I love when things get spice up! Don’t get me wrong, I just meant my favorite traditional Mexican Chile Relleno (stuffed poblano peppers). You may ask how many favorite foods I have, right? But yeah, I am more into cooking and eating foods. I am always excited to try more recipes and have it really tasty! Recently some poblano peppers took my heart and I am thinking of sharing the recipes with you. Not only me, but also it is a crowd favorite at my dinner table. Let’s cook and taste this Mexican food with me!
What Do I Like About Chile Relleno (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)?
We had a rule in our home that if anyone had the raw food ingredients before cooking, they will get less of that particular food after the cooking. My sister is resistant to all the raw veggies, fruits and nuts before cooking.
When it comes to poblano peppers she will wait until it is roasted to have it. So she can’t miss a single bite of it. But my favorite is this same roasted thing mixed with the cream cheese, Yumm! Can’t wait a day to have this taste. I always love food that balances simplicity with a little royal taste and yes you can call this as my go to food.
More than this, it’s very cheap and available in most of the stores. When you are planning a day of non veg, opt for this and it is very easy to cook.
What to do with Poblano Peppers?
If you love the green bell pepper taste or want more kick, go for poblano peppers. It can be cooked in several ways. Some people may roast, stuff or even blend it with salsas and sauces. But you guys already know that I like it with cream cheese. Sometimes I stuff it with more cheese and then dip it into the egg batter and fry it to golden perfection.
If you never tried this easy way of poblano peppers, you just missed out and give it a try.
What you need to make Chile Relleno (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)?
You don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to make a delicious chile relleno, which is another reason I love this dish. Here’s what you’ll need:
Poblano pepper: It is the protagonist of our story. So go for a beautiful, chubby and good looking one! I just meant a fresh one.
Onion: Just wipe out all the tears and cut all them into fine pieces. This will give you the best flavor for it.
Garlic: You just need this for the sauce for this recipe.
Tomatoes: You can go for the cute and small plum tomatoes.
Spices: I will usually use the basic spices like salt, pepper, chili pepper, cumin. If you wish to add others, add it also.
Egg: You have to make the egg batter for taste, texture and cover it.
Tooth pick: It can be used to connect the cut pieces of poblano peppers.
How to cook Poblano Peppers?
You can eat the poblano peppers raw in salads. But if you want to cook it, then there are different ways for it. The very first thing is roasting the pepper. For this you can use the grill method, pan-oil roast or try healthy ways by cooking in an oven or air fryer. Here I mentioned air fryer so you should check my chicken sausage recipe using air fryer.
The second way is to make them sweet. It can be cooked and stored in a plastic bag with a spoon of honey to give out in a sweet way. You can cook a gravy recipe as a side dish, pickle it or even cook in steam.
How hot are Poblano Peppers?
Unlike the chillies or hot things, poblano peppers aren’t too spicy. They usually give the right amount of heat and it makes them a best option for those who want flavor without setting their mouths on fire. Recently, you might find one with a bit of extra kick, but generally, they’re mild and earthy.
So you don’t want to skip it because of such thoughts. It is just a family member of chilly and don’t have direct connection with it.
How to roast Poblano Peppers?
Like I told you above, roasted poblano peppers are my favorite and very easy five minute recipe. Roasting is key here. You can try frying over an open flame, in the oven, or even on a grill. I personally love roasting them directly over my stovetop flame. There’s something satisfying about watching the skins blister and blacken—it’s like kitchen magic!
Choose your way of roasting:
Roasting can be done in healthy way like frying it on a air fryer or oven without adding oil. Other ways are:
- Open flame (my favorite): You can place the peppers directly over a stovetop flame then turn them until the skin is charred all over.
- Oven method: First preheat the oven to 400°F and keep the peppers on a baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Grill: Throw the papers on a hot grill and this will give the most crispy and juicy flavour. Keep it in about 10 minutes, you’ll have perfectly blistered poblanos.
How to make Chile Relleno (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)?
