The BEST Chile Rellenos

This recipe is near and dear to my heart because it always reminds me of my mother. I remember she would come home from work and start dinner and I never realized just how much work goes into this recipe. It will take some time, but the outcome is worth it! This dish is the definition of labor of love so if your mom every made this dish for you when you were younger, go thank her like right now!

Though this recipe is a bit of work, it’s actually really budget-friendly which is one of the things I love most. I spent less than $15 for everything and it mostly went to the cheese! The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it your own so feel free to use any cheese you’d like. Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Feta cheese, Gouda, blend up the cheeses, use vegan cheese. You get the point!

There are 3 major parts of this dish: roasting the peppers, whipping the egg whites and the frying of the chiles once we assemble everything! Don’t be intimidated, I’m here to help you every step of the way! Let’s get started, here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

4 Chiles Poblano

2 cups Oaxaca Cheese, shredded

2 cup Queso Duro Blando, shredded

4 eggs, separate whites from yolk

1 cup all purpose flour

2 roma tomates

1/4 yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno

1/2 TSP chicken bouillon

1/4 cup water

4 TBSP avocado oil

Salt & Pepper TT

Directions:

Step 1: Roast the Chiles - Set your oven to broil. Wash the chiles and dry off with a paper towel. (NOTE: There are 2 ways to do this, in the broiler function or on the stovetop in a flat pan or comal.)

Step 2: On a cookie sheet lined with foil, place the clean chiles and then set in the oven. Let the chiles broil for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the chiles and broil for another 10 minutes.

Step 3: When the chiles are done roasting, place them in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or foil and let them sweat for about 10 minutes. (NOTE: This will help the chiles sweat and make it easier to peel the skin of the chile off.)

Step 4: Make the salsa - In a blender, add the Roma tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, and chicken bouillon and blend. Add 1/4 cup of water or more if needed for a smooth consistency.

Step 5: In a large skillet, add 1 TBSP oil and heat over medium heat. Carefully pour the salsa in the pan and bring let it come to a simmer. This will take about 5 minutes. Once the salsa starts to boil, turn off the heat and set aside.

Step 6: Peel the chiles- Remove the chiles from the bowl and on a plate, carefully peel the skin from the chiles. (Note: You don’t have to peel it off perfectly, just get the majority of the skin off.)

Step 7: Using a knife, make a split down the Chile from the top the the middle of the pepper. Carefully remove the seeds from the poblano chiles . You can use a knife or kitchen sheers to remove the bulk of the seeds but be sure to keep the stem on.

Step 8: Gently stuff your chiles with the Oaxaca and Queso duro blando cheese. After you stuff the Chile, be sure not the overstuff and that the Chile still closes up. Continue this until all your chiles are stuffed with cheese.

Step 9: Prepare the egg whites - In a large bowl, separate the egg yolks from the whites by gently cracking the eggs in the middle and break the shell in half. Let the yolk settle in the lower half of the egg shell while the egg whites run off the sides of the egg into the bowl.

Step 10: Gently transfer the egg yolk back and forth between the egg shell halves while letting the egg white slide off into the bowl. Set the yolks aside in a small bowl.

Step 11: Using a stand or hand mixer, on medium high speed, whisk the eggs whites for about 8-10 minutes or until the egg whites form stiff peaks. You should be able to flip the bowl over without the egg whites falling out.

Step 12: Once the egg white have formed cloudy-looking stiff peaks, set mixer speed to medium low and add the egg yolks into the egg whites, one by one until they are incorporated. Careful not the over mix. This will give the egg mix that beautiful golden color.

Step 13: Coating & Frying Process - In a large bowl, add the all purpose flour and add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 14: In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil.

Step 15: Gently pick up the stuffed peppers and dip in the flour, then dip one half of the pepper in the egg mixture. Using a spoon, carefully add more egg mixture to cover any part of the chile to that hasn’t been covered and add to the skillet to fry. Fry for 3 minutes and then carefully flip to cook the egg coating.

Step 16: Repeat this process until all chiles have been cooked.

Step 17: Serve with rice and beans and enjoy the fruits of this labor!