There is a funny story about Chiles Rellenos in our family. One of my mother’s neighbors, Doña Rosa, always tells the story of when she was a newlywed and didn’t know how to cook. In order to impress her husband, she used to go to the small eateries (FONDAS) in the nearby market and buy ready-made food.
Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo | Stuffed Poblano Peppers
One of those meals was Chiles Rellenos, a dish that requires some time and skill in the kitchen due to its complexity. Doña Rosa tells that one day her husband came back early from work and saw her on the way to the market.
He decided to follow her and discovered his wife's cooking secrets. Doña Rosa is a funny lady, every time she tells that story she makes us laugh.
Sometimes I also wish there were some fondas closed by and buy the great foods the ladies at the market cook. If you ever get to visit Mexico make sure to visit the markets and its small eateries you will be glad you did. There you will find some of the everyday dishes of our country like these chiles Rellenos, fried fish, beef and chicken milanesas, soups, mole, and many more comfort foods.
I hope this recipe and instructions help you recreate this dish in your own kitchen, you will see that the time spent is worth it. "Chiles Rellenos"
If the “picadillo” filling seems like too much for you, the poblano peppers can also be filled with cheese, canned tuna, chicken, refried beans or vegetables.
How to make Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo
NOTES:
- * Raisins, olives, and capers also added by some cooks to make Chiles Rellenos a richer dish.
- * This beef picadillo recipe will be enough to prepare 8 stuffed poblano peppers, but you will love the leftover to prepare a nice sandwich or burrito for tomorrow’s lunch.
- * If your family is a small one like mine, go ahead and make the 6 Chiles Rellenos any way or 8. If you are going to all this trouble of making them, then why settle for half the recipe? They taste great the next day as well when you give them a little reheating in the microwave. (I know: that evil machine!)
- * Do not buy large poblano peppers, especially if this is your first time making them, it is not easy to handle them while frying and they lack flavor. You can now find them at farmer markets.
Instructions:
3. Once your poblano peppers are clean and seed removed dry them with a paper towel.
6. Spread the flour on a large plate and coat the peppers lightly, one by one. Shake off any excess of flour. Making sure the chiles rellenos do not open while doing this step.
7. Once the peppers are covered with the flour, dip into the beaten eggs making sure it is well coated.
8. Carefully place the peppers in the hot oil, do not overcrowd the skillet. Fry each side until it gets a deep golden color. It will take a few minutes on each side. It takes practice to master this step, use a large spatula to help you turn the chiles rellenos gently. Place the pepper on a paper towel to absorb the oil.
STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Picadillo
- 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 cup of finely diced carrots about 2 medium carrots
- 1 cup of finely diced potatoes about 2 small potatoes
- ½ Large onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 medium tomatoes coarsely chopped
- ½ cup of water
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of green peas
For the Chiles
- 6 Medium size poblano peppers roasted cleaned and seeds
- About ¾ cup of flour
- 4 eggs separated
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- About 1 cup of oil or more to fry the stuffed peppers
Instructions
- Chiles Rellenos: Place a skillet over a medium-high heat. Add oil to warm and add the ground meat to cook breaking down the lumps that form. About 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic until slightly translucent. Add the carrots and keep cooking for about 5 more minutes. After that time add the potatoes to cook stirring frequently.
- While the meat and vegetables are cooking, place the tomatoes and water in the blender process to form a puree. Add this tomato puree to the skillet and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until vegetables are cook and liquid has reduced and very little remains. In case the liquid has reduced before the vegetables are cooked add some more water during the cooking process. Cool before stuffing the peppers.
- Once your peppers are clean and seed removed dry them with a paper towel. Gather all your ingredients for the final preparation.
- Stuff the pepper using a spoon being careful not to overstuff or the fill will spill while frying it.
- In a large frying pan heat the oil. The oil should be about ¾ in. deep. While the oil heats beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and then stir in the yolks one by one while beating until you have a fluffy batter season with salt.
- Spread the flour on a large plate and coat the peppers lightly, one by one. Shake off any excess of flour. Making sure they do not open while doing this step.
- Once the peppers are covered with the flour, dip into the beaten eggs making sure it is well coated.
- Carefully place the peppers in the hot oil, do not overcrowd the skillet. Fry each side until it gets a deep golden color. It will take a few minutes on each side. It takes practice to master this step, use a large spatula to help you turn the peppers gently. Place the pepper on a paper towel to absorb the oil.
