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Chiles Rellenos, thewoksoflife.com
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4.50 from 4 votes

Chiles Rellenos

Our step-by-step recipe for Chiles Rellenos, a delicious Mexican dish of stuffed poblano peppers with rice, meat, and cheese, served with a fresh salsa.
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Mexican
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Calories: 705kcal
Author: Kaitlin

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ½ pound 225g ground turkey, chicken, beef, or pork
  • 1 small onion (diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • ½ cup 120 ml plain tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup 40g chopped raisins
  • ¼ cup 30g chopped pecans
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces 225g shredded monterey jack cheese

For the peppers and the salsa:

  • 7 to 8 whole poblano peppers (washed/cleaned)
  • 1 large onion (halved)
  • 8 plum tomatoes
  • 1-2 serrano chilis
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 handful cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Salt and pepper

For the frying process:

  • 3 eggs (separated)
  • 1 cup flour
  • Enough oil to fill a deep skillet or saucepan with 2-3 inches of canola (vegetable or peanut oil)

Instructions

Make the filling:

  • In a skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and brown the ground meat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until translucent. Add the tomato sauce, raisins, pecans, smoked paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  • Let cool as you prepare the other items. Once cooled, mix in the shredded cheese.

Prepare the peppers and salsa:

  • Broil the peppers and onion on a sheet pan, with the broiler on high, until they are blackened on one side. Flip and broil until entirely charred. Watch them closely! Set them aside, covered with a clean kitchen towel, to loosen the skins.
  • Blend the charred onion, tomatoes, serrano chilies, garlic, and cilantro. Process the salsa to your preferred consistency—it can be very smooth or a little chunky.
  • Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add the salsa to the pan and simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook until it has reduced a bit and the salsa’s color has changed from light pink to red-orange.
  • Now use a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth to gently remove the skins from the poblano peppers. Slice an opening lengthwise on each pepper, leaving the rest of the pepper intact. Remove the excess inner membranes and seeds (it doesn’t have to be perfect).
  • Gently stuff each pepper with filling, sealing the seam with toothpicks.

Fry and serve:

  • Heat your frying oil to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C
  • Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer running on medium, add the egg yolks one at a time, and beat for 3 more minutes.
  • When the batter is smooth, light, and fluffy, and coats the back of a wooden spoon without dripping, it is ready to use.
  • Dredge the peppers in flour, then dip in the batter. Carefully place the pepper in the hot oil. When the bottom of the chile is golden brown, carefully turn it over with a spatula, without damaging the batter. Fry until golden brown.
  • You can fry 1-2 peppers at a time depending on the size of your skillet, but it’s best not to crowd the pan, so you can easily flip them without damaging the batter. We fried one pepper at a time.
  • Serve your chiles rellenos with your salsa!

Nutrition

Calories: 705kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 474mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2105IU | Vitamin C: 145.9mg | Calcium: 347mg | Iron: 3.3mg