Chile rellenos casserole is a take on the classic Tex-Mex favorite, made in casserole form. Protein packed chicken, velvety cream cheese and sautéed poblano peppers are combined with seasonings, then topped with a cornbread crust.
🧡 Why you'll love this recipe
Chili rellenos casserole is simple to make and great for feeding a crowd. I made it for a girls night out and it was met with rave reviews! Right girls???
Speaking of easy, this recipe is streamlined to make your life just a little easier. For many chili relleno casseroles, the chilis are roasted and peeled before adding in layers to the casserole dish.
This recipe is simpler in that the poblanos are cut into strips and cooked in a pan till tender. Bonus: the skin doesn’t need to be removed from the peppers.
Also, there's no deep frying which means your house won't smell like the local tavern the next day. Take the wins where you can get them, folks!
If you like this recipe, you'll also want to check out this cowboy cornbread casserole. Taco Tuesday's are my fav!
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🛒 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to check the pantry for and add to your grocery list.
- Poblano peppers - if you are in a hurry, you can use canned whole green chiles. It's really easy to slice up poblano peppers though. These have just a touch of heat but won't be as spicy as say, a jalapeno pepper.
- Shredded chicken - It's up to you if you make a whole chicken in the Instant pot, or pick up a rotisserie chicken to use. This is a great way to used leftover chicken, too! Leftovers, what leftovers??
- Cream cheese - use full fat or the lower fat version of cream cheese, often called Neufchâtel cheese. Both work great.
- Cheese - Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese or any Mexican type of cheese blend works well in this casserole. Usually, I recommend shredding your own but for this recipe, the pre-shredded variety works just fine.
- Cornbread topping - If you have Jiffy cornbread mix from making cheesy corn casserole, you're in luck! You'll combine it with some egg and milk. If you have another brand of cornbread ix you prefer, you can use that instead.
🥣 How to make chile rellenos Casserole
Step #1: Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the sliced chilis until softened.
Make a hole in the middle of the chilis and stir in the flour with the butter.
Step #2: Whisk in milk, then add the cream cheese, cumin, salt and pepper and stir until melted and combined.
Simmer the sauce for 3-5 minutes until thickened.
Step #3: Remove from heat.
Stir in the chicken, cheese, and eggs, then spread the mixture in the baking dish.
Step #4: In a separate bowl, combine the cornbread mix, egg and milk.
Pour the cornbread mixture evenly over the cheese layer.
Step #5: Bake the chili relleno casserole for 45 minutes until the top has puffed and is lightly browned.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Hint: check to make sure the center of the casserole is set by inserting a knife. If the eggs are set, it's good to go!
📖 Variations
Use cooked ground beef or shredded pork in place of the shredded chicken.
Omit the shredded chicken for a meatless casserole.
Mix up the spices by adding some chili powder, paprika or onion powder to the cumin.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
We like to serve with salsa, chopped cilantro and a lil dollop of sour cream.
Round out your meal with a Mexican chopped salad, some refried beans or Mexican fruit salad.
Make ahead tip
Prepare the casserole as directed, cover it with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator. When you're ready to bake it, simply remove the plastic wrap and bake it as directed in the recipe.
If you tried this chile rellenos casserole or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments.
Related
Looking for other casserole recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with chile rellenos:
Chile Rellenos Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 4 large poblano peppers seeded and cut into ½ inch strips
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk divided
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded chicken cooked
- 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 4 large eggs divided
- 1 package 8 ½ ounce each cornbread mix
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the chilis. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Make a hole in the middle of the chilis and stir in the flour with the butter.2 Tablespoons butter, 4 large poblano peppers, 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Whisk in ⅔ cup milk (not all of the milk), then add the cream cheese, cumin, salt and pepper and stir until melted and combined. Simmer the sauce for 3-5 minutes until thickened.1 cup milk, 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken and 2 cups cheese (not all of it, but if you dumped it all in you're still okay).Beat 3 of the eggs and add to the chicken mixture. Set aside the remaining egg for the cornbread topping.2 cups shredded chicken, 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, 4 large eggs
- Spread the creamy mixture evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the base..
- In a separate bowl, combine the cornbread mix, remaining egg and ⅓ cup milk. Spoon evenly over the cheese.1 package
- Bake for 45 minutes until the top has puffed and is lightly browned. The eggs should be set. Remove and allow to set for 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Carlee
What a tasty idea!! I love that the peppers are just sauteed and not blistered and peeled, that is much more my speed!
Deanne Frieders
Gotta keep things easy or it's not gonna happen!!