Chile Rellenos
Delicious chile rellenos are poblanos filled with gooey melted cheese and served with salsa roja.
I’ve been a chile relleno lover for many years but I’ve always been intimidated to try making them at home so I just order them in restaurants when I see them on a menu. Now that we are on another strict lockdown here in Oregon due to the covid-19 pandemic, I decided to finally try making them at home. I found the best recipe for chile rellenos on Isabel Eats and I am so thankful I did! These chile rellenos take time and patience to prepare but they are so worth the extra effort!!! I am so happy that my daughter thought they were tasty. My son doesn’t care for chiles so he didn’t care for them but my husband and I thought they were amazing and the best we’ve ever had.
How to Make Chile Rellenos
Make the salsa roja by placing the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro in a blender. Puree until smooth.
Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato puree and bring to a boil. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the chile rellenos.
Make the chile rellenos by preheating the oven to broil and setting the rack directly under the broiler. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then place the whole peppers on top.
Broil the peppers for 3-4 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil them for another 3-4 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Remove from the oven and place the charred chiles in a large zip lock bag then seal. Allow them to steam for 5-7 minutes.
Peel as much of the charred skin off of the peppers as you can and discard.
Cut a small slit down the middle of the peppers with a knife. Carefully remove the seeds.
Gently stuff the peppers with Oaxaca cheese and seal them with toothpicks. Side Note: The peppers are very fragile and may tear–that’s okay. Just do the best you can.
Prepare the oil for frying by heating it in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set it aside. Prepare the batter while the oil is heating.
Make the batter by separating the egg whites from the yolks in two separate bowls making sure the whites are in a large bowl.
Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the yolks, one at a time, until they are fully mixed in. The batter should be light, fluffy, and smooth.
Place the flour on a plate and season with sea salt; mix to combine.
Coat the peppers with batter by first dredging the pepper in the flour, then tap off excess flour. Dip the dredged pepper into the egg batter until completely covered.
Fry the chile rellenos by carefully dipping the coated chiles into the hot oil and fry for about 3-5 minutes per side, until they are golden brown and crispy. Side Note: Don’t overcrowd the pan–I used a small skillet so I fried them one at a time.
Remove from the oil and place on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain off excess oil. Quickly season with a bit of sea salt, if desired.
Immediately serve the chile rellenos on a plate with the warm roja sauce, freshly chopped cilantro, and some cotija cheese crumbles. Side Note: Remind your family or dinner guests about the toothpicks when they dig in to eat them!
Equipment
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
Salsa Roja:
- 6 roma tomatoes, quartered
- ½ small yellow onion, quartered
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 jalapeno, stem & seeds removed
- 5 sprigs of cilantro
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Chile Rellenos:
- 4 large poblano peppers
- 6 oz Oaxaca cheese, cut into long strips or sticks ***Monterey Jack will also work
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- ⅓ cup flour
- Sea salt, to taste
- 3 large eggs
For Serving:
- Cilantro, chopped
- Cotija cheese, crumbled
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream, if desired
- Hot sauce, if desired
Instructions
- Make the salsa roja by placing the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro in a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato puree and bring to a boil. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the chile rellenos.
- Make the chile rellenos by preheating the oven to broil and setting the rack directly under the broiler. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then place the whole peppers on top.
- Broil the peppers for 3-4 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil them for another 3-4 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered.
- Remove from the oven and place the charred chiles in a large zip lock bag then seal. Allow them to steam for 5-7 minutes.
- Peel as much of the charred skin off of the peppers as you can and discard.
- Cut a small slit down the middle of the peppers with a knife. Carefully remove the seeds.
- Gently stuff the peppers with Oaxaca cheese and seal them with toothpicks. Side Note: The peppers are very fragile and may tear--that's okay. Just do the best you can.
- Prepare the oil for frying by heating it in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set it aside. Prepare the batter while the oil is heating.
- Make the batter by separating the egg whites from the yolks in two separate bowls making sure the whites are in a large bowl.
- Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the yolks, one at a time, until they are fully mixed in. The batter should be light, fluffy, and smooth.
- Place the flour on a plate and season with sea salt; mix to combine.
- Coat the peppers with batter by first dredging the pepper in the flour, then tap off excess flour. Dip the dredged pepper into the egg batter until completely covered.
- Fry the chile rellenos by carefully dipping the coated chiles into the hot oil and fry for about 3-5 minutes per side, until they are golden brown and crispy. Side Note: Don't overcrowd the pan--I used a small skillet so I fried them one at a time.
- Remove from the oil and place on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain off excess oil. Quickly season with a bit of sea salt, if desired.
- Immediately serve the chile rellenos on a plate with the warm roja sauce, freshly chopped cilantro, and some cotija cheese crumbles. Side Note: Remind your family or dinner guests about the toothpicks when they dig in to eat them!
This looks amazing! I have never had chile prepared this way…really fascinating and yummy!
I’ve made chile rellenos only once and they were SO delicious but a lot of time effort. Worth it! Yours look fabulous!
wonderful recipe. Looks fantastic.
We love rellenos and yours look delicious.
You did a fantastic job with the Chile Rellenos, they look terrific.
Made these tonight. They were so good! I will make them again, but not on a week night, lol.
Lynda,
I’m so glad you tried & liked this recipe–it’s one of my very favorites! I normally make these rellenos on a weekend so I can take my time.
-Pam
How much oil do you use for frying?
Carol,
It depends on your skillet. I like to have it about 1-inch deep so you can shallow fry instead of deep fry.
-Pam