Red & Green Salsas: With Chile de Arbol & 2 Kinds of Tomatillos

These red salsa and green salsas are spicy, earthy and time-honored favorites in Vivi Abeja’s Chicago kitchen. One of Familia Kitchen’s favorite Mexican cooks, Vivi tells us she tries to stock both in her fridge as regularly as possible. Reason 1: They make everything taste double delicioso. Reason 2: They are so easy to make.

The only problem is neither the red or green salsa lasts long because they go with all of her favorite foods. “When I make a batch, I put it on everything, so it goes fast in my home. I add salsa to my eggs in the morning, my tacos, breakfast burritos, rice, or just enjoy with some chips,” says Vivi.

As with most of the family recipes she makes, both these red and green salsas remind her of her grandmother Elisa Abeja. Vivi credits her Abuelita, who ”went straight to heaven“ in 2023, with teaching her many traditional Mexican dishes and continuing to inspire her in and out of the kitchen. Her grandmother was famous throughout Little Village (“La Villita”), a Chicago neighborhood known for its Mexican roots, and especially in her church for her recipes, which Elisa brought with her from Nocupetaro in Michoacan.

“These salsas remind me of my grandmother’s house because she always had some type of homemade salsa. My grandmother taught me to make many variations. She used what she had access to, and at times it would change. But she would always have a spicy salsa and a not-as spicy salsa. So she always had chiles de árbol in her home for that kick that we all love,” says Vivi. Chile de arbol is a small, dried, fiery-red pepper known for its heat, measuring about 20,000 on the Scoville scale, which measures chile heat. That puts it on the higher end of mouth-exploding and eye-watering — but not off the charts, like the habanero.

Over time, Vivi makes her abuela’s salsa recipe her own with a signature approach to how she uses tomatillos, the green husk tomatoes. “I like to use the combination of both large and small tomatillos because the small tomatillos are sweeter. I enjoy the sweet and spicy combo. My grandmother would only use one or the other, probably whichever one was on sale,” she says.

For more of Vivi’s family-famous Mexican recipes, check out her carne asada tacos, creamy enchiladas suizas, air fryer fish tacos, chilaquiles with enchilada sauce, and one of her favorite snacks: gorditas with queso and beans. All are super delicioso and taste even better with a drizzle of one (or both!) of these salsas, por supuesto.

Which Salsa Will You Make: The Red or the Green?

Red and Green Salsas: With Chile de Arbol & 2 Kinds of Tomatillos

Recipe by Vivi Abeja

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings

8 to 10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 
  For the Spicy Chile de Arbol Salsa

• 4 small tomatillos

• 20 to 30 chiles de arbol

• 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken bouillon seasoning

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 bunch cilantro

• For the Green Salsa with 2 Kinds of Tomatillos

• 4 small tomatillos

• 2 large tomatillos

• 2 serrano chiles

• 1 jalapeño chile

• 1 tomato

• 1 bunch cilantro

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 lime, juiced

• 1 Tbsp salt

Directions

• Roast the tomatillos, chiles, tomatoes and garlic for both salsas until charred. You can cook them in a pan (stovetop, on medium-high heat) OR in the oven at 425°.
• Make the Red Salsa with Chile de Arbol
• Blend the ingredients for the chile de árbol salsa. It will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 to 7 days.
• Make the Green Salsa with 2 Kinds of Tomatillos
• Blend the ingredients for the salsa verde. It will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 to 7 days.