Chicken and Cheese Chiles
This chile pepper is often mislabeled ‘Pasilla’, which is a different pepper entirely.It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico and has won the appreciation of many a chef worldwide because of the superior flavor it has over regular bell peppers.
They have a tough outer skin that usually requires roasting and peeling before use. These very large chile peppers are most popular in chiles rellenos recipes, but cooking with these as a substitute for bell peppers in any recipe will enhance the flavor.
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (3/4 pound total), each cut into quarters
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
1-1/4 cups shredded pepper-jack
1 pound fresh poblano chiles
creme fraiche or sour cream
salt
Instructions:
1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. In a 10″ nonstick frying pan over medium heat, combine the chicken, onion, tomato, oil, garlic and cumin. Stir often until the chicken is slightly pink in the center of the thickest part (cut to test), 6-10 minutes.
2. Let the chicken stand until it is cool enough to touch, then tear the meat into shreds. Return to the pan and add the bell pepper, canned chiles and cheese. Mix well.
3. Wearing a pair of rubber gloves, cut the poblanos in half lengthwise. Cut the seed lump from beneath the stem inside each chile, leaving the stem end in place (to form a cup). Pull the seeds out and discard the veins.
4. Mound the chicken mixture equally into the chile halves. Place the chiles in an oiled 9″ x 13″ casserole dish, filling it. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
5. Bake in a 375F oven until the poblanos are tender when pierced, about 35 min.
6. Serve the chiles and garnish the tops with creme fraiche.