Creamy, smoky and citrusy, this Romaine Salad with Green Hatch Chile Dressing will have you licking the spoon – or eating a lot more salad! Roasted green hatch chiles, limes and cilantro give this dressing it’s zippy flavor that also makes a fabulous dipping sauce.
Well, we are still feelin’ the green Hatch chile love over here so I’ve got another recipe for you using these fabulous chiles! (You have, of course, already run out and got some, r-i-g-h-h-t???)
Phew.. you had me worried there for a minute!!
So, now that you have these hatch green chiles (and you’ve already made the queso) what else are you going to do with them? Well, you could make some salsa, add them to your favorite tacos, put them in a quesadilla… or you can make a Romaine Salad with Green Hatch Chile Dressing!
This hatch green chile dressing just might be the perfect vehicle for hatch green chiles… creamy, smoky with an herbal citrus tang. While it’s fabulous on this salad… can you imagine it as a dipping sauce for potatoes??? Or just for veggies??? Or just the back of a spoon??
And yes, it really is that good!
So, raid your stash of hatch green chiles and make this dressing!

Romaine Salad with Hatch Chile Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup Mexican Crema Fresca or Sour Cream
- 1 - 2 roasted hot Hatch Chiles
- ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- Juice of half a lime
- Salad ingredients:
- 1 head romaine lettuce torn
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels roasted or toasted in a skillet
- 1 cup assorted cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado peeled and chopped
Instructions
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until the chiles, garlic and cilantro are finely minced. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Combine the romaine, corn, cherry tomatoes and avocado. Gently toss salad and drizzle with the dressing.
Recipe Notes
- Hatch chiles vary in heat! So if you are a bit sensitive to heat, start with half of the hatch chile amount listed. Taste the dressing and if you want it a bit spicier, add more hatch chiles.
- This dressing is fabulous on salads, but also makes a delicious dipping sauce for wings!
Oh I love the combination of the spice from the Hatch chiles, cool tang of the sour cream and the crisp of the greens! Looks delicious!!
Thanks Quyen!! I was pretty pleased with this one… works great as a little dip for veggies too!!
YUM! Love Hatch chilies, ’tis the season! 🙂
Me too – I’ve been roasting and freezing them and love having my own little stash for the winter!!!
After just moving to Texas I’m starting to become familiar with hatch chiles but haven’t ever used them… Your salad recipe is a perfect excuse to try! I’m going to find some at the farmer’s market and give this a shot. Thanks for the recipe, Nancy!
Hi Georgia!!!
Congratulations on the move!! Hope you enjoy the dressing and I know you will love the chiles – they are great in so many different things!
That salad dressing looks legit! I was at the new Whole Foods in Encinitas this weekend and they had a guy out front roasting hatch chiles. 20 – 30 hatch chiles tumbling around in a metal canister over an open fire. The entire area smelled of roasted peppers – loved it!
I am so making this over the weekend 🙂
Hope you enjoy it Brandon – and buying the chiles already roasted is great – definitely saves time!!
What a beautiful salad Nancy…love, love this dressing!
Thanks – have to say I was happy with the dressing!!!
Cool and creamy meets a touch of fire. Yep. I like it. GREG
I was happily surprised with this one… skipped the greens the other day and just dipped the veggies in…..
I’m a self-proclaimed hatch super-fan. Love this idea for a salad dressing with the chiles! I’m definitely going to need more hatch chiles to store in my freezer.
Ah… another reason why I love your blog – you are a fellow hatch fan!!! I just looked through my freezer and I am almost stocked up for the year – a few more batches to roast and I should be set!
I have the hatch chiles, I have the romaine and I need to make this dressing. Period. But I’m going to grill my romaine; I can just imagine how great that bit of smoky grill flavor combined with this dressing will be a sure fire winner. Can’t wait.
I cannot wait to try your salad dressing recipe. actually why I eat my salad it’s because of the dressing =)
Hi Raquel!!
I have a confession to make – I sometimes feel the same way!! Thanks for stopping by the Table!
Nancy, I found out about Hatch green chiles last year when my friend shared some of his with me. They are so good in so many different dishes. I love how they freeze well too, which is how I enjoyed them periodically over the past year. And now I have a new salad dressing/dip to try! Does the sour cream tame the “flame” that some of the chiles carry?
Hi Lori!!
The sour cream definitely helps. What I recommend is start with one chile in the dressing and then taste it – remembering that it will become hotter as the dressing sits. If the dressing is not spicy enough, go ahead and add another chile. If it’s too hot the next day, you can dilute the heat by adding a bit more sour cream, water and adding a bit more lime juice.
Hope you enjoy the dressing!!