Chile Relleno Stuffed Chicken Breast might be one of my favorite ways to have chicken!!! I mean, a cheesy Chile Relleno stuffed in a crunchy breaded chicken breast.... does it get any better???? We LOVE Chicken Cordon Bleu, and have a super fun recipe for a baked version, we thought it would be tasty to do another stuffed chicken with a little bit of a twist. 😀
Cheesy Chicken Breast!!!!
Air Fryer Chile Relleno stuffed Chicken Breast has a crunchy outside with an ooey gooey cheesy inside plus the flavor and texture of the Anaheim peppers just bring this to a new level. It's one of those recipes that is easy to make but tastes like it takes hours to make.
Anaheim Peppers/ Hatch Peppers
Some of our favorite peppers are Anaheim and Hatch. The Anaheim peppers are usually mild whereas Hatch Peppers have a little more kick! They look the same but we usually can only find Anaheim peppers in Ohio. (I have to say, I have seen canned Hatch Peppers lately which is nice.) We usually grow or buy several of these peppers at the farmer's market in the fall. Then we char them on the grill, remove the outside skin and freeze them so we have a nice smoky pepper during the winter.
Some of our favorite recipes using Anaheim peppers:
How to make Chile Relleno Stuffed Chicken Breast
Cut the chicken breast and pound it out to about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and cumin on the chicken breast.
Cover Chicken Breast with Anaheim peppers. About 2 peppers per chicken breast.
Add the cheddar cheese/cream cheese mixture on top of the peppers. We like to mix cheddar cheese and whipped cream cheese. This cuts some of the calories of the cheese and it makes a creamy filling in the center of the chicken.
Roll the chicken and secure it with toothpicks. NOTE: make sure to count how many toothpicks you use. So when eating the chicken you don't get a surprise!!!
Roll the Chicken in the egg wash and then panko mix.
Spray the air fryer. Place the Chile Relleno Stuffed Chicken Breast in the air fryer. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees
While the chicken is air frying, make the sauce
Sauce - Optional!
This sauce is optional. But I will tell you, it is very good and is a very nice addition!
Slowly heat a small jar of Tomatillo Sauce. Stir in 1 cup Sour Cream and 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese.
TIPS:
- Spray the chicken breast with cooking spray prior to placing it in the Air Fryer
- Make sure to also spray the bottom of the Air Fryer with cooking spray
- The sauce we made is made of Tomatillo Sauce, Sour Cream, and Cheddar Cheese. Yes, it is really good!!!
- Remember all Air Fryers are a little different. We recommend always using a meat thermometer for the chicken to ensure the chicken is cooked to at least 165 degrees.
Air Fryer Chile Relleno Stuffed Chicken Breast
A Few Things We Use
Ingredients
Chicken Breast
- 1 Pound Chicken Breast
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
Filling
- 6 Large Anaheim or Hatch Peppers
- ½ Cup Cheddar Cheese Shredded
- ¼ Cup Cream Cheese
Breading for Chicken
- 1 Egg
- ¾ Cup Panko
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
Chicken Breast
- Depending on the thickness of the chicken breast you'll want to butterfly it. This means cutting it horizontally, but not all the way through. This allows you to pound the meat for even thickness.
- Pound out the chicken breast to about ¼ inch thick
- Sprinkle on ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper, and cumin
Filling
- Lay the Anaheim Pepper onto the chicken breast
- In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and grated cheddar cheese
- Spread half the cream cheese mixture over the Anaheim pepper layer
- Roll the chicken breast over the pepper and cheese.
- Bind the chicken roll with toothpicks
Breading For Chicken
- Beat the egg
- Mix together the Panko, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and place on a flat dish
- Carefully dip the stuffed chicken breast into the egg and then roll it into the panko mixture. Press lightly to get the panko to stick to the chicken
- Lightly spray the chicken breast with olive oil or butter cooking spray
Air Fry
- Place the stuffed chicken breast into the Air Fryer. NOTE: Always spray the bottom of the air fryer with cooking spray. Cook the chicken in the Air Fryer for 12 minutes at 400 degrees
- Flip the chicken. Spray the top of the chicken breast with olive oil or butter cooking spray and cook for an additional 8 minutes in the Air Fryer at 400 degrees.
- Check the chicken to make sure the internal temperature is over 165 degrees. The outside should also be browned and crunchy. Enjoy.
Duane says
This looks wonderful, my mouth is watering just reading the recipe.. are the peppers roasted or cooked in anyway prior to making these and could you make them up ahead of time and freeze to cook later? Thanks
Amy says
Thank you so much! We LOVE this chicken! The peppers are roasted Anaheim. We usually take fresh Anaheim's and roast them on the grill or in the oven, then freeze the peppers. If you try it this way, we have step by step directions on the blog. It's really easy and so delish. You can also buy canned Anaheim or hatch peppers. They would work great for this recipe. We have not frozen the chicken in this recipe. I'm not sure how it would freeze, cream cheese doesn't freeze well (it gets a strange texture and won't be as creamy).