Chile Relleno Soup
Updated
Updated
This Chile Relleno Soup takes the ingredients and flavors of traditional chile relleno and converts it into a fantastic rich, thick and cheesy soup. Added chicken turns it into a complete meal that is totally irresistible!
We like to serve this soup with crushed up tortilla chips or homemade corn tortillas and cilantro lime rice on the side.
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Easy Chile Relleno Soup
Chile Relleno, which is basically a large chile pepper stuffed with cheese, coated in a light batter, and deep fried, is one of the best known and loved Mexican foods around. It’s not difficult to make, but can be a little time-consuming and messy. While you can’t beat its traditional form, I sure do love to play with the flavors.
This chile relleno soup recipe joins our chile relleno casserole and chile relleno dip, which are all delicious twists on the classic dish, without the work.
With perfectly charred poblano peppers, lots of cheese, mild spice, and chicken, this soup is a hearty, complete meal. Poblano peppers are roasted to give off a slightly smoky flavor to the soup, then diced so you receive that flavor in every bite. To finish, the bowls of soup are placed under the broiler for an extra golden, gooey, cheesy topping. We can’t get enough of this in my house!
Ingredients Needed
Many of the classic chile relleno ingredients are used to make this soup, along with the addition of chicken and chicken broth.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Poblano peppers – You may find these labeled as Pasilla peppers, depending on where you live.
- Onion & Garlic – Wonderful aromatics that add flavor to the soup.
- Butter and Olive oil – Both are used to sautรฉ the vegetables.
- Chicken broth – Low-sodium chicken broth is best to control the overall saltiness of the soup.
- Seasonings – Cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Cream cheese – Adds a luxurious creamy component to the soup with a slight tangy flavor to balance the heat.
- Shredded cheese – A combination of cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese are used in this soup. Shred the cheese yourself if at all possible, as pre-shredded cheese won’t melt as well or have as much flavor.
- Chicken breast – Skinless chicken breast should be cooked and cubed or shredded.
- Cilantro – Added as a garnish at the end.
How to Roast Poblano Peppers
Making this chile relleno soup consists of just a few steps, the first being to roast the peppers. This really elevates the overall flavor of the soup, so we encourage you not to skip it.
- Prepare the poblano peppers. Clean and dry the peppers, then roast them under the broiler or on the open flame of a gas burner until all sides are charred and blistered. Transfer to a plastic bag and seal to trap in the heat. After they’ve cooled, rub off as much skin as possible. Then cut the stem, slice in half, and discard the seeds. Chop into small pieces and use as directed. (Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details.)
Tips & Variations
Here are a few things to consider when making this soup:
- Can I use any other type of peppers? We really prefer poblano peppers for this soup, but if desired, you could use jalapeno peppers instead. The seeds carry most of the heat, so if you don’t want the soup spicy, be sure to remove them.
- Make it vegetarian. If you want vegetarian chile relleno soup, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth, omit the cooked chicken, and stir in some black beans and corn to keep it as a hearty, filling meal.
- Careful not to burn the cheese. Melting the cheese under the broiler adds a nice touch, but watch it carefully to avoid burning.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this chile relleno chicken soup with crushed up tortilla chips or homemade corn tortillas and cilantro lime rice on the side. Finish the meal with some churros for dessert!
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- How to store leftovers. Leftover chile relleno soup should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will keep up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this soup, as the cheese tends to separate and become grainy upon thawing.
- How to reheat leftovers. Reheat leftovers on the stovetop, taking care to not bring them to a boil. Boiling the soup can cause it to separate so you want to bring it to, at most, a low simmer.
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Chile Relleno Soup
Ingredients
- 5 poblano peppers, (also labeled Pasilla peppers, depending on location)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, , diced
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken breast
- 8 ounces cream cheese, , softened and cut into very small cubes
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, , divided
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- fresh chopped cilantro, , for garnish
Instructions
- Clean and dry the poblano peppers, then roast them until the skin has blackened/charred and blistered. (You can do this by either placing the peppers on a foil-lined cookie sheet a few inches under the broiler set to high, flipping once. Or setting them over an open flame on a gas burner, turning on all sides. It will take about 10 minutes.)
- Transfer peppers to a plastic bag and seal to trap in the steam. Let cool, then rub off as much of the skin as possible either with your fingers or a pairing knife. Cut off the stem, then slice in half to remove and discard the seeds. Very finely chop up the peppers and set aside (or transfer to a food processor and give them a few quick pulses.)
- In a medium pot, warm the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in the chopped poblanos.
- Pour in the chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a very gentle simmer.
- Stir in the cooked, chopped chicken.
- Add in the cream cheese and 2 cups of the cheddar cheese; whisk until melted and smooth.
- Divide into 6 bowls and sprinkle each with the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and the pepper jack cheese. Set under the broiler until melted and golden (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.)
- Garnish with just a bit of fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
I followed your recipe. I love that you use fresh roasted poblanos . My family of 5 LOVED your recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I never expected this to be this amazing but it is delicious! I used chicken breast that I had previously grilled and the seasonings went perfect with this. As I was working on the peppers I thought, this is a lot of work I hope itโs worth it! It was beyond worth it. My husband loved it. He said, โno sharing this recipeโ. Thanks for a great soup!!
