Chicken Stuffed Hatch Chiles
9
on Jun 28, 2021
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If you’re a fan of Chiles Rellenos, boy do I have a surprise for you! These Chicken Stuffed Hatch Chiles are filled with a spicy Tex-Mex inspired mixture of chicken, corn kernels, and queso Oaxaca in a rich and flavorful cilantro cream sauce. Every bite is an explosion of Mexican flavors.
This is a great dish to serve a crowd as it can be assembled a day or two before and baked as soon as your guests enter your home.
Trust me on this one: You’ll want your guests to smell this dish while it bakes and witness it coming out of the oven. But just between you and me? Even though this is an impressive looking (and tasting!) dish, these stuffed Hatch chiles are actually very simple to make.
Why I Love This Recipe
Y’all know I’m a sucker for Hatch chiles, right? I adore them so much that I always keep some roasted in my freezer. I also stock my freezer with Pueblo green chiles. Feel free to use your favorite long green roasted chile for this recipe.
I found this recipe in a Better Homes & Garden magazine and once I saw the photo I knew I had to give it a try. Stuffed peppers are my JAM!
Packed with sweet corn, tender chicken, and melty cheese, then served with a creamy cilantro sauce, this one dish has so many tasty ingredients.The best part is the bubbling, molten cheese that makes these peppers absolutely irresistible.
This dish is also a show stopper! I can almost guarantee that your guests will be oooh-ing and ahhhhh-ing over your shoulder as you pull it from the oven.
Which brings me to my absolute favorite part of this recipe: there’s no deep frying involved! As someone who is absolutely obsessed with chiles rellenos, these stuffed Hatch chiles bring all the flavor without the fuss.
So while it might look difficult to make, the prep time for these stuffed Hatch chiles is only 30 minutes. That means you can even serve it as a weeknight meal with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice and Frijoles.
These stuffed Hatch chiles are filled with cooked chicken, but can easily be substituted with shrimp for a Lent friendly alternative, similar to these Cheese and Shrimp Stuffed Poblanos. Unlike that recipe, this dish is made in a baking dish, so you can bet every serving will be piping hot, which I love.
How to Make Stuffed Hatch Chili Peppers
Roasted Hatch chiles are the most important ingredient for this recipe. If Hatch chili peppers are not in season you can substitute Anaheim green chiles or, if you live in Colorado like me, try with Pueblo chiles (but don’t tell anyone from New Mexico!).
For a very mild version, use poblanos. Learn about Mexican Chiles here.
Roast Chili Peppers
Fire up a comal (flat griddle) on the stovetop over medium high heat. Rinse the chiles and pierce each with a knife. Place them on the comal and let them roast evenly. You will have to keep an eye on them, making sure to turn them over until all sides are roasted. When done, the skins should be evenly blistered and mostly black.
Place roasted chiles into a plastic bag and close the bag. Cover the plastic bag with a kitchen towel. The steam will help the blackened skin to separate. When cool, rub off the blackened skin, careful to keep the stem intact on the chiles.
Using a small sharp knife, carefully slit chiles open along 1 side. Remove seeds, leaving stems attached. Set aside to fill later.
If you are more of a visual person, check out these step by step directions and video: How to roast chile peppers.
Make the Filling
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium saucepan heat oil over medium-high. Add corn kernels (fresh or frozen); cook and stir 2 minutes. Add chili powder; cook and stir 1 minute.
Add broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. Stir in chopped cooked chicken, cheese, egg, salt, and black pepper.
Spoon ¼ cup of the filling onto each chile pepper.
TIP: Try Oven Baked Chicken Breasts, Easy Poached Chicken, or use store-bought rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
Make Cilantro Cream Sauce
In a small saucepan melt butter over medium. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add flour, stirring until smooth, then add half-and-half. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble and Bake
Coat a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
Pour Cilantro Cream Sauce in the prepared baking dish. Nestle peppers in the sauce, filling sides up.
Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until filling is heated through.
For a step-by-step video for this recipe watch here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hatch chiles are not available year-round or sold everywhere. The next best chili pepper is Anaheim, which are readily available year-round. For a milder chili pepper, try poblanos.
Hatch chili peppers come in mild, medium, and hot, so select the peppers depending on your heat tolerance.
Heck yeah, you can! That’s why they are such a great party food. Feel free to roast the peppers, make the filling and assemble the dish without baking up to two days in advance.
Any leftovers should keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, and can be frozen for up to a month. To reheat, I recommend defrosting overnight in the refrigerator and using the oven to bring them to temp.
