Chili (or Chile, whichever you prefer) peppers are delicious! I eat them on just about everything. Here is a great recipe for chili peppers stuffed with chicken and cheese. It doesn't call for deep fried peppers like many other chiles rellenos recipes so it is grill/smoker friendly. Here is the recipe.
6 to 8 large poblano peppers
1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast strips
Chicken Seasoning Recipe
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 sliced onion
Juice of 1 lime
1 sliced jalapeno (Optional - If you are concerned about the heat, remove the seeds and white membrane.)
1 sliced bell pepper
Put all the chicken seasoning ingredients in a plastic bag and add the chicken breast strips making sure the chicken is well coated. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
On your grill or under your broiler, roast 6 to 8 poblano peppers until the skin is charred on both sides. Remove them from the heat and wrap in foil. Let them sit for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove the peppers from the foil and then remove the skin, cut a slit in the pepper and remove the seeds.
Add the chicken in a pan with the marinated sliced onion and peppers. I use cast iron on my grill but you can also use your stove. Don't cook the chicken too fast. You want to avoid making the outside stringy and chewy. Just as the chicken is done, remove from the heat and cut into bite size pieces. Let the onion and peppers drain on a paper towel. Check for seasoning and adjust to taste.
Stuff the peppers with the chicken, onion, sliced jalapeno/bell peppers, and cheese (whatever kind you like and don't be stingy with it), put them in a greased casserole pan or iron skillet, pour some red chili sauce around the edges. Place in the oven at 350F degrees or in your smoker/grill (using indirect heat) and let them cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Red Chili Sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (Omit for gluten free. See instructions below.*)
1 tablespoon flour (Omit for gluten free. See instructions below.*)
1/4 cup chili powder
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
Juice of 1/2 lime
Heat the oil and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Add stock, cumin, tomato paste, and oregano. Stir well and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 15 more minutes. Adjust the seasonings to your taste.
* For gluten free, don't use the flour and oil. Instead, mix 1/4 cup of the room temperature chicken stock with 2 TBS of corn starch. Bring all of the other ingredients to a simmer and whisk in the corn starch/broth mixture to thicken it. Only use as much as is needed to thicken to desired consistency, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. Season to taste.
