This classic south of the border dish is perhaps something you enjoy whenever you’re at a Mexican restaurant. They’re made of roasted green chilies, buttermilk, egg, flour, breadcrumbs, and cheese. You probably already have most of these ingredients on hand.
Chilis rellenos, which can also be spelled chile rellenos, means stuffed or filled chili peppers. And that’s exactly what this dish is! They’re great as an appetizer, a snack or alongside your main meal. Or add some side dishes and these can be the main dish. Everyone loves chili rellenos. They’re so crispy and tasty.
And this vegetarian Mexican dish is also really easy to prepare. You need to stuff the roasted peppers with cheese and then triple-dip them, first into buttermilk and then into flour and finally into breadcrumbs. All that’s left to do after that is fry them to crispy perfection!
Why You’ll Love the Recipe:
These crispy, crunchy Mexican snacks are really easy to prepare and they offer so much flavor. You can try them with different seasoned or unseasoned bread crumbs or cracker crumbs to find your absolute favorite. Different kinds of cheese work too, or even different chilies.
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How to Serve Them:
Once you’ve drained the chilis rellenos on paper towels, you can serve them hot, as they are or with salsa or guacamole for dipping.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Yes, you can prepare them ahead and freeze until ready.
Storage Instructions:
Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Variations and Substitutions:
No buttermilk? No problem, you can sub 2 cups of milk with 2 beaten egg yolks. You can also bake them at 400 degrees F or air fry them until crispy. Once they’re golden brown all over, they’re done.
Crispy Chili Rellenos
Ingredients
- 12 long green chili peppers roasted, peeled and de-seeded
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs
- Shredded cheese or cheese sticks as needed
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Stuff each chili pepper with cheese and roll up.
- Arrange them on a wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until firm.
- Put the buttermilk in one dish, the breadcrumbs in another and the flour in a third.
- Dip each frozen chili relleno in the buttermilk and then in the flour and then back into the buttermilk, followed by the breadcrumbs.
- Repeat with the rest of them.
- Fry in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until they float up. You’ll need to cook them in batches unless you have an enormous fryer.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