Notes
If you like these Chiles Rellenos you will also like this recipe for Rajas de Chiles Poblanos and a Mexican Rice Recipe to alone with it.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
Enjoy! Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo EN ESPAÑOL
Sandra
Thanks so much for posting these recipes. I love them!
Mely
Youa re welcome Sandra.
Mely 🙂
NORMA RUIZ
Nunca los he rellenado de picadillo, pero deben ser riquisimos gracias por la receta, besitos Mely.
Chris
Most Americanized Mexican restaurants have the ubiquitous chile rellenos on the menu and it's usually good. But this, Mely, is so far above those recipes. It's not even the same dish, yours is so much better!
Ronnie (RR)
I love the story of Dona Rosa, made me laugh, such a creative and wise lady by all sounds. Love the recipes too 🙂
leilabelle
I attempted this yesterday... I need practice on preparing the poblanos! My family loved them. Great recipe, thanks!!
Mely
Hello Leilabelle,
Yes, they take practice but as Karen says bellow, they are so worth it.
Thank you for stopping by.
Mely
Karen
Chile Rellenos are so much work, but SO worth it. They're my favorite Mexican food ever!
Prieta
Great pictures Mely! And ricos chiles rellenos, yum!
Lyndsey Chapin
I love chilies rellenos, and yours looks fantastic! I tried to make them for my daughter and I, but I didn't batter and fry them. I wish I had these in front of me now!
Mely
Hello Lyndsey,
Sometimes, I do not batter the poblanos but my family complains when I do so.
Happy cooking.
Mely
Esmeralda
Hello, I just want to say that I love your blog...
Esmeralda
Thanks for posting this recipe I really like your blog definitely Mexican food is exquisite...
Swathi Iyer
Delicious, Mely, we have similar recipe were we fry chilies in batter.
Pily
Mmmm...!!1 me encantan!!! ya sabes que parece que nos telepateamos , estamos publicando casi lo mismo!! 😀
Un beso Mely!!
Carmen
Mely, qué rico. Me encantan los chiles rellenos de todo, pero más de picadillo.
¿Sabias que ahora los chiles rellenos es uno de los platos más difíciles de reproducir por el alza de los huevos para capear los chiles?
Un kilo de huevo en cuarenta pesos.
besos
Rebecca Subbiah
these look amazing and love that story made me smile
Gloria
HI Mely. Thx for popping in my blog and you know I appreciate it as I love your blog very much. Ooooh those chili rellenos look amazing. Ayeeeee que rico!!! Delicioso!!! You know Mely, this year I had seeds that I had ordered from Hatch New Mexico. The Hatch chili they call it. Big Jims, Sangria and others. They grew and they are so dang good. Hot but delish. I can take the heat and hope that as I get older, will still be able to eat the hot stuff. I know my step-mom after awhile could not eat the hot chili. Excellent photos as always and glad to hear from you. Take care Mely, I haven't forgotten you.
Nammi
yumm, looks delicious!! I love the filling !! have a nice day!
Nora
Mely, ya te había dicho... hicimos los chiles rellenos al mismo tiempo! Las fotos te quedaron espectaculares! qué ricos!
pennyflyers
Hi Mely, made these yesterday, Turned out great, I'm still on my mission of cooking 7 of your recipes in a week, made the flautas,All i can say is WOW, so simple but so tasty, I topped mine with sour cream, lettuce,tomatoes,avocados and a tomatillo salsa
Mely
Hello,
Thank you for letting me know how you 7 meals are going. 🙂
Connie Burns
I was trying to get your recipe for Mexican Rice but it said the page was no longer available or something to that effect. Would love to have this recipe if you could possibly post it. Thank you so much! I love your blog! The Chiles Rellenos came out delicious!
mmartinez
Hello Connie,
Here is the link, thank you for letting me know about it.
Mexican Rice
Modo B
Thanks for another great recipe, Mely! We made these tonight, with a few improvisations based on what we had! Instead of potatoes/carrots/peas, we used golden beets/dried cranberries/pecans, and then topped them with a chili cream sauce. Outstanding!! Your pictures and instructions made our first chile relleno experience a breeze!
mmartinez
Thank you for trying the recipe. I love when cooks improvise and create great meals with the ingredients they have on hand. Enjoy!
