Crispy Chili Relleno

When I was in college, I had the pleasure of having two roommates who were from Mexico. They made the most delicious food, as any Mexican-food-lover can imagine! I remember one of them making us these amazing breaded, chilis that were stuffed with cheese. I didn’t even know what they were called at the time, but they were so delicious!

Years later, I discovered chili relleno at a restaurant. Don’t ask me why it took me so long to make this discovery; I was born and raised in Southern California! Like many kids, though, I was picky at times and I had it in my head that I didn’t like chilis. When I finally gave them a try in my adult years, I loved them. And I rediscovered this yummy dish that my roommate had made years earlier. To think of all the years I had wasted!

I became obsessed. Any restaurant that I could order a chili relleno from was a restaurant that I wanted to be at! The melty cheese with just a pop of spice (what kind of cheese is that, anyway??) stuffed inside an Anaheim chili (not too spicy, either!) and cooked inside a soft, egg-battered mixture, smothered with green sauce. Yum. Writing about it is making me craving a chili relleno right now.

Over the summer, we took a family vacation to Colorado. One day, we made a day trip to a Bison Ranch and afterwards my cousin took us to a little Mexican place in her small town of Wellington. I didn’t have high expectations for this place-I’ve found that a lot of other states just do Mexican food like California does. But it turned out to be an authentic restaurant, from the décor to the menu to the family running the place. When I looked at the menu, there was one thing that confused me a little. For chili relleno, they had two varieties to choose from: soft or crispy. I questioned (kind of out loud to myself but also to whoever was listening to me at the table) what that meant. I’d never heard of a “crispy” chili relleno.

“What do you mean you’ve never heard of a crispy chili relleno?” My cousin asked. “You either get it crispy or soft,” she answered matter-of-factly. We had an entire conversation about chili relleno and how, coming from the land of authentic Mexican food in Southern California, we didn’t have “crispy” chili relleno options. Apparently in Colorado, that’s how they do things. Everybody knew what a crispy chili relleno was. In fact, my cousin said they made them at home all the time!

I decided two things:

1. I needed to give these crispy chili rellenos a try
2. They needed to teach me how to make them!

Jeff and I both decided to order a crispy relleno. Let me just say…they were amazing. I would’ve never thought to make them that way, and I still enjoy an authentic, egg-battered chili relleno, but this was a different spin on one of my favorite dishes and I quite liked it! For those who don’t like the sogginess of an authentic relleno (which I’ve heard some people say), you may just give a crispy relleno a try! Plus, they are SO easy to make. Our Colorado family schooled us on how to make crispy chili rellenos before we went back home to Cali.

So now I am going to pass on the goodness. It wouldn’t really be nice to keep this secret all to myself.

You only need a few ingredients:

Egg Roll Wrappers (yep, that’s right)

Pepper Jack Cheese (you can really use any cheese, but pepper jack is the best!!)

And of course, chilis. This recipe is quick and easy and uses canned chilis, so that’s what I’d stick with. Eventually I’ll learn how to make authentic chili relleno with real-life chilis.

You will also want a green sauce to go on top and maybe some cilantro and cheese for garnishing.

The first thing you do is drain your chilis. Set them aside in a strainer while you cut the cheese so that all the juice can drip off. Cut your cheese into block strips, like in the picture.

Stuff your cheese inside your chilis. Set them aside on a plate until you’re ready to fry them.

Now, lay out an egg roll wrapper and lay your chili on top. I have found that it is best to put the chili down on a diagonal and wrap it up like a little baby burrito. Do what works for you, but you will probably agree with me. I dabbed a little bit of water over the ends of the wrapper to give it a good seal shut, otherwise it may open up on you while you’re frying, and that’s no good.

This step is important. You need to add oil to a pot, enough to cover the entire chili. Turn the heat on high and let it get good and hot; probably a good five minutes or so. Your oil needs to be super hot, otherwise they may fall apart. When the oil is ready, drop that chili in there, turning it once it starts to brown so that both sides will be evenly crisp. They should be a nice golden brown color by the time you’re done. Excuse the blurry picture, apparently my camera setting was off. Whatever, you get the idea 😉

Lay them out on a paper towel for a few minutes to get rid of some of the grease. Next time I think I’m gonna try them out in our new air fryer; it would be a lot healthier. When I do, I’ll post an update!

Top with green sauce (as much or as little as you like), cilantro and Monterey jack cheese. They are best to eat while hot!

Tell me those don’t look amazing!! Wanna try it? Save this recipe to your pinterest!

Yum!! Try it out and let me know what you think!

Grab your chilis here!

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Print Recipe

Crispy Chili Relleno

A crispy spin on a favorite Mexican dish!

Course

appetizers, Main Dish, Party Food

Cuisine

Mexican

Prep Time

10-15 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

chilies

Ingredients

• 1 package egg roll wrappers
• 1 28 oz. can whole green chilis
• 1 lb. pepper jack cheese, cut into long blocks
• green sauce, for garnishing
• shredded monterey jack cheese, for garnishing
• chopped cilantro, for garnishing

Course appetizers, Main Dish, Party Food Cuisine Mexican Prep Time 10-15 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings chilies Ingredients 1 package egg roll wrappers 1 28 oz. can whole green chilis 1 lb. pepper jack cheese, cut into long blocks green sauce, for garnishing shredded monterey jack cheese, for garnishing chopped cilantro, for garnishing

Instructions

1. First, drain your can of chilis.
2. Stuff the chilis with your long chunks of cheese. Repeat until all chilis are stuffed.
3. Place a chili diagonally on an eggroll wrapper. Wrap the chili tightly, sealing the end with a dab of water, if needed. Repeat until all chilis are wrapped.
4. Heat a deep pot of oil (deep enough to completely submerge your chilis), on high heat for about 5 minute, or until the oil is very hot.
5. Drop the chilis, a few at a time, in the hot oil for a couple of minutes on each side, or until the wrappers become a golden brown color.
6. Remove from the pot and lay on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
7. Garnish with green sauce, monterey jack cheese and cilantro. Serve immediately!

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