I judge Mexican restaurants by their Chiles Rellenos
One of my all-time favorite dishes is Chiles Rellenos. I can’t get enough of them. Sure a good batch of enchiladas will soothe your body and soul (especially when suffering from a hangover) and sizzling fajitas will perk your attitude but Chiles Rellenos will take you to another level of happiness. I will always order and judge how good a Mexican restaurant in the US is based on how they made their Chiles Rellenos.
I know some people prefer a big green chili lightly coated in crispy batter and stuffed with meat. Although that kind of Chile Relleno is delicious, I prefer a green chili stuffed with oodles of melted cheese and dipped in a generous amount of light and airy batter. Smothered them in a nicely spicy tomato sauce to add extra flavor and OH MY GOD. That’s the good stuff. That’s what I want to devour.
If you are like me and feel the same way about Chiles Rellenos, then this is the recipe for you. Oven-roasted green chilis stuffed to the brim with Monterey Jack cheese, then dipped in a light and airy egg batter and fried to crispy perfection. Smother it in a spicy tomato sauce and it doesn’t get any better than this.
Chiles Rellenos (Fried Chilis stuffed with Cheese)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 chiles rellenos 1x
Description
Chiles rellenos with a green chile stuffed with cheese, dipped in an egg batter and fried to a golden brown then smothered in a spicy tomato sauce. #meatless #cheese #spicyrecipes
Ingredients
8 green chilies (I like to use a mild green chili for this like Anaheim or Hatch but the choice is up to you)
100–120 g/3.5-4.2 oz Monterey Jack Cheese ( or whichever cheese you prefer)
4 Eggs (at room temperature)
2 tbsp flour
Oil for frying
2 medium red tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 clove garlic
a small handful of cilantro
2 tsp Mexican Chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
Chiles Rellenos
- Wash and dry green chilies and place in an oven on high heat (250C/500C).
- Cook chilies in the oven on high heat until they begin to blister (this should take about 5-10 min).
- Take out chilies and place in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container with a tight lid.
- Seal up the hot chilies in a bag or container and allow to steam until chilies are soft (around 20min).
- When cool enough to handle, remove the waxy skin from the pepper then cut into the side of the green chilies and scoop out seeds with a teaspoon. If you are feeling like you need the heat, leave the remaining seeds in the pepper.
- Carefully stuff green chilies with cheese and set aside.
- Crack eggs open and separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.
- Add flour to yolks and mix thoroughly until smooth with no lumps.
- Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat with a whisk or mixer until stiff peaks are formed.
- Gently fold in flour and yolk mixture into egg whites.
- Add a generous amount of oil to a non-stick frying pan and heat over medium/high heat.
- When the oil is hot, dip stuffed green chile into the egg batter and place it in a frying pan. Feel free to have a spoonful of batter on top to cover a chile that is left exposed.
- Fry until golden on the bottom then gently flip.
- When golden brown on both sides, remove from oil.
- Top with spicy tomato sauce and place in the oven for a minute or two.
- Serve hot and garnish with finely chopped tomato and fresh cilantro.
- In blender or food processor, combine tomato, shallots, garlic, cilantro, Mexican Chile powder, cumin and chicken broth together until smooth.
- Cook in a saucepan over medium/medium-high heat until flavors have blended together and the sauce has reduced by about a quarter.
- Salt and pepper to taste if needed.
- Serve over chiles rellenos and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Main
- Method: frying
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Chiles rellenos, Mexican, chile, cheese, spicy
More Tex-Mex recipes to make at home:
Dinner in a Hurry Spicy Chicken Fajitas
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce
Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Crispy Burritos