When I was a kid, I just waited for the poblano peppers to roast and have it as soon as possible. But once my mom just forced me to wait ad have this stuffed poblano peppers. It can easily be done in three simple steps. First is, roasting and stuffing. You can use whatever you like to fill it. Mostly I prefer seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken for a fancy touch.
The second step is to making sauce and salsa and the last step is coating and fluffing with eggs, then frying it.
Tips for making Chile Relleno (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)?
I can share with you my secret hacks for the best chile relleno you cook. This may feel like simple things, but it has the major part in it.
- Peel the peppers carefully: Just after roasting you can steam it in a covered bowl. This makes peeling off the charred skin much easier.
- Don’t overstuff: The next tip is to follow while filling. Less is more when it comes to filling. Too much cheese will make it hard to close and cook evenly.
- Be gentle when frying: Air frying dishes will be the best and perfect option. If you don’t have it, then dip the stuffed pepper in batter and fry on medium heat. Too hot, and you risk burning the outside before the cheese melts inside.
How to serve Chile Relleno (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)?
I feel serving seems like an art and I prefer to do this art in a really good way. By giving perfect side dish decoration you can easily give it more taste and appearance. The kids in the home are very excited to see it decorated. So I mostly serving my chile rellenos with a side of rice and beans. Sometimes, I like to add a red touch by pouring a little tomato sauce over the top with a little sour cream.
Can I freeze Chile Relleno (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)?
Are you the who prefers batch cooking food to save tons of time just like me? Then this will be the better option for you. You can freeze this food for a week. Just make sure to flash freeze them individually just before storing in airtight containers. Reheat in the oven to keep the outside crisp while having it.
Poblano Peppers Recipe
Poblano peppers can be made in a variety of ways and this is one of the best spicy, tasty and a quick recipe for you. You don’t want any fancy ingredients for it.
Ingredients for the Peppers:
- 4 large poblano peppers
- 2 cups shredded cheese (Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella work great)
- 4 eggs (separated into yolks and whites)
- ½ cup flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
Ingredients for the Red Sauce:
- 2 cups tomatoes (blended)
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Roast the peppers: I usually do the steam method to peel the skin and then roast it in a covered bowl or ziplock bag for 10 minutes. You can also peel the skin just aftr this step.
- Stuff the peppers: Then make a small slit down one side. My sister is always impatient to do this gentle cut. So I prefer to do this myself and remove the seeds. Stuff with cheese (or your desired filling) and set aside.
- Prepare the batter: Beat the egg whites until you see the white beautiful foam like texture and gently fold in the egg yolks.
- Coat the peppers: Then I dip these stuffed peppers in flour, then pour some egg batter on top of it.
- Fry the peppers: Heat the oil in a pan and then fry each pepper until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Make the sauce: Use a saucepan to saute the onions and garlic. The flavor of garlic makes this food more special and yummy. Then add the blended tomatoes, cumin, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve: The last step is to place the fried chile rellenos on a plate, spoon the sauce over, and enjoy!
If you have this pepper in the fridge, then give it a try and if you don’t have it, run to the nearest store and buy it. They’re really fun to make, and trust me, every bite is worth the effort. Enjoy!
You may like to check my tilefish recipes, if you have urge to eat some seafoods! Hope you like this dish also! Try and let me know about the taste in the comment box.
FAQs for Poblano Pepper Recipe
Are poblano peppers spicy?
Poblano peppers are very mild in taste and flavor, with only a slight taste of spice. But it can give more spice while cooking using so many different spices.
What is the difference between a chile relleno and a chile poblano?
A chile poblano is one variety of pepper and it is a large, dark green, and mild pepper. When it comes to the chile relleno is a dish made with the poblano pepper stuffed with cheese or meat and then coated with an egg batter and fried.
Are poblano peppers hot?
As per the Scoville scale for calculating hotness of Poblano pepper, the poblano pepper only has an approachable spice that can tolerate and only a mild heat.
