Chipotle has recently introduced its new Red Chimichurri sauce, a unique addition to their lineup. This sauce is made fresh daily with roasted garlic, chili peppers and cilantro, delivering a tangy and zesty kick to any entrée or chip. It’s available as a limited-time offering and designed to complement Chipotle’s Carne Asada, but it can be paired with any dish for an extra burst of flavor.
Alongside the new addition, Chipotle offers a variety of other sauces. A few of these include the chipotle-honey vinaigrette, sour cream and the tomatillo-green chili salsa. These come with the option to be directly added onto an entree or served on the side, allowing customers to pour them on their meal or use them as a dip. To see how each sauce compares, I tried several of these options by themselves, in my bowl and with a chip, evaluating flavor, spice and versatility to create a side-by-side look.
Red Chimichurri (new item) – 1/5
The Red Chimichurri sauce was definitely the boldest and most polarizing out of the lineup. Its appearance alone set it apart, with visible bits of herbs and garlic under a thin layer of red oil. It hits with noticeable heat, about seven out of ten on the heat scale, but the flavor is dominated by raw garlic and too much oil that makes it unpleasant on both chips and in a bowl. There’s a strange, soy-sauce-like undertone that gives it a slightly savory flavor, but it’s drowned out by the greasy texture of the oiliness. On a chip, it feels like a mouthful of oil rather than a cohesive sauce. In a bowl, it overpowers everything leaving only the garlic, oil and spice. The flavors never come together, and the texture makes it feel heavy and unbalanced. While it has heat, that alone doesn’t redeem it.
Sour Cream- 3.5/5
The sour cream was pleasantly subtle, adding a nice balance to the bowl. Most of Chipotle’s ingredients lean acidic or spicy, so the sour cream brought a cool, creamy contrast that tied everything together, especially with the chicken. It adds just enough tang and smoothness to mellow out the sharper flavors without being overpowering. On a chip, however, it feels a bit bland; without the mix of other ingredients, the sour tang stands out more than the flavor itself, which isn’t a bad thing because the flavor is deliciously creamy. Its thick texture helps it stay cold, and that chill pairs nicely with its creamy consistency, making it a refreshing balancer for any bowl or burrito.
Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa- 2.8/5
The Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa was surprisingly similar to a lot of other salsas I’ve had, despite its dark green color. On a chip, it tasted almost identical to a store-bought red salsa; it was light, a little bit watery, and filled with a classic tomato pepper flavor, but with a slightly fresher twist. The spice level was perfect, it wasn’t overwhelming, but still had enough to leave a pleasant tingle that lingers in your mouth for a few seconds. It paired nicely with the chips, and brought out the natural corn flavor in them. However, in a bowl, it became a little too dominant. The heat and acidity overpowered most of the other toppings, leaving mainly the chicken and spice to come through. Overall, while it’s a solid salsa with a perfect amount of heat, it doesn’t stand out much other than being a solid, standard option.
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette- 4/5
The Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette stood out for its thin, dressing-like texture and surprising bold flavor. On a chip, it didn’t really hold up, the liquid consistency soaked into the chip quickly, leaving mostly a strong vinegar taste with just a faint hint of buffalo. It felt more like dipping a chip in straight vinegar than an actual sauce. But in a bowl, it completely surprised me. The tangy, slightly spicy flavor tied perfectly into the chicken and added a flavorful punch to the rice. Unlike the sour cream, which balances the bowl with contrast, the vinaigrette blends right in with the other ingredients, enhancing what’s already there. It would be especially great for lighter or more basic bowls that need an extra layer of flavor. Overall, it’s a strong addition to Chipotle’s lineup; versatile, flavorful and definitely best used on a bowl.
