Authentic Mexican chili rellenos – a great traditional Hispanic dish. Good news for fans of Mexican cuisine today! Come and get your favorite recipe!
What are Authentic Mexican Chili Rellenos?
Authentic Mexican chili rellenos, or Chile rellenos, are known as a popular dish with fried stuffed chilis with meat and cheese. It’s one of the homemade staples in traditional Mexican cuisine that you can easily find in any regular meal or family gathering at Mexican households.
Chili rellenos have a very interesting texture and flavor. The chili peppers have a kick to them but are not too spicy.
It goes very well with the savory stuffing, which is a combination of ground meat, cheese, and some signature Mexican spices. The outer layer is coated with egg batter and deep fried to create such a crispy golden brown goodness.
Last but not least is the smooth and creamy tomato soup that harmonizes everything together so well in a dish.
The Mexican chili rellenos recipe was inspired by the traditional Spanish rellenos back in the day during colonial times.
The first dish was believed to be created in the city of Puebla, central Mexico. Later on, it became one of the people’s favorites, with many variations throughout the country with slight differences in ingredients.
What Makes Authentic Mexican Chili Rellenos Different from Other Stuffed Chili Dishes?
Chili Rellenos might be mistaken for another similar dish called chiles en nogada. Basically, both of them are stuffed chilis with ground meat filling.
However, chili rellenos are saucier because they sit in tomato soup, while chiles en nogada are more of a drier dish with only a little bit of sauce drizzled on top.
Another misunderstanding many people also have is chili relleno vs. chili poblano.
In fact, poblano is just one type of chili pepper with a deep green color and a mild taste. Poblanos are the top choice to use for the authentic Mexican chili rellenos recipe.
However, you can also use jalapeño peppers, New Mexican peppers, Hatch peppers, Anaheim peppers, or any other pepper you like.
The chilis turn out fluffy and tasty, and they also smell divine! I cannot wait any longer. Let’s learn how to make it!
Other Mexican recipes you may like:
The Best Authentic Mexican Chili Rellenos Recipe with Beef
This recipe is called chile rellenos de picadillo in Spanish. It’s the typical chili rellenos recipe you will see many Mexican mothers and grandmothers make at home. You know it’s authentic because the chef in the video is also Mexican. If you’re from Mexico, let me know if you also make a dish like this.
Time to prep | 30 -40 minutes | Servings | 4-8 |
Time to cook | 30 minutes | Skill Level | Medium |
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 Chili poblanos
- 8 eggs ( for each chili)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Queso Oaxaca or Monterey Jack cheese
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 handful cilantro
- 2-3 Chili serranos
- 1/2 onion, divided
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tsp regular salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Roast poblano peppers on stove top until the skin is charred on all sides.
- Place them in a zip lock bag. Let them rest.
- Boil tomatoes with 1 habanero or chile serrano.
- Add tomatoes, 1/3 onion, garlic, cumin seeds, black pepper, cilantro, and some water to a blender: cover and puree.
- Cook the tomato soup by simmering the puree for 3-5 minutes.
- Preheat cooking oil in a pan, add some onion, and stir fry until fragrant.
- Add ground beef to the pan, and season with ground cumin, garlic salt, and black pepper. Break up the meat and stir fry until browned.
- Add potatoes and keep stirring for 5-10 minutes.
- Pour in the tomato mixture, cover the lid, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- Open the zip lock bag, peel the skin, and remove the stems of the chili poblanos. Make a slit in the middle of each poblano and scrape the seeds out.
- Fill some cheese and beef stuffing inside the chilis. Coat with flour all over.
- Put the egg whites in the large bowl and the yolks here in a small bowl. Whip the egg whites until they develop soft foam. Gradually add egg yolks and salt. Keep mixing gently until combined.
- Preheat cooking oil in a deep frying pan on medium heat.
- Dip each poblano chili into the egg mixture and transfer to frying oil until golden brown. Repeat until finished.
- Ladle some tomato soup on a plate. Put a chili relleno on top.
- Serve hot immediately with some rice. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Mexican Chili Rellenos Recipe with Cheese
This is a simplified version of an authentic Mexican chili rellenos recipe for vegetarians.
