If you’re looking for an authentic Mexican dish that is as beautiful in presentation as it is in taste, look no further.
We love Mexican food so much. And this dish is classic. We’re crazy for Chile Rellenos Stuffed with Mexican Queso, but this dish is just as delicious, and so many of the components of it can be made in advance!
HOW TO MAKE STUFFED POBLANOS WITH RED SAUCE
As mentioned, so many of the elements of this dish can be made 1 to 2 days in advance.
From the red sauce to the stuffing, even the roasting of the peppers can be done ahead of time!
PREPARING THE RED (ROJO) SAUCE
We’ll be honest and tell you that these stuffed poblanos are so delicious, that they don’t necessarily beg for a sauce. But, still. A sauce almost always makes a dish even better.
And we think this sauce is the perfect match for the mild spice of the peppers.
EXPERT TIP: We like going with good-quality canned whole tomatoes for the sauce. If you have beautifully ripe fresh tomatoes, then, by all means, use them. If using fresh, you’ll need about 1 lb of them, typically about 3 medium-sized tomatoes. This recipe makes a decent amount of sauce, so if you prefer, you can cut the ingredients in half for less sauce. The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance. It’s also great for other dishes, spooned over an omelet or hamburger.
Poblanos are one of our favorite types of peppers to cook with and serve.
They are considered mild, but they do carry some level of spiciness.
EXPERT TIP: Roasting the peppers under your broiler (4 inches away from the element) will deepen the flavor immensely and make removing the skin easy, as well as removing the seeds. The seeds and interior ribs are where the spice comes from. Remove them all for minimal spice or leave some in for extra heat. You can even carefully rinse the peppers under water to help remove the seeds.
THE PERFECT FILLING FOR ROASTED POBLANOS
For the filling, we start with fresh tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Dried oregano, cumin, and cinnamon deliver a classic Mexican taste. We love using Mexican oregano, but regular dried oregano works great, too.
For ease, we use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket and make our Perfect Steamed Rice in advance (up to 1 day).
EXPERT TIP: Simmering the puréed tomatoes and onions will help to cook out some of the liquid that the vegetables will release. After stirring in the remaining ingredients, you’re filling is ready, however, this can be made up to 1 to 2 days in advance. If making in advance, simply gently reheat the filling on the stove before stuffing the peppers.
This recipe makes enough filling to easily fill 6 to 8 large poblano peppers.
Use a spoon or fork to gently stuff the filling into the peppers.
EXPERT TIP: When cutting the slit down the top of the pepper, be sure not to cut too deeply, or you might cut the underside of the pepper. But if that does happen, don’t worry, the peppers will still cook just fine and still be easy to transfer to a plate or serving platter.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHEESE FOR STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS
You’re going to want to choose a good melting cheese for these stuffed poblanos.
Great options are:
- Mexican Chihuahua
- Oaxaca
- Asadero
- Monterrey Jack
- Cheddar
Using a combination of these is a great way to go, too!
This dish is so festive and perfect for serving friends and loved ones.
It’s the perfect dish for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Serve with a side of Homemade Guacamole and our Classic Margaritas, and you’ll have the perfect Mexican table!
THE ULTIMATE MEXICAN COMFORT FOOD
As mentioned, this is one of our favorite Mexican dishes to serve and eat.
The flavors work together perfectly and the texture is wonderful.
This is truly a deeply satisfying dish your guests will be so impressed with. We can assure you of this!
Ready to make one of the most impressive (and delicious) Mexican dishes ever? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of the dish, post it to Instagram, and tag @howtofeedaloon and hashtag #howtofeedaloon!
Stuffed Poblanos with Red Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- ¼ cup onion chopped
- 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes with juice
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oregano dried, Mexican oregano if available
- 2 tbsp corn oil
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
FOR THE PEPPERS AND STUFFING
- 4 cups chicken cooked, rotisserie is perfect
- 6 poblano chiles
- 2 medium tomatoes stemmed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp oregano dried, Mexican, if available
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cinnamon ground
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1½ cups rice cooked
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh, chopped
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese grated
Instructions
- MAKE THE SAUCE
- Pulse the onions and garlic in your food processor a couple of times. Add the tomatoes (with juice), stock, vinegar, sugar, and oregano, and pulse until puréed.
- Heat corn oil in a deep heavy large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in salt. Keep warm on the stove, or store in an air-tight container if not using immediately.
- ROAST THE PEPPERS
- Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler and turn on HIGH.
- Set the peppers on a baking sheet and then place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and use tongs to flip the peppers over. Return to the oven and broil for another 5 minutes until smokey and charred all over. Keep an eye on them, as broilers can vary from oven to oven.
- Use a small sharp knife to cut a slit on the top of the peppers from the tip to the end of the pepper, careful not to cut too deeply. Let cool slightly, peel off the skins, and use a small spoon to remove the seeds and inner ribs, or membranes. You can gently run water over the peppers in your sink to help remove excess seeds.
