Chile Relleno Recipe: How to Make It at Home

A chile relleno is a Mexican dish of a roasted chile pepper stuffed with a filling, usually cheese, then coated in a fluffy egg batter and fried. It is most often served in a light tomato sauce.

To make one at home, you roast and peel a poblano, fill it with melting cheese, dip it in whipped egg batter and fry it golden. The whole job takes about an hour and needs no special skill, only patience with the peeling.

This recipe covers the ingredients, equipment and step-by-step method, plus chile choices, fillings, baked versions and frying at high altitude. It ends with storage and serving ideas. If you would rather eat than cook, the Mi Casa platos and tacos menu is a short walk from the Breckenridge slopes.

What Is a Chile Relleno?

A chile relleno is a whole chile that has been roasted, peeled, slit open and stuffed. The classic Mexican version uses a fresh poblano and a filling of melted cheese or picadillo, a mix of diced pork, raisins and nuts seasoned with cinnamon.

There are three common ways to coat it. Cooks use an egg white batter, plain corn masa flour, or no coating at all. The egg batter version is the one most Americans know.

The stuffed chile is then fried and served in a tomato sauce, although the sauce varies by cook and region.

Chile Relleno in English and Where It Comes From

In English, chile relleno means "stuffed chile." The plural in Spanish is chiles rellenos.

The dish is old. An 1858 Spanish dictionary by Mariano Velázquez de la Cadena already describes it as a green chile stuffed with minced meat and coated with eggs.

The poblano, the usual chile, takes its name from Puebla, Mexico, where it originated. Puebla is also home to chiles en nogada, a stuffed poblano with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds tied to the year 1821. That dish is a festive cousin of the everyday relleno. Puebla also claims a dark, chile-rich traditional Mexican mole as its own.

In the United States, the dish spread early. A 1914 San Francisco guidebook printed a recipe under the name "chili reinas." American versions are usually filled with asadero or Monterey Jack cheese.

Ingredients for Chile Rellenos

This recipe makes 6 rellenos, enough for 3 to 6 people.

For the Chiles and Filling

• 6 large fresh poblano chiles, as straight and flat as you can find
• 12 ounces Oaxaca, asadero or Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 6 thick sticks
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
• Vegetable or canola oil for frying, about 2 cups

For the Egg Batter

• 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the Ranchero Tomato Sauce

• 4 medium ripe Roma tomatoes (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 medium white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 to 1 serrano chile, stem removed (optional)
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• Salt to taste

Equipment You Need

• Gas burner, broiler or grill for roasting the chiles
• Large bowl and plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, for steaming
• Stand mixer or hand mixer with a clean, dry bowl
• Blender for the sauce
• Heavy 10- or 12-inch skillet with about 1 inch of oil
• Instant-read thermometer for the oil
• Toothpicks, a slotted spatula and a wire rack set over a sheet pan

How to Make Chile Rellenos Step by Step

The steps run in this order so the sauce simmers while you prepare the chiles. Read them once before you start.

Step 1: Roast and Peel the Poblanos

1. Set the poblanos directly over a gas flame, under a hot broiler or on a grill.
2. Turn them every minute or two until the skin is blistered and mostly black on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Put the hot chiles in a bowl and cover tightly for 10 to 15 minutes. The steam loosens the skin.
4. Rub off the charred skin with your fingers or a paper towel. Do not rinse them under water, which washes away flavor.
5. Cut a slit down one side, from just below the stem to about 1/2 inch from the tip.
6. Reach in and pull out the seed pod and loose seeds, leaving the stem on.

Roasting and peeling removes the waxy skin and improves the texture of the chile. Wear gloves if your hands are sensitive.

Step 2: Stuff the Chiles

1. Pat each chile dry inside and out with paper towels. Dry chiles hold the batter.
2. Slide one stick of cheese into each chile. Do not overfill; the seam must close.
3. Pin the slit shut with one or two toothpicks.
4. Chill the stuffed chiles for 15 minutes while you make the sauce. Cold cheese melts more slowly in the oil.

Step 3: Make the Ranchero Sauce

1. Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, serrano and broth until smooth.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Pour in the purée carefully; it will spatter. Add the oregano.
4. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until slightly thickened.
5. Season with salt and keep warm on low heat.

Step 4: Whip the Egg Batter

1. Beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold stiff peaks, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Beat in the yolks one at a time, just until blended.
3. Fold in 1 tablespoon flour. The batter should be thick, airy and pale yellow.

Use the batter right away. It loses air as it sits.

Step 5: Fry the Rellenos

1. Heat about 1 inch of oil in the skillet to 350°F at sea level (see the altitude section below for Breckenridge).
2. Roll a stuffed chile in the dredging flour and tap off the excess.
3. Hold it by the stem and dip it in the batter, spooning batter over any bare spots.
4. Lay it gently in the oil, seam side down. Fry 2 to 3 at a time without crowding.
5. Spoon hot oil over the top. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden.
6. Lift onto the wire rack. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

Ladle warm ranchero sauce onto each plate and set a relleno on top. Serve at once.

Which Chile Is Best for Chile Rellenos?

The poblano is the most common chile for rellenos. New Mexico chile, pasilla and jalapeño are also popular, and some regions of Mexico use rehydrated dried chiles such as anchos.

• Poblano: Mild, about 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville units (size and shape: 3 to 6 inches long, broad; best for: The classic relleno with cheese or picadillo)
• New Mexico (Hatch) green: Mild to hot by variety (size and shape: Long and narrow; best for: Southwest-style rellenos, often battered thin)
• Anaheim: Mild (size and shape: Long and narrow; best for: A milder, easy-to-find stand-in)
• Ancho (dried poblano): Mild, fruity (size and shape: Wide, flat, heart-shaped; best for: Soaked and stuffed in some Mexican regions)
• Jalapeño: Medium (size and shape: Small; best for: Bite-size rellenos and poppers)

The poblano is mild, but heat can vary between chiles from the same plant. Taste a strip of the roasted flesh if you need to know.

