You have to try this easy, chicken, chili relleno recipe with black bean and salsa! This is one you won't want to miss!
This Chicken, Chili Relleno recipe is a fantastic way to use poblano peppers. The process isn't difficult but can vary slightly in which way you want to stuff the peppers, whether it be with meat, fish, vegetable, or cheese. You can also be versatile in the way you bread or coat the peppers; there is bread crumbs, just flour, egg or egg white combo, or masa or tortilla. You can also choose not to bread the relleno at all if you want to skip the carbs.
Regardless of which way you choose meat, or cheese, breaded or not, the end result is always worth the effort! I decided to stuff the chili relleno with chicken for this recipe, with black beans and salsa. You have options for sides and sauces as well but I'll stick with what I made on this occasion. Here is the chicken, chili relleno recipe with black bean and salsa, I hope you enjoy it!
Chicken Chili Relleno with Black Bean and Salsa
For the Chili Relleno
- 6 whole poblanos (roasted and peeled)
- 1 whole roasted chicken
- 1 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
- 1/4 cup chicken stock (left over from roasted chicken)
- 1 salt (to taste)
Batter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
Black Beans
- 1 lb black beans
- 1/2 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp salt (to taste)
Guacamole
- 4 large avocados
- 2 whole jalapenos
- 1/2 red onions (grilled )
- 1 whole lime (juiced)
- 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
- 1 tsp tabasco
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Salsa
Poblano sauce
Garnish
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 3 tbsp cilantro leaves
For the Chili Relleno
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Roast the poblanos either on the grill, the broiler, or your gas burner. Simply place them in the hottest part of either one of the three I mentioned and char the outside of each side of the poblano. Then place them in a bowl and cover it with plastic. Allow to steam for 30 minutes. Then peel the charred outer skin and make a little slit in the side of the poblanos. Carefully remove the seeds inside without cutting away the stem. You can rinse the seeds out if you need to with water. Then pat them dry with a towel.
Place the chopped roasted chicken meat and place in a bowl along with pepper jack cheese, cilantro, juice from the roasted chicken, salt, and pepper. ( you could easily add a little chili powder, chipotle, cumin, for a little added flavor if you think it needs it. I didn’t this time because the juice from the chicken had most of those flavors, but if yours doesn’t then feel free to add more flavor to the chicken if need be)
Taste the mix and if it taste good then stuff it inside the slit in the side of the poblano. Try to keep the poblano as intact as possible but don’t worry if it breaks a bit, it normally will fry up just fine. Continue the process until all the poblanos are stuffed. Save the leftover chicken stuffing for quesadillas or tacos. Place the rellenos in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Take the eggs and crack them in a small bowl and whisk them like scrambled. Then lightly dust the rellenos in flour. Heat a small pot with oil to 315-325 degrees. Dip one relleno in the egg and coat well and then place directly into the fryer. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Then with a slotted spoon or skimmer strain out the relleno and place on a paper towel. Season with salt.
For the Black Beans,
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Place onion, garlic, beans, and 10 cups of water in a pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or until completely tender. Half way through the cooking process add 1-2 tbsp of salt. When done allow the beans to soak in the liquid.
For the Guacamole
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Place all in a bowl and mix with a whisk until somewhat smooth. I like to have chunks of avocado in my guacamole and not a smooth puree. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To Finish
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Place a few spoonfuls of beans down inside the bowl. Place the chili relleno on top of the beans. Top the relleno with poblano sauce, salsa and pumpkin seeds. Place a spoonful of guacamole next to it. Top with cilantro and pumpkin seeds, serve and enjoy!
