Chiles Rellenos
Chiles Rellenos REcipe Video – scroll down for the recipe card!
I was talking to my friend Estrella the other day and remembering the first time we made chiles rellenos together with her mother, Adriana. Estrella and I were in our early twenties, maybe even just twenty years old. It was my dad’s birthday dinner and you know, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I am my father’s daughter, yadda yadda, where do you think I got my love of Mexican food from? What I’m saying is that chiles rellenos is one of my dad’s favorite dishes in the universe.
Umm, and mine, too.
Anyway, we made this for him, with Estrella and Adriana showing me the steps. Adriana also made a nopalitos salad from cactus pads she cut fresh from the garden. That meal stands out in my memory for its deliciousness, sure, but also for the friendship and love that filled the house while we cooked and shared it.
Chiles REllenos recipe
Chiles Rellenos
Roasted poblano chiles filled with cheese, battered in egg and lightly fried
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4 poblano chiles
- 8 ounces cheese (Asadero, Oaxaca, Monterey jack, Muenster)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 large onion, sliced thinly into half-circles
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 cups tomato sauce (1 pound fresh tomatoes pureed, or canned sauce)
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and Pepper
- Oil for frying (about a 1/2″ deep, 2-3 cups of oil)
Instructions
- Wash the peppers well. Roast the peppers over an open flame or under the broiler for about 2 minutes on each side until thoroughly blackened. As each is roasted, place in a large bowl and cover them with a plate. Let them steam together in their own heat while you begin the sauce.
- Heat the teaspoon of oil in a saucepan and saute the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic, tomato, and bay leaf. Stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then simmer while you prepare the chiles.
- By now the peppers should be well-steamed and soft. Gently rub the blackened skins off with a paper towel, you don’t want to tear the pepper.
- Cut a slit from the stem end down about 2/3 of the way. Use a paring knife to cut out the little cone of seeds under the stem, or leave it in if you like it spicy!
- Cut the cheese into 16 rectangles and put two in each pepper. Set aside.
- Separate the eggs: whites in a mixing bowl, yolks in a shallow bowl. Lightly beat the yolks. Beat the whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the yolks gently to create a fluffy “batter”.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet until a pepper seed sizzles when tossed in.
- Lay a filled pepper into the egg batter, cut side up, and spoon the egg over the top to cover it. Lay it carefully in the hot oil and repeat with the other peppers.
- Fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Drain briefly, then serve immediately with the tomato sauce, rice and beans, or lettuce and tomato salad.
Notes
If you are multiplying this recipe and need to hold the peppers after frying, lay them on a rack on a cookie sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven for up to 15 minutes.
Chiles rellenos may also be filled with beef picadillo or shredded chicken.
Click here for my beef picadillo recipe. Or click here for a shredded chicken filling to use inside your chiles rellenos.
38 Comments
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Very nice site, thank you for shares. And in delicious recipes.
I think residual heat was the term you were looking for, but we all knew what you meant. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Ha! Yep. That’s the word!
I have to tell you that your chile rellenos video brought fond memories of my mom, grandma and aunt, all very special ladies in my life, who are wonderful cooks. Growing up this was a popular dish, particularly during Lent. I’m challenged when it comes to cooking, but you make it look soooo simple. Thanks.
Hi Sandra. Thanks for commenting. I’m really happy the recipe reminded you of those nice memories; food has a way of doing that! I hope the videos help you be a better cook. Please let me know if you try making these! 🙂
I l♥ve chile rellenos!! I wish they’d come out with a scratch n’ snif monitor!
Definitly gonna try this recipe 🙂
Hi Liz!
Man, we could make a MINT if we could invent that! 🙂
Mmmmm! Mmmmm! I loves me some mexican food! Made this awhile back along with the rice recipe WHEW!… YUM Yum!… Also made the chicken verde enchaladas…OMG had to make the rice again! Thanks again..brought back some nice memories of the little old lady Mz Liz I used to live next to when I was a kid.. she made great tex-mex!
