Quick Summary: Traditional Mexican chile rellenos made with roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in a light egg batter, lightly sauteed, and simmered in red tomato sauce. Includes step-by-step instructions for roasting and peeling peppers. Prep: 45 min | Cook: 30 min | Serves: 8
Jump to: RECIPE | What are Rellenos? | Best Peppers? | How to Roast, Peel & Deseed Peppers | Ingredients & Substitutions | Slow Carb? | FAQ
The first time you make chile rellenos can be a bit intimidating from all the roasting, peeling, stuffing and frying. But trust me, after you’ve made them once, the process clicks and it gets much faster.
The key shortcut is that you can roast and peel the peppers a day or two ahead, then stuff and fry when you’re ready to eat. This recipe uses the traditional egg batter method, which gives you a soft, tender coating rather than a crispy shell.
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What are Chiles Rellenos?
The classic chiles rellenos (chil-ees ruh-yey-nohz) dish includes roasted poblanos filled with cheese (or sometimes ground beef or shredded chicken). The stuffed poblanos are then battered in whipped egg, lightly fried, and simmered in a red tomato sauce.
What Chile Peppers are Best for Chiles Rellenos?
The classic pepper for rellenos is the poblano. Its size and sturdiness make it a good option for stuffing. You will see all kinds of roasted chile peppers in Mexican cooking, but the poblano lends itself best to stuffing.
Some cooks that prefer more spice may use very large jalapenos. You could opt for Anaheim peppers if you prefer less spice.
How to Roast, Peel and De-seed Chile Peppers
Roasting:
The typical method for roasting the chiles is on an ungreased comal or in a cast-iron skillet over high heat, turning them over every couple of minutes. The goal is uniform blistering, and it will take 10-15 minutes to get there.
Once they are blistered, place them in a bowl covered with a plate or a sealed plastic container for about 10 minutes.
I find it easier to place the peppers on a sheet pan and put it under the broiler on high, turning them when they start to blister.
Some people will just hold them over a gas burner on high with a pair of tongs, but I find this to be way too time-consuming.
Peeling:
When they are cool enough to handle, gently remove the charred skin from the peppers, trying not to tear them as they will be pretty tender.
Use the back of a knife to remove the larger pieces of skin and then pick the smaller pieces off with your fingers. Take some care to get all of the peel off as it can be quite bitter.
De-seeding:
After the skin is removed, slit the pepper from the stem to the tip and gently reach in and remove the membranes and the seeds. Don’t rinse the chiles as it can remove some of the flavor.
Are Chile Rellenos Spicy?
Generally speaking the poblanos in chiles rellenos give the dish a mild heat.
Like all chile peppers however, the spiciness of poblanos varies from farm to farm and from season to season. As a general rule, the more stressed the peppers are the spicier they will be. This is why peppers grown in hot, arid conditions are often quite a bit hotter than those grown in temperate climates.
The membranes and the seeds carry the most heat, so if you clean them thoroughly they will not be as spicy.
If you want a spicier version of rellenos, you might try using the dried Ancho chile, and reconstituting it before stuffing. Dried Anchos are usually imported from Mexico and they might be more spicy.
Using dried and reconstituted anchos for your rellenos won’t be as traditional but you would save yourself the roasting and peeling and deseeding.
Chile Rellenos without frying
When poblano chiles are made without frying in the egg batter they are referred to as stuffed poblano peppers. They are very good, but most Mexican cooks do not view them as traditional rellenos.
Another way to enjoy the chile rellenos ingredients is as a casserole. Typically a chiles rellenos casserole will mix fresh chopped poblano peppers with ground beef, canned tomatoes, spices and cheese. An egg batter is then poured over the casserole dish and baked in the oven.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
The following photo shows you all the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For details on measurements, see the recipe below.
The pepper: Poblanos are definitely the go-to pepper to use for rellenos. If you want it to be spicier, you could substitute in large jalapenos or you could use the dried ancho pepper and reconstitute it in liquid.
The batter: The traditional batter consists of mostly whipped egg whites with a few of the yolks added in towards the end of the whipping process.
The Sauce: Some rendition of a red tomato-based sauce is a typical accompaniment. If fresh tomatoes are out of season, use canned tomatoes (which are better than bad fresh tomatoes).
The Stuffing:
A melting cheese like whole-milk mozzarella or a good queso is the most common stuffing for rellenos. If you want it to be a more protein-rich dinner entre however, ground beef, shredded chicken or sometimes shrimp is often added.
The added protein would help make the dinner complete if you are following a low carb lifestyle.
Common stuffing ingredients might include:
- Rice
- Ground beef
- Shredded chicken
- Beans
- Shrimp
- Different cheeses
Are Chile Rellenos Slow Carb?
Because the poblanos are large peppers and the filling is often rich with cheese, most people will only have one stuffed pepper. The rellenos themselves are low carb, but often the side dishes which accompany it, like rice and tortillas, are not compliant.
Typically some flour is dusted on the peppers to help the egg adhere better, and flour is not slow carb compliant. It is not much flour however, and you can substitute in almond flour if you want to avoid all purpose flour.
Foregoing the rice or tortillas and having two of the stuffed peppers keeps this dish in the low carb or slow carb category. Adding beans as a side would be compliant with slow carb, but not strictly low carb.
See this article if you want to learn more about the similarities and differences between Low Carb, Slow Carb and Keto diets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Poblanos are the traditional choice because of their size and sturdy walls. Large jalapenos can work if you want more heat, but jalapenos are not traditional to this dish.
You can roast, peel, and deseed the peppers up to a week ahead and refrigerate them sealed. Stuff and fry the peppers the day you plan to serve them.
The small amount of flour used to help the egg batter adhere can be replaced with almond flour for lower carb version, although any flour is technically considered non-compliant with slow carb.
Chile rellenos are battered in egg and fried before simmering in sauce. Stuffed poblanos skip the batter and frying. Both are good, but the egg batter is traditional to chile rellenos.
Make sure the peppers are dry after peeling. Dust them lightly with flour before dipping in the egg. The flour helps give the batter a better grip.
Yes. Soak anchos in hot water for about an hour until soft, remove seeds, and proceed with stuffing. Anchos will give the rellenos a smokier flavor.
Similar Types of Mexican Rellenos
Poblanos are used in a range of traditional Mexican dishes. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Mexican Rajas con Queso
- Poblanos in Cream Sauce
- Mexican Turkey Chili with Squash, Poblanos, and Black Beans
- Mexican Pumpkin Ancho Soup
- Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers or Poblano Peppers
Chile Rellenos in Egg Batter
Ingredients
- 8 large poblano peppers
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 large meaty tomatoes use 28 oz canned whole tomatoes if fresh are out of season
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup mozzarella or queso cheese
- 4 eggs Separated into whites and yolks
- ⅛ cup flour use almond flour if low carb
- ½ cup refined olive oil or any oil with high smoke point
Instructions
- Place poblanos on a sheet pan and broil on high, turning over as they blister. This takes about 5-10 minutes.When blistered on both sides place in a sealed plastic container or a ziplock bag to “sweat” for about 10 minutes.8 large poblano peppers
- While the peppers are sweating, puree the onion, garlic, tomatoes and salt in a blender. Add some water (1/2 to 1 cup) to get a liquid sauce.Add the sauce to a large pot and bring to a boil, then immediately decrease heat to a low simmer.1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 5 large meaty tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt
- When peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the peels from the peppers being careful not to tear them. Use a knife to slit open lengthwise and use your fingers to gently remove the seeds.Inside each pepper, place about 2 Tablespoons of the cheese and close the pepper around the cheese. You can use a toothpick to help it stay closed if you want. Do not overstuff your peppers or they will burst and lose their filling in the pot1 cup mozzarella or queso cheese
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites for 3-5 minutes, until they form stiff peaks and then whip in 2 of the yolks. You want them pretty stiff and foamy.4 eggs
- Heat the oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Set out the egg whites in a bowl, and the flour in another bowl.Gently dip each stuffed chile into the whipped egg, making sure that both sides get well coated (use a spatula to spread the egg onto the top side). Then dip the chile into the flour.Lower the battered chile into the hot oil and fry for a couple minutes per side, flipping them carefully. The chile is done when it turns golden and puffs up.Remove the chiles with a slotted spoon and gently lower into the pot of tomato sauce. They should be able to hold their shape in the pot.1/2 cup refined olive oil, 1/8 cup flour
- Raise the heat of the tomato sauce and simmer the chiles in the sauce for 5-10 minutes or until hot. They can simmer on low heat for longer without overcooking them.
Video
These are Not Traditional Rellenos. My Grandparents built a restaurant in 1955 here in Southwest New Mexico the recipes they used were passed down from Chefs and Cooks of both American and Mexican descent. Most of the Chile Recipes dated from the early 1800’s. I know what is traditional and what is Californiaized food.
@Duane Mo Tez, can I get the recipe I use to have my abuelitas and can’t find it
Ok, well there will always be a debate around this. These are traditional to the Mexican girl that prepared them for me.
The way we roast our peppers: my husband puts on industrial protective heat gloves, goes outside, sets aside some opened and ready ziploc bags, lights up the big ‘ol propane torch and they’re black and steaming in under a minute! He holds the stems with a pair of piers to rotate them mid-air while roasting. The neighborhood smells of poblano peppers LOL. Then they go into the Ziplocs and sit under some towels for 10 minutes to let the heat soak in. Then rinse them under water and the black skin just falls right off! So fast and easy, Highly recommend 🙂
Love it! Can I rent out your husband? Lol
I haven’t tried your delicious-looking recipe Yet! But before I forget (old age is a B!) I want to tell you, in ALL the 1000’s of recipes I have perused, internet AND book form, Yours is the first I have ever seen to include the ingredients right along with the instructions. It struck me as simply Brilliant and so helpful!
There’s nothing more cringy, than to be cooking a new, long recipe, and have to repeatedly touch the phone with eggy or greasy or floury fingers to scroll up to the ingredient list, then back to your place in the directions! So thank you so much for That!
I am from North Louisiana and have been surfing all afternoon for a copycat “Pancho’s Mexican Buffet” Chile Relleno recipe. This one appears to be close, minus the tomato salsa -even without trying! Flag Up IYKYK Pancho’s!
Thank you so much for the comment Holly! This recipe comes from my daughters foster teen who was on the phone with her grandma teaching her how-to make it the whole time! Hope it comes out great for you.
Let me start by saying that I have never seen a more clever way of presenting a recipe. Wow. So easy to follow with your special instructions. Its been a bucket list thing to do, making Chile Relleno. However, it has always intimidated me. I saw someone recently make them on a PBS cooking show and it renewed my interest. Then, I came across this wonderful recipe which I have now made and eaten and I am on cloud 9. Perfection. Delicious! Gracias! Subscribed and can’t wait to look at other recipes of yours! Thank you!
Wow, thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so glad you made it and it turned out for you. I have a lot of Mexican recipes on the site….my daughter fostered a teenager from Mexico and her grandmother was a great cook. She made a lot of the recipes and I just translated them.
I love your recipes and I am anxious to try this one.
Thank you for your thoughtful message.
Joan
Wonderful Joan! Please let me know how it turns out OK? I’m always up for improving if any suggestions.