Chiles Rellenos

A Good Thing's Note:

This has got to be one of the simplest ways to make this yummy dish! And it's virtually mess free! These rellenos can be fried in oil or baked in the oven, depending on how you like it. If you like Mexican but don't like spicy stuff, you might like this. The canned green chilies don't tend to be very hot. Also use mild to hot salsa, depending on your family's taste. Great served with traditional refried beans and rice.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 flour tortillas (8-inch or 13-inch sizes work well)
• 2 (4 ounce) cans green chilies (whole or chopped)
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese , shredded
• 2 cups salsa
• oil (for frying) (optional)
• toothpick

Directions:

1. Soften flour tortillas in a warm oven or in a microwave. This makes them easier to handle. I soften one tortilla at a time, build a relleno, and then warm another tortilla. If you warm them all at once, the last onces may get hard before you can roll them.
2. Lay tortilla on flat surface, place 1/2 cup cheese in center of tortilla and place 1/4 to 1/2 can of chilies on top of cheese. Fold bottom of tortilla over the cheese/chilies (away from you), then hold that while you fold in both sides. Finally, fold top side of pouch back over the center and close by securing with a toothpick or two. This will need to hold the relleno closed while it's baking or frying (if it's loose, the insides will leak out). Repeat with the other tortillas until you have used all four.
3. Place rellenos in deep fryer and fry for approximately 4 minutes on a fairly hot setting. If you don't have a deep fryer, place in a cast iron or other heavy skillet that has about 1 inch or so of oil in it, heated to a medium-hot setting. Fry on each side for about 2 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese in the center has had a chance to melt. If you don't want to fry, place rellenos on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven (380 degrees F) for about 10 minutes (or until golden brown).
4. While rellenos are cooking, heat salsa just until warm in small sauce pan over medium heat or about 1 minute in a microwave (on full power).
5. If you fried the rellenos, drain on paper towels. If you baked them, go to the straight to the plate! Place chili rellenos in the center of a plate, remove all toothpicks, and cover each relleno in about half a cup of warm salsa. Serve immediately.
6. They should be crunchy on the outside with warm melted cheese and chilies on the inside. Serve with refried beans, Mexican rice, warm tortilla chips, and a side salad.

Reviews

[Kumquat the Cat's friend]

Baked these. Crispy on the outside, cheesy and soft inside, and very tasty. I used a real blend of various Mexican cheeses: cheddar, monterey jack, asadero and queso quesadilla (low fat WW blend). I used a salsa with tequilla, lime and jalapenos. May have added too many flavors, next time I would use a more neutral salsa. I made 3 rellenos with 1 can whole chiles, 3 8" tortillas and 1 1/5 cups cheese and salsa each. We finished these for dinner with a side of gazpacho. Very good! Not messy either. Oops, I'm sorry I just noticed I forgot to add 5 stars!

[Boo Chef in West Texas]

Family loved these. Hubby wasn't sure this would be good , but he really liked them.So easy too! I made as written I used a mexican blend shredded cheese ( thats what I had on hand) and I fried them Made for Zingo ZWT 5 for RRR

[FolkDiva]

Wow! What a great twist on chile rellenos! So easy and fun to make, and quite tasty. I used pepper jack cheese and fried them in just enough oil to fully coat the bottom of a skillet. Turned out golden and crunchy on the outside and the cheese melted nicely through the chilies. I don't think they are quite as flavorful as a true, freshly roasted and stuffed poblano, but still very good (and the ease of the process makes this recipe a keeper). Served with recipe #123718 rather than salsa. Made for the Zingo round of ZWT5. Thank you for posting!