This chorizo stuffed poblano peppers recipe is the perfect meal to spice up your weeknight dinner routine. Inspired by chili rellenos, these stuffed poblano peppers are filled with sautéed chorizo, onions and corn and then topped with a generous portion of cheese and broiled in the oven for a perfect finish.

Scroll through below for some helpful tips, or simply hit the “jump to recipe” button if you’re ready to begin cooking.

How To Select Poblano Peppers

Poblano Peppers are a mild pepper originally from Puebla, Mexico. They’re deep green in color and the flavor has a little kick to it, but isn’t as hot and spicy as a jalapeño. Poblanos are also a great size for stuffing with meats and cheeses! When choosing poblano peppers for this recipe, pick ones that are wide in size so they make a good cup for the stuffing. You also want to make sure they are fresh and firm to the touch without any wrinkling or blemishes.

Do You Have To Peel Poblano Peppers Before Stuffing

No, you do not have to peel poblano peppers before stuffing. Leave the skin on for added flavor and to help the pepper hold its shape when stuffing. I like to char them a bit in a sauté pan to add flavor, then cook them covered for two to three minutes to soften. Then place the peppers aside to cook the stuffing in the same sauté pan. 

Choosing Chorizo Sausage

Chorizo is a pork sausage originally from Spain and Portugal. They are typically smoked, cured, and eaten without cooking, like what you’d serve on a meat and cheese board. It’s delicious! But my experience with dried chorizo in the United States hasn’t been stellar. Usually dried chorizo in the United States is  hard and chewy with an after taste of preservatives. 

For that reason, I like to use fresh chorizo sausage in this recipe. That means it is raw and needs to be cooked. You can typically find chorizo in the meat section of your local grocery store. But a neighborhood butcher shop might have some too. To make chorizo stuffed poblano peppers, I remove the chorizo sausage from the casing so that it is more of a ground spiced meat.

How To Make Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Start by gathering together the ingredients to make chorizo stuffed poblano peppers. Here’s what you’ll need:

Stuffed Poblano Pepper Ingredients

• 4-6 Poblano Peppers: You’ll want at least 1 to 2 poblano peppers per person. This recipe is also easy to double if you’re making it for a party.
• Fresh Chorizo Sausage: For this stuffed poblano recipe, I like to use fresh/raw chorizo sausage and remove it from the casing to cook as spiced ground meat. If you can’t find chorizo, one pound of ground pork or ground beef is a good substitute. You’ll need to season it, however, with your favorite taco style seasoning. I don’t typically add more seasoning to this recipe since the chorizo has great flavor on its own.
• Fresh Corn: I like to use 2 ears of fresh corn in this recipe. But if fresh corn isn’t available, frozen corn is the next best thing. Measure out about a cup of frozen corn and let it thaw as you’re prepping the other ingredients.
• Green Onions: You’ll use both green and the white (bulb) part of the green onion. Cut off the roots, slice thin, and separate the white from the green. You’ll cook the white part of the onion with the corn and meat and save the sliced green onion for garnish and topping the stuffed poblano peppers.
• Cheddar Cheese: In the recipe below, I use 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to top the stuffing. Sometimes we’ll switch it up and use pepper jack cheese when we really want to kick up the heat and spice. A shredded taco blend of cheese will also taste wonderful on these stuffed poblano peppers.
• Eggs: I know what you’re thinking …eggs? Yes! This recipe is inspired by the Mexican chile relleno which traditionally included eggs. The eggs help add a little more protein in this meal. Plus they help bind together the stuffing in the pepper. You’ll need one egg per serving, so for this recipe you’ll use four eggs. Allergic to eggs? Feel free to omit them and add a little more cheese to help with binding the stuffing. 

What To Serve With Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Chorizo stuffed peppers are great on their own as an appetizer or a main meal. But if you’d like to add some sides, I recommend a side of rice. Beans are great too. Or serve both! When I’m trying to save time, I like to re-heat pre-seasoned and cooked black beans as a side, such as Fillo’s Cuban Black Beans (seriously a great pantry staple to have).

Stuffed Poblano Peppers: Step-By-Step

Pre-heat oven to 400. Prep a baking sheet by covering it in aluminum foil. Set aside for the peppers.
Wash and pat dry the peppers, corn, and green onions. Slice the poblano peppers lengthwise in half along the skinny side of the pepper so that you have a wide base to fill with stuffing. Discard the seeds and core.

TIP: While poblano peppers are not as spicy as a jalapeño, you still may want to wear gloves when prepping and removing the seeds.

Remove the roots from the green onions and slice the white part of the onion crosswise into half inch pieces. Slice the green part of the onion into smaller pieces. Set aside some of the green part of the onions for garnish.

Carefully cut the corn away from the cob. Discard the cobs and measure out one cup of corn. (Tip: you can also use frozen corn if fresh corn isn’t available).

Slice chorizo peppers lengthise and use a spoon to scoop the meat away from the casing. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large 12 inch skillet. When the oil is hot, place the peppers in the skillet skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes until the peppers have started to brown and blister.

Using tongs, flip the peppers over, cut side down, add 1/4 cup of water, and cover pan with lid. Cook for 2-3 more minutes until the peppers have softened. Turn off the heat, remove the peppers from the pan and place skin side down on baking sheet. Pour out any excess liquid from the saute pan and place back on the stove for cooking stuffing.

Heat same sauté pan on high heat with 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add the corn and green onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until corn and onions have browned. 

Add chorizo and cook for 4-5 minutes until browned.

Pour the whisked eggs into the pan with chorizo, corn, and onions and cook for 2 minutes or until the eggs bein to set. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the chorizo stuffing into the poblano peppers. 

Top with cheddar cheese. Place the baking sheet with stuffed poblano peppers into the oven.

Change setting to Broil and broil for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

 

Using an oven mitt, carefully remove the pan of chorizo stuffed poblano peppers. Serve 1-2 peppers per person and enjoy!

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