Give your taste buds a full flavor overhaul with the authentic taste of this chile relleno recipe. This Mexican dish deserves full bragging rights because it wins big in flavor, and it takes less time than you’d think to make!
Best Chile Relleno Recipe
Made with roasted poblano peppers that get stuffed to the max with cheese, these are coated in an egg-based batter, fried up golden brown and smothered in a salsa roja. It’s one of the best dishes you can make and it’s easy to master like a pro too.
Chile Relleno Ingredients
- Poblano peppers – We’ll be roasting and stuffing them.
- Monterey Jack cheese – Get the block and cut it into long strips, or use shredded if that’s what you’ve got.
- Eggs – To make the batter.
- All-purpose flour – For coating the peppers.
- Salt and pepper – To get the seasoning just right.
- Garnishes – You’ll need fresh chopped cilantro and cotija cheese crumbles to finish this off.
- Salsa roja – You’ll make the chili relleno sauce with roma tomatoes, white onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, olive oil, and kosher salt.
Easy Chile Relleno Recipe
It may sound daunting, but this recipe is one even tough guys can make. It takes 45 minutes from start to finish, so why not make yourself something that really brings the heat when you eat?!?
How do you Make Chile Relleno from Scratch?
You’ll start by roasting the peppers under your broiler and then letting them cool. Then you’ll peel them and open them up to stuff them with the cheese. Close and secure them with toothpicks. Then get your vegetable oil ready in a deep fryer or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Make your batter with the eggs, separating whites from yolks. The whites need to be beaten with an electric hand mixer until they turn into stiff peaks. Then adjust the mixer to a low setting and add one yolk at a time. It should be light and fluffy. Coat the peppers in flour by rolling them, then dip them in the egg batter and add to the hot oil, frying 4 minutes per side until they’re golden brown and crispy. Set them on paper towels to remove the excess oil. Serve with the fresh salsa roja and top with your garnishes.
Expert Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Chile Relleno Every Time
- Choose big peppers. The bigger, the better because they’re easier to stuff.
- Don’t put too many in to fry at once. These guys need plenty of space, so you may have to fry a few rounds before you get them all done.
- Remember to remove the toothpicks. That won’t be fun if you bite into one of those!
What are chiles rellenos made of?
Chiles rellenos are made with poblano peppers, cheese, eggs, flour, salt, pepper, cilantro, cotija, and salsa roja.
What kind of peppers are chile rellenos made of?
You use poblano peppers for chile rellenos. They are mild so you won’t have watering eyes or a burning mouth.
Can you make chile relleno without removing skin?
You could, but it’s not all that advisable. You’ll get a better flavor and texture without those skins, plus it is less likely to irritate your stomach this way.
Why do you have to peel chile rellenos?
The outer skin on the poblano peppers is tough. It’s not all that easy to digest, so you have to remove it first.
Are poblano and relleno peppers the same?
There is no such thing as a relleno peppers. Poblano peppers are the most common ones used to make chiles rellenos, a Mexican dish of peppers stuffed with cheese and fried to golden perfection.
What is the difference between a chile relleno and chile poblano?
A chile poblano is a pepper itself. Meanwhile, chile relleno is a traditional Mexican dish made with this type of pepper, stuffed with cheese.
What is chiles rellenos de queso?
It is just another name for chiles rellenos. Remember, ‘queso’ means ‘cheese’ in Spanish.
How to Cook Chile Relleno?
Chile relleno has a few steps that start with broiling the poblano peppers in the oven. The rest is done either on your stove top or within a deep fryer.
How Long do you fry Chile Relleno?
To get that golden brown color, you need to give them about 4 minutes per side.
What goes well with Chile Relleno?
Refried beans, Spanish rice, quesadillas, or a crisp salad are good to go with this dish. You can also add some chips, salsa, and guacamole because who doesn’t love that?!?
How to store Chile Relleno?
After it cools, you have to put chile relleno in the fridge or else it will go bad.