Thanks Lisa D! I love love luuuuv chiles rellenos. Even without the batter, I think the combo of poblanos and cheese can not be beat!
And I always love hearing people’s food memories – that was lucky that you had a nice old lady next door that fed you Tex-mex. 🙂 Thanks for writing!
Hi
A tip: let your rellenos cool, you could even put them in the fridge. When you are ready put them under the broiler until heated through and slightly crispy. Yum!
Thanks Michael! That’s a great tip!
Thank you so much for doing this recipe! It’s always been my favorite, and will be even better, now that I can do my own.
It’s one of my favorites, too, Michele. Hope you like making them yourself!
I stuffed my pablano peppers with asagio cheese and sauteed spinach & mixed greens with garlic & onion . My Hubby grilled the peppers a bit too long so they were near falling apart. They still tasted great and I’ve learned some things to do differently next time. 1) Don’t COOK the pepper, just chare it. 2) If you’re going to use greens to stuff the pablano… blot or drain moisture to prevent flare & mess. I used EVOO.
That sounds like a great “fusion” relleno, Katy! Yum! Thanks for sharing your variation and tips.
Looks so good! These are my boyfriends favorite Tex-Mex food. I’m def going to make them tonight, though frying does scare me a little. I like that you don’t use too much oil and are not deep frying these. Which kind of cheese do you think is best to use?
Hi Natalie! I hope the frying worked out okay! I like Monterrey Jack, mozzarella, or Oaxacan (Mexican) cheese. I prefer to stick with a white, mild cheese that melts really well.
Just made these today. AWESOMELY DELICIOUS.
YAY! I love chile relleno! Thanks, Chad.
I made these last night and they tasted wonderful! Although I to am very sensitive to peppers, and did not wear any gloves! I am wondering if you have any suggestions for removing the oil out of your hands. I had burning eyes from my contacts, and a scorching groin area the past day and a half and soap aint cuttin it.
Argh! Poblano oil is the WORST, Janice. I don’t know why but it’s worse than habaneros even, to me.
Try some vinegar or lemon juice to cut through the oil. Scrub your hands with it then follow with soap and water. Good luck!
Can I get a take out order to go?
Ha! One order of chile rellenos going out on dry ice today! 😉
yaaaaaaayy!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ 😉
I was just wondering if you could clarify how to go about roasting the peppers without an open flame (i.e. “under the broiler”)? This recipe looks delicious, however I don’t have an open flame stove top 🙁
Hi Leigh-Ann!
You can roast them in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Place in a dry skillet and cover. Cook them for 4-5 minutes on each side until blistered.
Thank you sooo much for sharing this recipe!! I adore chile rellonos, but for some reason have neve tried cooking them at home. I am cooking your brisket right now, and am anticipating making these with the leftovers 🙂 As a matter of fact, I may enjoy the leftovers more than the actual first round dinner!! lolr
Ooh, Paige. Brisket chile relleno is gonna be so good!
This recipe is new to me. When I saw this, I thought it was interesting and made it. It’s really good!
A technique I learned from Chef Bayless is let your rellenos cool or refrigerate them then reheat them under the broiler. They reheat well and become slightly crisp. I really like them way and it makes them able to cook in advance.
does that mean you cook then all the way frying them and all and then put them under the broiler?
HI what kind of oil is best to fry the chile’s in????? Thank you!!!!…soooooo good!!!!…..
Hi Jewel! Any kind of mild-flavored frying oil will work: corn, canola or vegetable. Enjoy! 🙂
This was my first Hilah recipe that I made and it’s dynamite! So crispy on the outside and cheesy gooey-ness on the inside.
These were so good! everything turned out fantastic. I made four, thinking I would probably mess up two of them and oh well. But all four were delicious. previously I had used a batter with some flour in it but it was just not right– these were perfect.
Aw, yay! 🙂 I love this Chile relleno batter, too
what if i can’t get all the skin off the pablomo pepper
It’s fine, just get as much as you can. I use a paper towel to rub it off