First Published on my LiveJournal blog on July 13, 2012

Maybe a bit oddly, this 4th of July I went for some comfort food from my formative years. Not your ordinary comfort food, but the kind of food that I relate to home and family. In this case, it is a Mexican dish, with my own twist, that brings back many fond memories from my childhood. I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and Mexican food was as common as steak and potatoes in my family. (Both of my mother’s parents had been Texas ranchers.) At least once a month, and often more than that, the whole family would go out to dinner at one of the local Mexican restaurants. My grandfather’s favorite dish, and the one he ordered all the time, was chile rellanos. I didn’t develop a taste for them until I was in my teen years, but the memories of my grandfather are always associated with this dish. And that, to me, is comfort food.

This recipe is my one I have developed over the years and can be made with Anaheim chiles, fresh or canned. Keep in mind the bulk of the hot spice is in the seeds and discard them if you want the flavor without the burn. If you use fresh, you will need to roast or blister the peppers and peel them. I add chicken or turkey to the stuffing then bake them in a casserole rather than frying them. They can be made without the meat, if you prefer a meatless dish.

Rene’s Chicken Chile Rellano Casserole

1 – 16 oz can Fire-Roasted Whole Green Chiles (approx. 8)
1 cup Fire-roasted Diced Tomatoes, Mexican style or add onions and peppers, if desired
8 ounces Chicken Breast, diced or shredded
8 sliced sticks of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, about ½” x ½ inch and long enough to fill the chile
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Shredded Mexican Four Cheese blend or Cheddar and Jack Cheese
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Split the chiles open and stuff each with chicken and 1 tablespoon of cheese.

Whisk together the eggs, cream cheese, and cream with 1/4 cup water in a bowl, add salt and pepper, a bit of garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon of red chile powder (if desired). Pour the mixture over the chiles and cheese. Top with sliced sweet peppers and remaining cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until set, about 40 minutes. Remove casserole and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

While the casserole continues to set, heat diced tomatoes in a saucepan. Add chopped onions and peppers, if desired. To serve, carefully cut along the chiles to try to remove them as a whole chile rather than just cutting the dish into squares.

Each serving is one chile topped with diced tomatoes.
About 270 calories and 5 net carbs per serving.