- MAKE THE FILLING:
- In your food processor, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and 1 tsp salt. Process until puréed, about 30 seconds.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the puréed tomato mixture to the pan. Cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until about half of the liquid has evaporated.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cooked chicken, cooked rice, cilantro, and 1½ cups of the cheese.
- FINISH OFF THE DISH:
- Portion the filling among the peppers, pressing their sides around the filling.
- Broil the peppers on HIGH (4 inches under the heating element) until the cheese begins to melt and the tops begin to brown, about 4 minutes (keep an eye on them, don't let them burn!).
- Carefully remove from the oven and top with the remaining cheese. Place under the broiler again until the cheese is completely melted and lightly browned, about 2 more minutes.
- Ladle about ½ cup of the sauce into serving plates/bowls and gently place 1 stuffed pepper on top of the sauce on each plate. Serve at once.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published June, 2017, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe, new tips and photography, and a fabulous new video in May, 2020!
I made this last night and we absolutely loved it and we will hav it again. I did prepare the sauce and the filling the day before. I’m making the tacos on Thursday. I love how both of you are so positive.
Hi Annette! That is the best thing we’ve heard all week! We are SO HAPPY you loved the stuffed poblanos and had such great success with the dish! And we love making the sauce and filling the day before, too. Makes serving time so much easier!! Let us know how the tacos turn out!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Any thoughts on how to make this without chicken? I would love to try these. Flavors sound delicious.
Hi Carolyn! Well, that really depends on your taste. You could certainly substitute cooked ground turkey, or even cooked ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper. If you want to go 100% vegetarian, then just increase the cheese and rice by another cup, and it will be delicious! Cooked shrimp that is roughly chopped would be really yummy, too! Hope this helps! Let us know if you make the dish and what you think! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This is an amazing delicious dish. We love it. With the peppers, I place in a brown paper bag after they come out of the oven. When they cool the skin loosens beautifully.
Hi Bonnie!! So so glad you loved the stuffed poblanos, that is definitely one of our all-time favorite dishes!! Thank you so much for letting us know and for the wonderful review!! We appreciate that so so so much!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Well hello. We made these this evening and they were amaze balls! It’s 93 degrees here so I roasted/finished the peppers on the gas grill outside. It worked well without heating up the house. I tried some smoked chicken that I found by the rotisseries and I forgot to add the cilantro. Still turned out great. My tween-aged kids enjoyed helping make the sauce/filling and remarked about how awesome the house smells during cooking! The Shrimp Fra Diavolo we made a couple weeks ago was a hit also. You guys have a good thing going here -the videos are really fun. I look forward to trying another one of your recipes soon! Thanks.
Hi Laura!! You have no idea how happy you just made us! Sounds like you and the kids hit it out of the park! Woo hoo!! We are so happy to hear you had such awesome success with the stuffed poblanos and the shrimp fra diavolo…(two of our favorites!). Thank you so much for letting us know and for the wonderful review. That means the world to us!! Stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
You two do not disappoint! Made this tonight and loved it. Was nice to be able to prep the sauce and filling in advance so tonight’s dinner was easy. This is such a nice change from most Mexican cuisine recipes out there. Different and very satisfying. And it made enough for leftovers. Thanks guys for sharing with us. I will be making this one again.
Since it was just for my wife and me, I cut the recipe in half. On the other hand, since the poblanos at my supermarket were smaller than normal, I used four of them, and the halved stuffing was the right amount.
I found that a kitchen torch was a whole lot quicker than the broiler for charring the chiles. It was so quick, in fact, that the underlying pepper wasn’t as soft as when I l’ve used other methods. That means that the stuffed pepper needed a bit more time under the broiler than indicated.
Other alterations to the recipe as posted: I added a fair amount of cayenne to the red sauce, for an added “glow.” I lined the broiler pan with foil and sprayed it with nonstick spray. Since I’m a dark meat guy, I used the legs and thighs of my rotisserie chicken, which was exactly the right amount for my halved stuffing.
As retired residents of Mexico for the past 12 years, now that we’re back in the USA, my wife and I really enjoyed this nostalgic dish, although our reactions weren’t quite as orgasmic as the Loon’s. Keep up the good work!!
Hi Winston! Your modifications sound spot on and fantastic! And welcome back to the good ole USA!!! And we truly laughed out loud “weren’t quite as orgasmic”…well, what can we say…we REALLY love eating good food!! Thanks SO MUCH for letting us know and for the GREAT review!!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
Keep the rec!ipes coming….thanks!
Thanks, Bonnie!!! Stay tuned…lots more on the way!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
I can’t wait to make this for my family this week! My husband’s favorite Mexican food is Chili Rellenos so he will love this! I’ve made your cabbage rolls, crock pot ribs and homemade ranch dressing the past few weeks – everything is amazing (my pictures stink so I don’t post but when I get a good one I will!). I love your site and especially your videos – thank you!
Hi Jane!! Woo hoo!! That all sounds absolutely amazing!! We love these stuffed poblanos so much, so we think you and your husband will love them, too!! Let us know if you make them and what y’all think!! Thanks for your support, that means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley