I am so lucky to live in a borderplex that grows amazing chiles because who doesn’t love a little spice? The local farmers grew an early crop of New Mexico Hatch green chiles and this lucky girl got her hands on a few of them to develop this untraditional Mexican recipe. I took a classic Mexican recipe and gave it a twist by adding another favorite Mexican element to the traditional chile relleno – the chicharron aka pork rinds. Instead of just making a traditional chile relleno, which is translated to stuffed chile, I decided to make the crust with grinded pork rinds to take the flavor to another level. Some folks in Mexico stuff their chiles with pork rinds but I have yet to see chicharrón crusted chile rellenos, so I decided to develop one because it may just be awesome! As I explained the development to my relatives they looked at me in shock and asked how could you do that? I answered, how could I not? So, the process began and I my relatives were drooling just thinking about it. Pork rinds, crust, New Mexico Hatch Green Chile, cheese what’s not to love.
My recipe just adds another step to the traditional chile relleno process and that includes crusting the entire chile in grinded pork rinds. The result is simply amazing. You can create this recipe and eat it stand alone or make your own red or green chile sauce to complement it. If you need a red or green chile recipe, simply search my website for a recipe.
Buen Provecho!
Chicharrón Crusted Chile Rellenos
Printable Version
Yield: Serves 8 Total Time: 45-60 minutes
Ingredients:
-8 New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles
-8 Eggs
-3 Cups of Pork Rinds
-1/2 to 1 Cup of Corn Oil for Frying
-Muenster Cheese
-1/2 Cup Warm Water
-1 Quart of Corn Oil
-1 Tablespoon of Corn Starch
-1 Tablespoon of Unbleached All-
Purpose Flour
-2 Teaspoons of Pink Himalayan Sea
Salt
Equipment Needed:
-Food Processor/Blender
-Knife
-Measuring Cup
-Tongs/Spatula
-Skillet Pan
-Ziploc Bag
-Paper Towels
-Mixing bowls
-Whisk/KitchenAid
-Wooden Spoon
Prep:
-Rinse 8 New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles and set aside
-Grind 3 cups of pork rinds in the food processor/blender and pour grinded pork rinds
into a large bowl and set aside
-Slice several long pieces of muenster cheese and set aside
-Crack 8 eggs and separate the egg whites and yolks into 2 separate bowls
Directions:
-Get a skillet pan and put it on the stove and turn the gas/electric knob to a medium
to high setting
-Place 8 New Mexico Hatch green chiles onto the hot skillet and roast the chiles until
they are slightly charred and then remove
-Get a large Ziploc bag and place a few paper towels inside the bag
-Place the roasted New Mexico Hatch green chiles into the bag and in between the
paper towels (this process is called sweating the chiles)
-Let the chiles sweat for about 10 minutes
-After the chiles have sweated remove the chiles from the bag and peel the skin off of
the chile while keeping the tail intact, repeat this process until all chile skins have
been removed and then set aside
-Slice a small slit at the end of each chile and insert a few long pieces of muenster into
the chile and set aside, repeat the process until all chiles are stuffed with muenster
cheese
-Pour 8 egg whites onto the mixing bowl and whip the egg whites until frothy using a
hand whisk or KitchenAid
-After egg whites are frothy pour in the 8 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1
tablespoon of unbleached all-purpose flour, and 1-2 teaspoons of pink Himalayan
sea salt and whip until ingredients are properly mixed
-Get a skillet pan and put it on the stove and turn the gas/electric knob to a low to
medium setting
-Pour ½ a cup of corn oil or more as needed into the pan and let the oil heat up but
not burn
-Get 1 New Mexico Hatch green chile stuffed with muenster cheese and dip onto the
grinded pork rind bowl ensuring the chile is coated with grinded pork rind
-Then take the chicharrón crusted chile and dip into the egg mixture
-Quickly take the dipped chile and place on the skillet
-Cook the chicharrón crusted chile relleno until golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes
on each side using tongs or a spatula to flip over the crusted chile relleno
-Repeat this process for all chicharrón crusted chile rellenos
-After each chicharrón is golden and crispy on both sides gently remove with tongs or
spatula onto a paper towel covered plate and let the excess oil drain
-Repeat this process until all the chicharrón crusted chile rellenos are cooked golden
crispy
-Serve with a side of your favorite chile sauce
*****Feel free to add more of the ingredients and season to suit your taste buds*****