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Chile Relleno Soup. A creamy poblano soup topped with an open faced chile relleno.
Who loves a big bowl of comfort? This chile relleno soup is exactly that. A rich, creamy poblano soup topped with an open faced chile relleno and of course melty cheese. Best part? It tastes like a chile relleno.
The hubs is known for his brilliant ideas. As we’re sitting having dinner one night, a typical meal of soup and sandwiches, he has the amazing idea for me to make a chile relleno soup, french onion style. Of course, I smile and say “Alright! I’m on it!”
So what exactly does that mean? Chile relleno soup but done french onion style? Well basically, he wanted the cheesy, crusty topping. And the taste of pure chile relleno. Which duh..an open faced chile relleno on top smothered and covered in cheese. And the soup, is so rich and creamy and has just a hint of heat from the poblanos. Definite comfort in a bowl. And this folks, is why the hubs loves me.
The main flavor from this soup comes from the use of roasted poblano chiles. So easy to roast chiles, if you haven’t done it before, just place them under the broiler for a few minutes on each side until the skin gets nice and black. Pop them into a plastic bag, this allows the steam to work it’s magic and make the skin just peel right off of them when the time comes. Just give them about 20 minutes or so, otherwise you may burn your fingers while handling them. Trust me.
While the chiles are steaming away you can prepare the rest of the soup. Onion, garlic and cilantro cooked with some olive oil and butter. Add some flour to make it nice and thick. Chicken stock, milk, and…avert your eyes if needed, heavy cream. I know, I know. But trust me. This soup is so rich and creamy. And now we know why! But it’s totally worth it. Then a dash of salt and pepper.
Once we can peel those peppers, they get chopped and added to the soup to simmer. Lastly, a little bit of cheese for extra richness. Again, trust me. It’s worth it. Top it off with the chile relleno and some extra cheese and all will be right in the world. Scroll on down for the handy printable recipe!
Chile Relleno Soup
Ingredients
Chile Relleno Topping
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp flour
- ½ cup cooking oil
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 cup jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- Clean and dry the poblano chiles. Places them on a cookie sheet covered in foil. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn the chiles over and broil for another 5 minutes. Chiles should be roasted with black skin. Remove from the oven and place the chiles in a sealable plastic bag. Set aside
- In a large saucepan heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cilantro, cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the flour to the saucepan and stir to coat the veggies. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the chicken broth, cream, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer.
- Once the chiles have cooled to the touch, remove from the plastic bag. Cut off the top, remove the seeds, and then remove the skin. (I found it easiest to use a paring knife to remove the skin)
- Set two of the chiles aside for the chile relleno topping. Dice up the other 4 chiles and add to the soup. Allow the soup to continue simmering approximately 15-20 minutes.
- While the soup simmers make the chile relleno topping. Slice the remaining chiles in half (should already have the seeds and skin removed). This will give you four large pieces of chile.
- Set up two small bowls. Using the two eggs separate so that whites are in one bowl and yolks are in the second bowl. Beat the egg whites for about a minute and add the 2 tablespoons of flour. In the other bowl beat the egg yolks. Set up a small frying pan and heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Dip one of the chile slices into the egg yolk, then into the egg white/flour mixture. Add to the cooking oil and fry on each side about 1-2 minutes until golden. Repeat with the other chile slice.
- Just before serving the soup, add 1/2 cup of shredded Jack cheese and stir until completely melted. Serve the soup into bowls, top with the chile relleno and extra shredded jack cheese. You can place the bowls under the broiler if desired to melt the cheese on top, however, this step is not required.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could you add chicken to this? My husband can’t seem to eat meat free meals haha
Hi Jessica! Yes you could add chicken 🙂 A previous reader commented about adding ground beef to hers also! And I completely understand, it’s usually a stretch for my hubs to go for a meat free meal too.
My kids and husband like chili rellenos and I had to try this recipe. I added a half of pound of ground beef and used hatch green chili instead. I went ahead a doubled the recipe and my kids eat it up. It was a really great recipe. Thank.
I’m so glad y’all enjoyed the soup Angela! Love that you added beef to it! xo
I made this last night and it was SO DELICIOUS!! I used hatch green chiles, regular whip cream (instead of heavy) and 1% milk and it turned out so so good! I also cut the chile relleno topping into bite size pieces before topping the soup with it. Thanks for this yummy recipe!
Thank you so much Trish! This is the sweetest comment. My husband and I had so much fun developing this recipe and I’m so happy that you enjoyed it 🙂
I love chiles rellenos .I always make them so I’m pretty sure we will love this creamy poblano soup. Thanks for the recepie.
Looks amazing, and I bet it would really warm you up. I think adding a cheesy top to just about any soup is a fantastic idea.
I just made this and it did not disappoint! The SO even said it’s a winner. I used 2 cups of half and half instead of milk and cream, and it still turned out thick. I also had no pepper jack, so I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella. Pepperjack would have been better, but it was still great (I also threw in a chunk of cream cheese because I can’t resist that sort of jalapeno popper flavor).
Next time I might add a few jalapenos to kick up the heat!
Thanks for this recipe! It was everything I look for in a thick, creamy comfort soup!
Thanks so much Tay 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! The poblanos don’t have an overwhelming heat to them. So adding jalapenos should definitely kick it up!
This soup just looks SO comforting, cheesy and delicious.. I have to try the recipe out!
Can I use half n’ half in place of the heavy cream in this?
Sarah, I haven’t made it this way before. But I would assume it would turn out, possibly not as creamy or thick as the version with the heavy cream.
I use half/half work’s great
I wish my husband would give me brilliant ideas like this one. Mostly he’s a doubter, until he tastes it… Lol. This looks incredible!
Who loves a big bowl of comfort? <<<<<< ME. This looks so savory and delicious!