Fillings and Variations

Cheese is the standard filling, but the stuffed chile is a flexible format.

• Cheese: Queso Oaxaca or queso Chihuahua in Mexico, asadero or Monterey Jack in the United States. Cheddar works in a pinch.
• Picadillo: Diced or ground pork with raisins, nuts and cinnamon, the traditional meat filling.
• Shredded chicken: Leftover tomato chipotle braised tinga mixed with a little cheese makes a smoky filling.
• Seafood: US cooks stuff rellenos with shrimp, crab or tuna.
• Vegetables: Mushrooms, squash or squash blossoms with cheese for a vegetarian plate.
• Casserole: Layer roasted chiles, cheese and the egg batter in a baking dish for a relleno casserole.
• Burrito: Wrap a fried relleno in a flour tortilla with rice and beans.

If you use a raw meat filling, cook it before stuffing. Ground meat is safe at 160°F, measured with a food thermometer.

Baked and Air Fryer Chile Rellenos

You can skip the deep frying and still get a good relleno.

Baked: Heat the oven to 400°F. Stuff the chiles, roll them in 1 cup panko mixed with 2 tablespoons melted butter, and bake on a rack for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cheese bubbles. You lose the puffy batter but keep the roasted chile and molten center.

Air fryer: Coat stuffed chiles in flour, beaten egg and panko, spray with oil, and air fry at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes. The fluffy egg batter does not work in an air fryer; it drips through the basket.

Pan "capeado" light: Pour only 1/4 inch of oil into the skillet and spoon oil over the top. This uses far less oil and still gives the classic coating.

Frying Chile Rellenos at High Altitude

Breckenridge sits at about 9,600 feet, and altitude changes frying. Colorado State University Extension advises lowering the frying temperature about 3°F for every 1,000 feet of elevation. This keeps the outside from browning before the inside cooks.

At Breckenridge, that works out to roughly 29°F lower. Fry at about 320 to 325°F instead of 350°F, and give the rellenos an extra minute per side so the cheese melts through.

Water also boils at a lower temperature up here: about 198°F at 7,500 feet and 193°F at 10,000 feet, per CSU. Your sauce will simmer at a lower heat, so expect it to take a few minutes longer to thicken.

Tips for Crisp, Unbroken Rellenos

• Pick flat chiles. Straight, smooth poblanos roast evenly and roll in batter without gaps.
• Do not over-char. Blacken the skin, not the flesh. Thin, burnt flesh tears when you stuff it.
• Dry everything. Moisture between chile and batter makes the coating slide off.
• Dredge in flour. The thin flour layer is the glue for the egg batter.
• Warm the eggs first. Room-temperature egg whites whip higher than cold ones.
• Check the oil. Too cool and the batter soaks up grease; too hot and it browns before the cheese melts.
• Drain on a rack. Paper towels trap steam and soften the underside.

Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Make ahead: Roast, peel and stuff the chiles up to 1 day ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator. The sauce also keeps for 4 days and freezes well.

Fry fresh: Batter and fry just before serving. Battered rellenos do not hold well.

Store: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, at 40°F or below, and eat them within a few days.

Reheat: Warm on a rack in a 375°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until hot through. The microwave makes the batter soggy. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Freeze: Roasted, peeled poblanos freeze well for months. Fried rellenos lose their crispness, so freeze the chiles before battering instead.

What to Serve with Chile Rellenos

A relleno is rich, so pair it with sides that add freshness or soak up the sauce.

• Rice: a scoop of saucy red rice made the Mexican way to catch the ranchero sauce
• Beans: refried, charro or black beans
• Salsa: a bright, fresh tomato salsa with lime on the side
• Tortillas: warm homemade flour tortillas for wiping the plate
• A combination plate: rellenos sit well next to a tray of baked enchiladas for a crowd
• A drink: a lime-forward classic margarita cuts the cheese and fried batter

For more ideas on building a full Mexican dinner, see this guide to classic plates of Mexican cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between authentic chile relleno and the US version?

A traditional Mexican relleno uses a fresh poblano filled with queso Oaxaca, queso Chihuahua or picadillo, served in tomato sauce. US versions often use Anaheim or New Mexico chiles and asadero or Monterey Jack cheese. Both use the same roast, stuff and batter method.

Are chile rellenos spicy?

Usually not. Poblanos are mild, at about 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville units. A single chile can be hotter than others from the same plant, so taste the roasted flesh if heat worries you.

What cheese is best for chile rellenos?

Choose a cheese that melts and stretches. Queso Oaxaca, asadero and Monterey Jack are the best picks. Crumbly queso fresco does not melt well, so mix it with a melting cheese if you want its flavor.

Why does the batter fall off my chile relleno?

The chile was wet or skipped the flour dredge. Pat the roasted chile dry, roll it in flour, then dip it in batter. Fresh, stiffly whipped batter also clings better than batter that has sat.

Can you make chile rellenos without frying?

Yes. Bake panko-coated stuffed chiles at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, or air fry them at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes. The texture is crunchier and less puffy than the classic egg batter.

Chile Rellenos at Mi Casa in Breckenridge

At Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Breckenridge, rellenos are made by hand in our scratch kitchen. They sit with our platos tradicionales, and on a cold day they arrive bubbling, alongside the hot, hearty après ski plates we serve after the lifts close.

If you have allergies, our allergen guide for every dish lists the chile rellenos as containing dairy, wheat and egg. We are at 600 South Park Ave, steps from the Peak 9 base, open daily from 11:30 am to 9 pm.