If you do not want to have meat, this one is right for you. You can still enjoy the amazing fluffy texture and the cheesy filling, which is not so much different from the original one.
Time to prep | 30 minutes | Servings | 2-4 |
Time to cook | 30 minutes | Skill Level | Medium |
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 poblano peppers
- 4 large eggs
- 8 oz Oaxaca cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- cooking oil for frying
*Tomato Broth:
- 5 Roma tomatoes
- 3 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 piece of a small onion
- 1 Tbsp tomato chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
- Roast poblano peppers on the stove top until the skin is charred on all sides.
- Place them in a glass bowl, and cover with some plastic wrap. Let them rest.
- Peel the skin, remove the stems, and scrape the seeds out of the chili peppers
- Mix all-purpose flour and salt on a baking sheet.
- Fill the center of the poblano chilis with the cheese and enclose them using toothpicks.
- Coat all of the peppers with the flour mixture
- Add tomatoes, garlic, cumin seeds, black peppercorn, and dried Mexican oregano to a blender.
- Add chicken broth (or 2 cups water + chicken bouillon powder). Cover and puree.
- Preheat cooking oil in a saucepan, add some onion, and stir fry until fragrant.
- Make tomato soup by pouring the tomato puree into the saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Put the egg whites in the large bowl and the yolks here in a small bowl. Whip the egg whites until they develop soft foam. Gradually add egg yolks and keep mixing gently until combined.
- Preheat cooking oil in a shallow pan on medium heat.
- Dip the poblano chilis into the egg mixture and transfer to the frying oil. Let them fry until golden brown.
- Add fried poblano chilis to the tomato soup. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Plate up and serve hot immediately. Enjoy!
Easy Baked Chili Relleno Casserole Recipe
This is quite a creative way to make chili rellenos. It’s even easier than the traditional chili rellenos recipe.
Prepare a 1.5 to 2-quart buttered baking dish for this casserole. Now follow the steps.
Time to prep | 30 minutes | Servings | 2-4 |
Time to cook | 40 minutes | Skill Level | Medium |
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 large poblano peppers (roasted and cleaned)
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) shredded (Oaxaca) cheese
- 1/3 cup (42 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
- 3 large eggs (room temp)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 50 ºF / 232 ºC
- Char and steam the chili peppers. Chop them up and put them in a baking dish.
- Add 1/2 amount of cheese.
- Combine eggs, flour, milk, salt, and pepper in a big bowl. Pour into the dish. Mix everything together until smooth.
- Put the dish in the oven and bake at 450 ºF / 232 ºC for 15 to 20 minutes until the knife comes out clean.
- Top with the rest of the cheese and bake for another 5 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.
- Take the casserole out of the oven and serve hot. Enjoy!
Tips and Praise
Marissa, “So good! My mom makes them this way but she puts them in a red sauce super delish! Girl hope you are resting enough! Don’t work to hard lol! Thanks for sharing!”
vie Dee, “Chica!!! I’m so glad to see you are doing well. I was just telling my Brother I want to make chile rellenos but I couldn’t find one of your recipies with ground meat and cheese. Two days later you post this. Gracias and keep up the yummy work. Take care.”
Baking Nana’s Kitchen, These are my favorite chili rellenos. Cheese and chili goodness. I like the outside crispy so I spoon the sauce onto or under the freshly fried rellenos. IF there are any left over – I reheat them in a very lightly oiled skillet or flat top. So good! BTW, chili rellenos burritos are the bomb.
Elizabeth Terrazas, “Made this Very easy, time friendly, and delicious breakfast. I followed the directions but used Almond flour , Almond milk, and 1/4 cup of cheese. DELICIOUS! Going in my recipe book.”
Editor’s Note
Authentic Mexican chili rellenos are so comforting and delicious. This dish is a must when you have a chance to try Mexican food. It will surely satisfy a lot of foodies and make them return for more.
The original chili rellenos go well with rice or tortillas. The chili relleno casserole is best served with salsa, creme fraise, sour cream, or guacamole.
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