Chile Relleno Chicken Rollups

Chile Relleno Chicken Rollups

My husband said I actually made a “blog-worthy” meal last night while eating this! That’s a bit of a relief since I haven’t posted a new recipe in a while due to vacation and other business in our lives. When I first spied this recipe a few days ago, though, I immediately knew I wanted to make it as as soon as possible. Hubby said he’s always wary when I make something completely new (not without reason) but he gave this two thumbs up! (My daughter missed out on this meal since she was at a sleepover. Her loss!)

Chile Relleno Chicken Rollups
Adapted from Chicken Chili Relleno from Lady Behind the Curtain

2 large poblano peppers
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning mix (or store-bought)
1 egg
1 to 2 ounces Neufchâtel cream cheese
2 ounces Monterey jack cheese, grated
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Red enchilada sauce, for serving (homemade or store-bought)
Sour cream, for serving

Charred Poblano Peppers

Char the peppers on a grill over high heat, turning frequently, until blistered all over. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Place peppers in a paper bag and close, then let rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from bag, cut the stem off, then peel the blistered skin. Cut the peppers in half length-wise, then deseed. Set aside.

Peeled and Deseeded Poblano Peppers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees now. If chicken breast(s) are large, butterfly in half. Pound the chicken to 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness and set aside

Cornmeal and Taco Mix

On a plate, combine cornmeal and taco seasoning mix. Next crack the egg into a a bowl and beat.

Assembly time! On each piece of chicken, arrange the roasted peppers.

Assembling the Rollups

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese over the peppers, then top with grated Monterey Jack cheese.  Sprinkle the chopped cilantro over the cheese.

Chicken Rellenos Ready to Roll Up

Starting with the narrowest end of chicken, roll up and then secure with toothpicks. The larger chicken breast was a little more difficult to handle, but I finally wrangled all the filling into it!

Carefully dip the rollups into the beaten egg, then press into the cornmeal mix on all sides. Place the assembled chicken seam-side down into a casserole dish sprayed with oil. Spray the tops and the sides of the chicken with additional oil.

Chicken Chile Relleno Rollups Ready to Bake

Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes. Garnish with enchilada sauce and sour cream, and serve with pinto beans and rice.

Chile Relleno Chicken Rollups

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

 

DIY Taco Mix (Large Batch)

Large Batch Taco Mix

I wanted to make some homemade taco mix seasoning, but it seemed most of the recipes I found were either for one or a few meals of tacos. I wanted a REALLY LARGE batch, as I figured if you were going to take the time to buy so many ingredients and then measure them all out, why not take care of it and one fell swoop and be set for the year?

One of our local stores has a huge bulk bin aisle of spices, grains, beans, and nuts. If you are going to attempt this, you would have to buy in bulk because individual pre-packaged containers would cost you an arm and a leg. I bought all the spices for this for about five dollars. I figure this makes enough for 12 or more pounds of burger. We are set a year of tacos!

Taco Mix Seasonings

DIY Taco Mix (Large Batch)

1 cup chili powder
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic granules
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 cup ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Transfer to glass jars and store with a tight-fitting lid.

To use, add 3 tablespoons of mix to 1 pound ground beef and cook until burger is browned. Add 3/4 cup water and simmer for about 20 minutes until liquid is reduced.

Taco Mix Seasonings

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

 

Taco Night!

from Cook's Illustrated

Hello my foodie friends. Sorry to be absent for a few days but my workload has increased again. And today the dermatologist FINALLY got the pathology results in. I do have squamous cell carcinoma on my lip. An appointment will be made next week with the Moh’s surgery specialist, and I can finally put this episode of my life behind me.

The waiting has been the hardest part so far of all this, and now that I at least know something and have a plan, I do not have that lingering panic in the back of my mind. Now I feel like something spicy, instead of the bland food I’ve been craving the past couple of weeks.

Tonight I’ll be making run-of-the-mill Tex-Mex tacos. It’s really my turn to cook in this house, and I’m resorting to a packaged taco seasoning mix doctored up. Due to the sodium content of the packaged mix, I use only about a quarter to half of the package then add additional cumin, ground Mexican chile pepper, some Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning, and black pepper. If I were more motivated tonight I’d make the entire sauce from scratch, but nahhh!

No recipe is really necessary for making these kinds of tacos. Follow the directions on the back of the taco mix package for the burger, then chop up all your vegetables, heat up some store-bought taco shells or fry up your own shells from soft corn tacos.  (I’m on the fence about making my own shells or not, as we have both right now.) Next make an assembly line and fill er’ up! We’ll be adding lettuce, shredded cheese, onion, avocado, black olives, salsa and sour cream.  Olé!