The Chile Relleno is a Mexican recipe for a Stuffed Chili that originated in the city of Puebla, Mexico. In 1858 a Mexican newspaper was described as “a green chile pepper stuffed with minced meat and coated with eggs”.
The most common pepper used for the Chile Relleno is a Puebla’s poblano pepper, although the New Mexico chile, pasilla, or even jalapeño peppers are popular to use.
This breaded chili is stuffed full of Oaxaca cheese, black beans, hamburger, grilled onions then fried to a golden brown. The aromatic sauce is made from grilled tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled garlic, grilled jalapeno that are blended into a smooth sauce and thickened on the stove to a velvety Salsa Roja.
Chile Relleno ~ Stuffed Chili
Ingredients
For the Chile Rellenos
- 6 large poblano peppers halved and grilled
- 1 cup oaxaca cheese substitutes: monterey jack or mozzarella
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup cooked hamburger approximately ⅓ lb raw meat will cook down to 1 cup
- 1 tsp adobo
- ½ small onion grilled then chopped
- 4 cups oil for frying
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp table salt
Instructions
Cook the Chile Rellenos
- Roast the Peppers: Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place poblano peppers, tomato halves, onion halves, jalapeno, and garlic cloves on top. Set your oven rack directly underneath the broiler and turn the broiler on.
- Broil poblanos for 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered.
- Remove them from the oven and loosely cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep in some of the heat and help them steam. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
- Peel and rub off as much of the loose skin on the peppers as possible.
- Make the Stuffing: Cook the hamburger on the stove until thoroughly cooked. Drain off excess water and grease.
- Chop one of the broiled halved onions into small pieces.
- In a mixing bowl, add hamburger and Adobo, mix well. Then add the Oaxaca cheese, black beans, and onion and mix well.
- Stuff the Peppers: With a sharp knife, cut ⅔ around the cap of the pepper. Cut beg enough to fill the pepper. Some people cut down the side of the pepper.
- Carefully stuff the peppers with the mix. Some of the peppers will be extra fragile because of the roasting process and may tear – that's okay. Just do the best you can.
- Gently close the opening of the peppers and secure it shut with a toothpick. Use as many as you need to ensure that the cheese won't ooze out during the frying process. Set aside.
- Make the Batter: Separate the egg whites from the yolks into two separate bowls – the whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the egg yolks one at a time until all of them are fully mixed in. The batter should be light, fluffy and smooth.
- Coat the Peppers with the Batter: Place the flour and salt into a separate shallow bowl or plate. Mix together to combine. Gently roll the stuffed peppers in the flour mixture, then give them a gentle tap to remove any excess. Then dip them in the egg batter and gently place them in the hot frying oil.
- Cook the Chile Rellenos: Heat the oil frying oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. While oil is heating up, prepare the batter.
- Fry the peppers for 3-5 minutes per side, until the batter is golden brown and crispy. Try not to overcrowd the peppers in the pan.
- Transfer the peppers to the lined baking sheet to drain off any excess oil.
Make the Salsa Roja
- Remove stem and seeds from jalapeno then add with tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and salt to a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add blended salsa and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, taste and season with more salt if desired.
Notes
- large poblano peppers can hold more filling.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan. Leave room to roll the Chile Rellenos.
Nutrition
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