An authentic chile relleno recipe made from roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in a fluffy egg batter and fried until golden brown! This traditional Mexican dish is fun to make and better than any restaurant version you’ll ever try!
Chile rellenos were one of my favorite things to eat growing up. My mom often made them during the season of Lent since they don’t contain any meat, but these peppers are way too good to only be served at that time.
Luckily, she spoiled us and made them for my family throughout the entire year. I could never say no to peppers stuffed with loads of melted ooey-gooey cheese and fried in a light and fluffy batter. Could you?!
After a few years of having the recipe on my to-make list, I’ve finally perfected it and am so excited to be sharing it with you!
What are chile rellenos?
Chile rellenos (or ‘stuffed peppers‘ in English) are a traditional Mexican dish made from roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, then coated in a fluffy egg batter and fried until golden brown.
They’re sometimes served with a simple red or green salsa, or even wrapped in a tortilla with refried beans to make chile relleno burritos.
How to make chile relleno
First, prepare your poblano peppers by roasting them in the oven or on the stovetop, and then removing the blistered and blackened skin. This softens the skin and makes them super easy to stuff.
I’ve included instructions on how to roast the peppers in the recipe card below, but if you’re looking for step-by-step photos of this process, check out this post on how to roast poblano peppers which goes into more detail that’s extra helpful for beginners.
Once your peppers are roasted and the skins are peeled, gently cut a slit down the middle of the pepper with a knife and stuff them with cheese. I used a block of Monterey Jack cheese that I cut into strips, but you could also use shredded cheese if you prefer.
Then carefully close the peppers and bring the edges of the slits together. Secure the edges together with a toothpick or two so the cheese doesn’t fall out of the chiles.
Next, make the egg batter by separating the yolks and whites from 3 eggs. Place the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl.
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they become stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Then continue beating them on low and add in egg yolks one at a time until they’re all mixed together. The batter should be light, fluffy and golden yellow.
To coat the chiles, I recommend setting up an assembly line with the peppers on the left, all-purpose flour mixture in the middle and the egg batter on the right.
Using one hand, grab a stuffed pepper and roll it in the plate of all-purpose flour. Make sure it’s coated on all sides, and then give it a tap to remove any excess flour.
Then using your hand, grab the flour-coated pepper and dip it into the egg batter. Make sure it’s also coated on all sides. Quickly and gently place the pepper in the hot frying oil and fry on both sides until golden brown.
Transfer the chile rellenos to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain and collect any excess oil. Continue frying the remaining peppers and then serve immediately!
I served mine with a super simple red salsa made from tomatoes, onions, garlic, a jalapeno and cilantro, but that’s completely optional. You could use any salsa you have on hand (a salsa verde would be delicious with these), or just with a big dollop of sour cream or drizzle of Mexican crema.
Helpful tips and variations
- Buy the largest poblano peppers you can find. That way you can stuff the peppers with a lot of filling and you won’t have any leftovers.
- Use a different cheese. Feel free to use another type of cheese if that’s all you have. Traditionally, chile relleno is made with Oaxaca cheese, but you could also use mozzarella, cheddar, provolone or another good melting cheese.
- Add a different filling. To make this a more well-rounded one-chile meal, feel free to mix in some other ingredients to the filling. Some good options would be carnitas, shredded chicken or picadillo.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan. I typically fry 2 chile rellenos at a time even though the pan could fit 3.
Ingredients
For the chile rellenos
- 6 large poblano peppers
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into long strips/sticks (or shredded cheese)
- 4 cups oil, for frying
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
For the salsa roja
- 6 roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 small onion, halved (yellow or white)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed (optional)
- 5 sprigs cilantro
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
For the chile rellenos
- Roast the peppers: Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place poblano peppers on top. Set your oven rack directly underneath the broiler and turn the broiler on.
- Broil poblanos for 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered.
