Chile Rellenos are peppers filled with cheese and deep fried until they achieve a crispy exterior and a creamy, mildly spicy center. It is a perfect Mexican dish! We decided to make them in the air fryer.
To start off, we roasted our chilies using the method provided in the link. We opted for Anaheim peppers, also known as Hatch peppers, although poblano peppers could be used for a more authentic taste.
After roasting, we proceeded to stuff the peppers with a delicious cheesy filling. For the perfect Chile Rellenos, a cheesy center is a must-have. We combined whipped cream cheese and cheddar for the filling, which helped balance the amount of cheese used while maintaining a creamy texture.
Chile Rellenos final step!
Fill the peppers with a cream cheese cheddar mixture or pepper jack cream cheese mixture and then coat them in beaten egg and seasoned panko bread crumbs. We suggest adding extra cumin and cayenne to the panko to give it an extra kick of flavor.
Next, lightly spray the outside of each pepper with olive oil cooking spray before placing them in the air fryer. This will ensure that the peppers come out crispy. Set the air fryer to 365 degrees and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the outside is crispy. Keep an eye on them, as cooking times may vary slightly depending on your air fryer.
For an unforgettable and delicious meal, pair the Chile Rellenos with refried beans and/or Spanish rice! Sliced avocado is always a nice addition.
Tips
- To achieve a creamy center with less cheese, try using whipped cream cheese along with cheddar or Monterey jack cheese.
- Ensure the outside of the peppers crisp up in the air fryer by spraying them with Olive Oil Cooking spray.
- Prepare the peppers ahead of time by roasting or grilling them and freezing them. Defrost them when you're ready to make the rellenos. Alternatively, you can use canned whole chili peppers.
We have discovered that an air fryer is an excellent tool for satisfying your cravings for fried food, such as Chile Rellenos, without compromising your diet. Check out air fryer recipes by searching a couple of our favorites include Pork Tonkatsu and Egg Rolls. If you have an air fryer recipe that you enjoy, please share it with us! We would appreciate hearing from you.
Other Air Fryer Recipes
Here are some of our air fryer recipes. You can find more recipes by using the search function on our blog, specifically for air fryer recipes.
Air Fryer Chile Rellenos
A Few Things We Use
Ingredients
- 4 Roasted Anaheim Peppers
- 4 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (Cut into 1-ounce strips)
- 4 Tablespoons Whipped Cream cheese
- 1 Cup Plain Panko Bread Crumbs (or Panko with Parmesan Cheese Bread Crumbs)
- 1 Egg
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
Instructions
- To make stuffed peppers, take each pepper and fill it with 1 ounce of cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon of whipped cream cheese. It's important to cut the cheddarunce strips before adding it to the pepper. Once the cheese is added, fold the pepper around it.
- To prepare the coating for the pepper, mix Panko, cumin, and salt in a bowl. Use a food processor to finely grind the bread crumbs and spices. This will help the coating stick to the pepper.
- First, beat the egg in a bowl. Then, put the panko and spice mix in another bowl.
- To achieve a crispy exterior on the peppers, sprinkle some cornstarch on each one. This simple trick will enhance the crunchiness of the peppers.
- Take each pepper and dip it in the egg, making sure to coat all sides.
- Coat all sides of each pepper with the panko.
- To prepare the air fryer, give the basket a light coating of cooking spray. Personally, I prefer using either olive oil or butter spray.
- Before placing the peppers in the air fryer, lightly spray each one with cooking spray.
- Please put each pepper into the air fryer, being careful not to fill the basket too much.
- To prepare the peppers, air fry them at 365 degrees for 7 minutes. Then, check to see if the cheese is melted and the outside is crispy. If it isn't crispy enough, give the peppers a light spray and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Check again after this time to ensure that the desired level of crispiness has been achieved.
- You can pair this dish with rice and beans for a delicious meal. Bon appétit!
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