
• To a large bowl, add cooled corn, red onion, jalapeño peppers, poblano pepper, cilantro, lemon juice, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and serve with tortilla chips, burrito bowls, and tacos.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Corn: Chipotle employees have reported with Chipotle uses frozen corn. To substitute fresh corn, bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add 6 ears of corn and boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Submerge ears in a large bowl of ice water. When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut it off the cob and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Roasted poblano peppers:
   1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Arrange peppers in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
   2. Broil the peppers until the skin is charred and blistered but not ash white, turning occasionally, about 30 to 40 minutes.
   3. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand until the skin starts to loosen and the peppers are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
   4. Wearing gloves or using a clean kitchen towel, carefully rub off and discard the blackened skin. Leave the stem and seeds intact if desired for your recipe; otherwise, remove and discard them.
3. Cilantro. Omit or sub parsley if you don't like cilantro.
4. Roasted corn: Chipotle doesn't roast their corn, but that doesn't mean you can't! Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut fresh corn kernels from cobs. Spread corn in single layer on a rimmed baking sheet pan. Roast until golden brown, stirring twice, about 30 to 40 minutes.
5. Make it mild: Substitute bell peppers (raw or roasted) for the poblanos and jalapeños if you want to cut out the spice. 
6. Make it spicier: Substitute minced fresh serrano chiles (with their seeds) for the jalapeños if you like it SPICY. Minced habañeros would also be delicious!
7. Mexican Corn Salad: To convert your corn salsa into corn salad, in a large bowl combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 2 minced cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a full batch of the corn salsa recipe below, toss to combine, and sprinkle with ¾ cup Cotija cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 247mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 118IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

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Meggan Hill

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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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