- Remove them from the oven and loosely cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep in some of the heat and help them steam. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
- Peel the peppers: Peel and rub off as much of the loose skin on the peppers as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, just as much as you can.
- Cut a small slit down the middle of the peppers with a knife. (If you don't want the peppers too spicy, you can remove some of the seeds. I like to leave them in as poblanos aren't typically super spicy to me, but that's personal preference.)
- Stuff the peppers: Carefully stuff the peppers with the cheese. Some of the peppers will be extra fragile because of the roasting process and may tear – that's okay. Just do the best you can.
- Gently close the opening of the peppers and secure it shut with 1-3 toothpicks. Use as many as you need to ensure that the cheese won't ooze out during the frying process. Set aside.
- Prepare for frying: Heat the oil frying oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. While oil is heating up, prepare the batter.
- Make the batter: Separate the egg whites from the yolks into two separate bowls – the whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the egg yolks one at a time until all of them are fully mixed in. The batter should be light, fluffy and smooth.
- Coat the peppers with batter: Place the flour and salt into a separate shallow bowl or plate. Mix together to combine. Gently roll the stuffed peppers in the flour mixture, then give them a gentle tap to remove any excess. Then dip them in the egg batter and gently place them in the hot frying oil.
- Fry the chile rellenos: Fry the peppers for 3-5 minutes per side, until the batter is golden brown and crispy. Try not to overcrowd the peppers in the pan – I usually fry 2 at a time depending on the pan I'm using.
- Transfer the peppers to the lined baking sheet to drain off any excess oil.
- Serve: Immediately serve chile rellenos on a plate with some salsa, freshly chopped cilantro and some cotija cheese. (Don't forget to remove the toothpicks when you first cut into the peppers! You can try to remove them before serving onto plates, but I find it easier to remove them when you first cut into them.)
For the salsa roja
- Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and salt to a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add blended salsa and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, taste and season with more salt if desired.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- Make ahead. The poblanos can be roasted and peeled up to 2 days in advance. The salsa roja can be made up to 3 days in advance. Both should be kept in the fridge until ready to use.
- Buy the largest poblano peppers you can find. That way you can stuff the peppers with a lot of filling and you won’t have any leftovers.
- Use a different cheese. Feel free to use another type of cheese if that’s all you have. Traditionally, chile relleno is made with Oaxaca cheese, but you could also use mozzarella, cheddar, provolone or another good melting cheese.
- Add a different filling. To make this a more well-rounded one-chile meal, feel free to mix in some other ingredients to the filling. Some good options would be carnitas, shredded chicken or picadillo.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan. I typically fry 2 chile rellenos at a time even though the pan could fit 3.
Nutrition Information
I love chile relleno and followed your recipe for the first time myself. They were delish! What I would like to know is if it is practical to seed the pepper before roasting? I have arthritis in my hands and find seeding the pepper after roasting is difficult for me to hold on to. A pepper with the skin on is easier for me to work with. My tongue likes spice but my tummy doesn’t so I seed Mexican chiles. Thank you for responding.
Hi Dana! Yes you can deseed it before roasting if that’s easier for you.
I made these yesterday with the cilantro lime rice as the side and were a hit! So delicious! Definitely will be making again!
First time making chili rellenos and was very concerned with some tears in my poblanos. Once bartered and fried they were beautiful and no leaking cheese. Very tast. Thank you
Came out great.
Yes, user as little oil as possible,
My old recipe we deep fried them in shallow oil, that worked well as hot oil drained off. These are fluffier which is good., but it can retain a lot of oil, A bit harder on the Constitution..2 big peppers is more than I can eat. I don’t remove many of the seeds as I like my food snappy.
But overall, an easy recipe to follow, pretty foolproof, Get some good Green chili or Ranchero sauce from a place like Stokes if you don’t want to make your own and you can whip these up pretty fast., . Now it’s time for a brandy and a long nap.