Hi Amy. Can you tell me about how much diced poblano’s five peppers makes? I recently roasted a bunch of hot chilies on the grill and froze them. But I have no idea how many of them would have been five peppers. Maybe like 3/4 of a cup. Thanks in advance for your reply
Hi Christina! Since they vary in size, it will depend. But a general rule is approximately 2 whole poblano peppers will make about 1 cup chopped.
This soup is fantastic. My husband does not care for soup; he asked for seconds!
All I can say is YUM! I am making this for the second time today, my husband and I love it so much I think we could eat it daily. I have to admit I didnโt roast my own peppers and was lucky enough to find fire roasted whole green chilies from Ortega. This soup is wonderful, I will definitely be making it on a regular basis.
This recipe is the bomb! Highly recommend making! I made this and followed the exact recipe. I would not change a thing! So good
I would love to try this with beef instead of chicken. Most all of the Chili Rellenos I have eaten had ground beef and I love that flavor combo. Would it work if I switched chicken to ground beef and chicken broth to beef broth? Not sure if changing to beef broth would make it too beefy??
Yes, the flavor def varies as I’ve tried it both ways. You really should use fresh if you want the full effect. When I used the canned whole peppers it was okay, but I ended up making it into a white chicken chili by adding pinto beans and serving over lime cilantro rice. Delish. I’m making it with fresh poblanos again right now!
really delicious, I cooked the chicken breasts in chicken stock after browning them and it made a great additional stock. Served with tortilla chips, avacado and a dollop of sour cream
Hey Amy…. I made this tonight. So very good. I will make this again
Dear Amy….. I followed you here from TicTok… I don’t have much hope for TT’s future. Any how, Im glad for the connection none the less. Atlanta Georgia
Loved this soup very filling.great on a cold day! Thank you for the recipe
So simple to make, but very flavorful! Definitely in the comfort food category. My husband and kids said itโs a keeper. You always have good recipes.
My husband and I really enjoyed this soup! Hit the spot on a cold, snowy evening. Thank you! It took me a while to get the peppers blistered, but next time, I will increase the heat and get even more char and blistering on the peppers. The blistered part is the easiest part to peel! Looking forward to leftovers for lunch. :)
Could canned green chilies be used for this?
You can, but just note that the overall flavor won’t be quite as good. It’ll certainly make it easier/quicker, though.
The Best review I can give is to tell you I made a different creamy chicken soup tonight and my husband was so disappointed. He asked why I didn’t make that “really good poblano chicken soup??” Guess I won’t venture out again! We both absolutely love this soup!!!
I made this for a recent holiday open house. I’m a good cook and get good reviews pretty often, but this one was a huge hit. Never had so many people ask for a recipe.
We love the soup. Could not find Pabloโs at the market I went to, and opt for Anaheim chili. Very good. This tally different. I will be using Anaheim again. This was my third time making the soup.
This was AMAZING. Flavor was off the hook. Just WOW.
Oh, YUM!!!! Really, really good soup! Not 100% carb free, but wonโt impact glucose levels too much! Very tasty!
A great soup – I seasoned my chicken with chili and lime, and I added black beans and garbonzos – no regrets there at all!
Can I use canned green chilies instead of pablano peppers?
This was absolutely delicious!
This was fabulous!!! Will definitely make again!
Ohmygosh this is one of the best things Iโve ever made ! Holy cow ! Amazing !!!
This was the perfect meal for a below freezing day! My 8 year old loved it!
Have you done this one in an instapot/pressure cooker?
Doing this today and it looks amazing!
This was EXCELLENT.
Loved this recipe!
Loved the recipe! Wished I had double it.
This recipe was so fu*#in good!!! Will make again !
I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like this. Flavor explosion – we all loved it!
This was great.
This soup was awesome. Iโm married to a professional chef and he raved over the soup as well. I did double the amount of chicken to satisfy some hearty appetites but that was it.
This was absolutely AMAZING! Only change I made was adding some frozen sweet corn after adding the broth to the pot. Also put a dollop of sour cream on top after the cilantro. Thanks so much for this recipe. Iโll definitely be making it often now!
I have never tasted anything like it!
I made this last night, it was a big hit. Delicious!
WOULD USEING CANNED PEPPERS RUIN THE RECIPE?
The flavor won’t be as deep or robust, but it definitely won’t ruin anything.
I looooove this! I added a little jalapeno diced and a scoop of salsa when I ate mine. It’s to die for. I thought about using less broth and leaving chicken out and using as a sauce it is so good. Thank you so much for sharing.
What size peppers? The sizes range drastically. Thank you.
Just an average size. A slight difference, smaller or larger, won’t negatively affect the recipe.
Love it!!
So delicious!! Omg. I used a combination of poblano, anaheim, and hatch chilis.
made this last night… the flavors were great! I think next time i’m going to thicken with flour during the onion stage to hopefully give something for the cheese to bind to.
This looks so yummy but I am not a fan of cream cheese. Could I use something else instead?
If you want to freeze this soup, stop at step 5 above and freeze. Thaw and resume step 6. I do this for a lot of soups with cheese in the recipe.
Love love it. I omit the chicken and use black beans. Pablanos are delicious and can be quite spicy or not. Easy to make and quite impressive. I make it often
So good!
Love it. Spicy and soothing on a cold day.
Absolutely delicious and easy to make
Omg, amaaazing.