Katie Meyer
Just wanted to say I love your blog it has been such an inspiration and total life saver, My boyfriend is from Mexico city and really enjoys all the meals i have made using your recipies. Thank you Thank you Thank you
mmartinez
Hello Katie,
Thank you for your kind words and for trying the recipes.
Happy cooking!
David
I made them and they were delicious. The picadillo was outstanding. That alone can be a meal. What I suggest is that you use grass fed beef for better taste.
mmartinez
Hello David,
Thank you for trying the recipe. And you are right, the picadillo is a meal by itself. Picadillo served with rice is one of my family favorite meals. Enjoy!
Mary
When I was a kid, my family and I drove from Nogales, AZ to Mexico City and back at Christmas time. It was a wonderful trip. It was in Guadalajara that I first had chiles rellenos stuffed with picadillo. The picadillo had raisins and olives in it. So yummy. Since then picadillo has a place in my heart. Thanks for this recipe..
mmartinez
Hello Mary,
So nice of you to write about your trips. Lovely memories. At home, picadillo with raisins and olives is a favorite.
Aimee
Hola Mely. I love the recipes that I've come across. I am married to a Hispanic man. His father , who was from Mexico, passed a couple years back, but he was one amazing cook. He knew how to make a great Fideo with homemade tortillas. I want to be the new "great Mexican food" cook in the family. I have a knack for cooking to begin with. I've made carne guisada, homemade rice, homemade beans, and of course the usual tacos and enchiladas. I look forward to trying all of your recipes at one point. I'm going to surprise my husband this weekend with your Caldo de Pollo. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for your site. I'll be visiting frequently.
Mely Martínez
Hello Aimee,
Thank you for visiting Mexico in My Kitchen, happy cooking!
Cathy
I would so love to be able to make this. I live in the Caribbean and for the first time in 12 years, I found Poblano peppers here (mislabeled as jalepano's) I saved the seeds to try to grow them, but I have never had luck in the past. Hopefully, this will be the time it works! I love picadillo, but have only had the Cuban version with raisins and olives, but reading a previous review, it sounds like you have a similar version? I did use a couple of your recipes last week. I made the poblanos in cream and a ground beef, chorizo mix that was really tasty. It was't Mexican chorizo, but just the fact I can get any kind here makes me a happy lady!
Tina
I made this ... and just realize I made a mistake by not adding the egg yolks back into my egg whites...but it was still delish! I also made the spaish rice and salsa recipes to go with this and they were both fantastic. I'll definitely repeat this meal.
LWhite
Good recipe. I would recommend draining the meat. Mine was wayyyyy too greasy. I couldn’t taste the serranos so I recommend doubling.
Wendy
Hello, I am trying a version of this tonight for Christmas Eve dinner. I appreciate your variation suggestions; tuna, etc. But your peppers look like they have been cooked. I do not see that instruction, and it seems they might be easer to fill uncooked. Finally, I am not keen on standing over hot grease. Has anyone made a successful oven-baked version?
Mely Martínez
Hello Wendy,
You need to peel the peppers first. In order to peel them, you roasted them over an open flame in your stove, or you can place them in a tray under your broiler for a minute or two rotating them to avoid burning the peppers. This step makes the peppers pliable and removing the skins helps the flour and the egg batter to adder to the skins, otherwise, it won't stick to the peppers.
I know some people have tried using an air fryer, but I'm not sure about the results.
Wendy Hermance
Hey, Mely, Thank you for answering! That makes sense that the soft, pulp is needed for the outside to stick to. OK! Will report back tomorrow. The peppers I have are a mix of enormous, long, yellow, brown and orange ones I got in Lidl (Portugal), which inspired me to find your recipe as they ae too pretty to cut up. In 1980 I had a vegetarian cafe (Catalpa Tree, Columbia, MO.) We had to folow other nations' cuisine. Our CT Bean Burrito was a best seller and I make bean burritos for breakfast at least once a week. Avocados are plentiful here. BTW - I enjoy The Taco Chronicles on Netflix. So many interesting people serving such a diverse variety and a Mexican geography lesson, to boot!
Wendy
To be honest, I have not stuffed the peppers because the filling was so delicious, after sampling it, I decided to have it in a taco! Tomorrow - the rest goes into the peppers! I made a vegan version with TVP, used canned diced tomatoes and added oregano and paprika and a dash of soy sauce to the mix. My carrots were a pre-shredded bag. I also used a a bit more onion; red.