Chile Rellenos

***Recipe approved by Medifast Nutrition Support May 2013.***

Sorry it took me so long to get this post written! Life is always crazy in the summer around my house. I had wanted to get a better picture for this recipe, but I haven't made the recipe again. I had SO many people asking for the recipe I figured I should just get it up there and update this post when I take a new (prettier) picture. Also, the picture below is the recipe without chicken. They will be a bit fatter with the chicken in there :)

I have been craving Chile Rellenos since I started Medifast, but figured there was NO way I'd be able to find a recipe that met the Medifast guidelines because rellenos are traditionally stuffed with cheese, then batter dipped and fried to a crispy golden brown and topped with a green tomatillo sauce. Personally, I prefer my non-fried version, and really, I didn't miss the sauce at ALL (but you could add tomato sauce etc to this and deduct it from your green).

Then, out of nowhere, the idea came to me: whipped egg whites. So I set off trying to figure out how to make a savory meringue. I was a little baffled at how I'd "batter-dip" the rellenos into the meringue, but I figured I'd deal with that later. 

I know the recipe seems odd with the egg whites, but trust me, these are AMAZING. (I ate this every day for four days until the leftovers were gone, and I'm STILL craving it).

Chile Rellenos

Ingredients:
12 whole green chiles (canned)
6 egg whites
3.5 ounces cooked, finely shredded chicken
12 oz part-skim mozzarella
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together 10 ounces part-skim mozarella cheese with 3.5 ounces cooked, shredded chicken, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp onion powder. Set aside.

Whip the egg whites on high with 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp onion powder until stiff peaks form. This took about five-ish minutes for my Kitchenaid stand mixer.

Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half of the whipped egg whites on the bottom of the pan.

Carefully remove the canned chiles, split down one side and place a tablespoon or two (depending on the size of the chile) onto the opened chile. Fold the chile around the filling and press the filled chile into the mixture, lining them up like you would an enchilada. Make sure to press the chile into the eggs so the eggs envelop the sides of the chile. Repeat the process for the remaining 11 chiles, lining them up like you would if you were making enchiladas.

Spread the remaining whipped egg whites over the chiles and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, increase the temperature to 450 degrees, remove foil and return to the oven for another ten-ish minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and the eggs are browned a bit. (See above picture).

This is best served fresh from the oven (let it sit a few minutes to let the cheese settle before serving). However, reheated leftovers are amazing too.

Servings: 4 (3 chile rellenos = 1 serving)

Medifast calculations (per serving): 1 lean, 1.5 green, 1.25 condiments

Recipe Copyright 2013 Shelley Watters