How long does Chile Relleno last?
You’ve got 3 days max to knock out the rest of your leftover chile relleno from the fridge, so get to it!
Can you freeze Chile Relleno?
Yeah! But you don’t have too long – about a month and they’ll be past their prime.
How to reheat Chile Relleno?
Too easy, folks. Just put them on a wire rack on a baking sheet at 375F for about 10 minutes. They should be warmed through by then.
Watch How To Make Chile Relleno (Video)
Homemade Chile Relleno Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large poblano peppers
- 6 oz Monterey Jack cheese (cut into long strips/sticks (or shredded cheese))
- 4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
- 4 eggs (separated)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped, for garnishing)
- 2 tbsp cotija cheese crumbles (for garnishing)
Salsa Roja
- 6 roma tomatoes (quartered)
- 1/2 white onion (halved)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 cilantro stems with leaves
- 1 jalapeno (stem and seeds removed (optional))
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Start by roasting the peppers. Turn your oven on to the broiler setting. While the broiler is heating up, grab a large baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil. Place your poblano peppers on you lined baking sheet and place in your oven on the top rack right under the broiler. Broil the poblano peppers for about 4-6 minutes until the skin of the peppers starts to blacken and form bubbles. Then using kitchen tongs, gently and carefully flip them over and continue broiling for another 4-6 minutes until the other side is blacked as well. Once both sides of the peppers are blackened remove them from the oven and leaving them on the baking sheet, cover them with aluminum foil to trap the heat in and let them steam and cool for about 5 more minutes.
- Once the peppers have cooled a bit, the next step is to peel them. Simply rub off as much of the loos skin on the peppers as possible. This part of the process does not have to be perfect. Just do the best you can. Next, using a knife, slice a slit lengthwise down the center of the peppers so you can open them up to stuff them. At this point you will see the seeds. Keep in mind, poblano peppers are not usually very spicy. But if you really want them mild, you can scrape out the seeds. Otherwise, leave the seeds in there for a little extra spicy flavor.
- Next, gently open your peppers and stuff them with the Monterey Jack cheese. Keep in mind, do this process gently as the peppers will be very soft and fragile from the roasting. Again, this part of the process does not need to be perfect. Once your peppers are stuffed with cheese, gently close the opening and secure it closed with as many toothpicks as you need to make sure they will not open during the frying step. No you can set your poblano peppers aside.
- The next step is to prepare for the frying process. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer, or deep skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating up grab a baking sheet and line it with a few layers of paper towels and set aside.
- The next step is to make the batter. You will need one large mixing bowl and one small bowl. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, adding the egg whites into the large mixing bowl and the yolks into the small bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until the form into stiff peaks. Once your egg whites hold stiff peaks, adjust your electric hand mixer to the low setting and begin to add in one egg yolk at a time until all of them are mixed in. The egg batter should be light and fluffy but still have an overall smooth texture.
- Next, add the flour and salt onto a large dinner plate. Mix together with a wire whisk or fork to evenly combine. Then coat the poblano peppers by gently rolling them in the flour mixture, then dip them in the egg batter and place them directly in the hot frying oil. Fry the peppers for about 4 minutes per side until the batter has turned golden brown and crispy. Make sure you give the peppers plenty of space when frying. If you need to do them in batches of one or two peppers at a time do that. Once the batter is golden brown and crispy transfer the peppers from the frying oil directly to the baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Serve the Chili rellenos on a plate over fresh salsa roja and topped with fresh chopped cilantro and cotija cheese crumbles. Be sure to remember to remove the toothpicks before cutting in to the peppers.
For the Salsa Roja
- To make the salsa Rosa, start by adding the Roma tomatoes, white onion, garlic cloves, jalapeno, cilantro and salt into a blender. Then puree until smooth. Then add 1 tsp of olive oil into a saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the salsa from the blender. Bring to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes stirring regularly. Turn off heat and taste salsa, add more salt of needed.