Sure! Just sub in a gluten free all purpose flour mix.
Want more stuffed pepper recipes?
Check out these other favorites of mine:
- Chiles Rellenos
- Quinoa and Pesto Shrimp Stuffed Pasillas
- Chiles en Nogada (Stuffed Poblano Chiles with Walnut Sauce)
- Poblanos Stuffed with Picadillo
- Mushroom and Poblano Risotto
- Poblanos Stuffed with Chorizo and Chayote
- Chiles Rellenos de Camarones y Queso (Cheese and Shrimp Stuffed Poblanos)
If you made this recipe for Chicken Stuffed Hatch Chile Peppers, please rate and review it below! You can also tag me on Instagram (@muybuenocooking) to show me your creations.
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Chicken Stuffed Hatch Chiles (Chiles Rellenos de Pollo)
Ingredients
Chicken Stuffed Hatch Chiles:
- 12 Hatch chile peppers, or sub Anaheim or Poblano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cups shredded queso Oaxaca
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Cilantro Cream Sauce:
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups half-and-half
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
Roasting Chili Peppers
- Fire up a comal on the stovetop. Rinse the chiles and pierce each with a knife. Place them on the comal and let them roast evenly. You will have to keep an eye on them, making sure to turn them over until all sides are roasted. When done, the skins should be evenly blistered and mostly black.
- Place roasted chiles into a plastic bag and close the bag. Cover the plastic bag with a kitchen towel. The steam will help the blackened skin to separate. When cool, rub off the blackened skin, careful to keep the stem intact on the chiles.
- Using a small sharp knife, carefully slit chiles open along 1 side. Remove seeds, leaving stems attached. Set aside to fill later.
Stuffing Chili Peppers
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium saucepan heat oil over medium-high. Add corn; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add chili powder; cook and stir 1 minute.
- Add broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, cheese, egg, salt, and black pepper.
- Spoon ¼ cup of the filling onto each chile pepper.
Cilantro Cream Sauce:
- In a small saucepan melt butter over medium. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add flour, stirring until smooth. Add half-and-half. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble:
- Coat a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
- Pour Cilantro Cream Sauce in the prepared baking dish. Arrange peppers, filling sides up, in sauce.
- Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until filling is heated through.
Video
Notes
- Learn how to roast chile peppers.
- This dish is made with cooked chicken, try Oven Baked Chicken Breasts, Easy Poached Chicken, or use store-bought rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
- This dish is best served with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice and Frijoles.
- Chicken can easily be substituted with shrimp for a Lent friendly alternative.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published: February 2019.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
This was OK but I probably won’t make it again.
Loved it and it was a lot easier than it looked. Perfect fresh dinner
Outstanding! This was my 2nd time making this recipe. The 1st time I made it exactly as written, this time I just substituted some left over pulled pork for the chicken. I changed nothing else, why would I it was perfect as written. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Ahh Iam in love ,i spent a couple years in and around greece and love there authentic dishes, You remind me so much of the people and country, and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com
Made these last night and the husband and kids loved them! I used half Anaheim and half poblano peppers since not everyone likes a lot of heat. The Anaheim peppers ended up falling apart quite a bit after being roasted when trying to remove the seeds. I don’t know if there’s a way to avoid that but I’ll probably just use poblano peppers next time since they held together better. This recipe took some time but was simple enough for a beginner-intermediate cook like me and the directions were easy to follow. The cilantro cream sauce is so good!
I was searching for recipes with Hatch chiles and found this one. I made them yesterday with shrimp. They were incredible! The filling is absolutely delicious, but I’m not sure the egg is necessary. I thought the filling binded well with the cheese. If I’m missing something as far as the egg is concerned, let me know. The cilantro cream sauce is wonderful. Now that I’ve discovered your website, I can’t wait to order your cookbook. I was born and raised in El Paso, too, so we must be soul sisters!
Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
I made for the first time chili rellenos…….my husband ate one and the rest went in the trash. I wish I had your video two nights ago. I will try again. I love, love your website. You have delicious recipes.
With a husband from Mexico, we typically make the traditional chile relleno fried with the egg and flour batter. I was looking for a healthier version of the recipe and this was perfect! The flavor was great and it was easier than the traditional chile relleno. Thanks for the recipe. I wanted to leave a picture but not sure how to do that.
I just bought some chiles today. Yum, I’m ready to make them tomorrow. They look delitous. I’m ready to make them.