Chiles Rellenos Recipe

This is the second recipe I tried from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook hubby's granny gave me, it being the second recipe that caught my eye.  One of my favorite meals ever is at a local place, Agave.  It is a seafood filled poblano pepper with a light, creamy sauce.  I adore the poblano; fresh, slightly sweet, slightly smokey with the perfect amount of heat.  Mmmmmm.  So when I saw this recipe,  I imagined heaven.  The tastiness of chiles rellenos without having to bread and fry? I'm in.

Now the recipe is for a side dish; it's poblano, sprinkled with cheese, topped with a light, eggy batter.  I wanted to thicken it up a bit and make it the main coarse, so I added shredded chicken and a few other things.  It was a great start to a dish I foresee being very versatile. 

Chiles Rellenos Casserole
(modified from Better Homes and Gardens: Our Best Recipes, pg 60)

• 3 large poblano peppers, halved
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 3/4  cup Oaxaca cheese, diced (a semi-soft Mexican cheese used in queso)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp Chacheres or Seasoned Salt
• 1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450.  Grease a baking dish just large enough to fit your peppers side by side.  

Bring a large pot of water to a boil;  add the peppers and boil for 3 minutes, attempting to keep the peppers completely submerged.  After 3 minutes, remove from water and place cut side down to drain.
 
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, Oaxac, 1/2 tsp cumin, and Chacheres.  

Place the peppers in prepared pan, keeping them as close together as possible, alternating tip to end if needed.  Try to leave no extra empty space. 

Fill the peppers with the chicken/cheese mixture, making sure to fill them completely before spreading any remaining mixture across the top.  Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly on top.

In the bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs until well combined.  In a small, separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Whisk into wet ingredients.  Pour over the chicken and cheese filled poblanos.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.  It should be easy enough to differentiate where one pepper ends and the other begins.

 Goes deliciously with sour cream on top!