Great cookin’
I would like to sign up to get your recipes. But that site wouldn’t open up for me.
Hi Joyce! When you sign up for our free ebook, it’ll ask if you want to sign up to receive emails too! Its towards the middle of the homepage.
Great recipe easy to follow as long as you follow the instructions they turn out great I’ve done it two or three times now just them again tonight they are great love thank you
Really simple recipe to follow and it really works!
Flavor is excellent but assembly and process is all wrong.
Why would you cut it down the side? Roast them, pull out the stem with the seeds all together, no toothpicks just stuff the open hole with cheese, dip in egg mixture and fry.. use little oil as possible….just enough to cook the pan side of the pepper and then flip.
Hi Will. Thank you for the feedback.
I love rellenos but there are few places in my town to get them. I made this last night, and now I don’t have to worry about having them out. I’m excited to have found your site. I’m making barbacoa tonight. Thanks!
Thank you so much, Thom!
I recognize the need for advertising and pop-ups but the “Walgreens” advertising is blocking the view of your directions.
Thank you, great receipt, Ill make it a staple for Southwestern dinners! five stars!
I truly love this rc”iept
Any bad comments are due to use error and not being an experienced cook.
This is the recipe I use, it’s great. Chile rellenos are labor intensive and you need to know what you’re doing through experience.
Delicious and so easy!
Please don’t share my info
When our favorite Mexican restaurant closed due to COVID 🙁 I frantically searched for a home-made chile relleno. This recipe is even better than our old restaurant one. Getting ready to try the green enchilada sauce recipe. I’m sure it will be awesome as well!
This is an amazing recipe and I was so appreciative of the tips. Chili Rellenos always looked so hard but your recipe makes it doable. THANK YOU!!!
I’m with Bruce. This is a recipe that is WAY too difficult for your average google-search cook, and not a beginner recipe at all.
I tried so damn hard, and all 6 of my peppers ended up completely ruined )): between the toothpicks that are impossible to use to “secure” anything, let alone soft, steamed peppers; to the batter that requires me to make a meringue? Yeah, right.
Two stars because hell, you tried Isabel. Just, no thanks.
Hi Rikki. Thank you for your feedback. We try to make our recipes as user-friendly as we can and we’re sorry you had so much trouble.
Not bad idea, but I leave most of the seeds in mine, it gives them a bit of Snap, Works either way.
Wow!, This isn’t hard. You must have way over roasted the peppers. It doesn’t get much easier. Broil on low for 3-4 minutes a side, slice em’ open take out some of the seeds, stuff in the cheese, dip em’ in flour and whipped eggs fry for 3 minutes a side, Thats it, I can’t see how it’s any harder than making a few eggs and potatos for breakfast. Have you ever had them at a Mexican restaurant? Look at them, you must have done something off the track. . Try it again, It’s worth getting it down . They’re yummy.
No stars. Toothpicks can’t hold the extremely soft flesh together, perhaps chopping the top off would work. Extremely upsetting to see all the cheese spool out into the oil and wind up with an empty bag. Don’t slit it up the side as suggested to stuff it. Stupid.
Hi Bruce. Thank you for the feedback, these are tricky to make and I understand it can be frustrating.
I love this recipe. I make it with crock pot refried beans and Mexican rice. This will be my 4th time making it.
This recipe is off the chart!! The taste was incredible and very authentic. My husband raved about it and said it was for sure a keeper.
Used poblano peppers from our garden and made your authentic Mexican rice. Put a little sauce from the chili rellenos on the rellenos and mexican rice and crumbled some Mexican cheese on both. Wow the flavors of everything was magnifico!!! Thanks Isabel👏❤️
Hi Connie! Thank you so much! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe, it’s one of our favorites!
Delicious, I have a bumper crop of poblanos in the garden so I’ve been putting this recipe to use!
Chilli rellenos is my favorite Mexican restaurant dish, so I’m stoked I can make an even better version at home !