Bacon Wrapped Pollo Relleno

This bacon wrapped pollo relleno is the chicken take on a New Mexico classic — a tender chicken breast stuffed with roasted Hatch green chile and melted cheese, then wrapped in crispy bacon and baked. "Pollo relleno" simply means stuffed chicken, and this one delivers all the smoky, cheesy comfort of a relleno in a hearty, knife-and-fork main that's easy enough for a weeknight and impressive enough for company.

What I love about this dish is how much it tastes like you fussed over it when you really didn't. A few minutes to stuff and wrap, then the oven does the work while the bacon crisps and the cheese melts into the chile.

A chicken relleno, not a fried chile

This is a different animal from the traditional whole-chile relleno. Instead of stuffing a roasted green chile pod and frying it in egg batter, here the chicken is the vessel and the Hatch chile is the filling. If you want that classic battered, fried version, see our Hatch chile relleno recipe. This bacon-wrapped chicken relleno is the no-fry, protein-forward cousin — all the relleno flavor, none of the deep frying.

The Hatch chile is the heart of it

Roasted Hatch green chile tucked inside the chicken is what makes this dish sing — that smoky-sweet heat melts together with the cheese into a molten center. I use roasted Hatch green chile straight from the freezer so it's already charred and peeled, or chop fresh Hatch green chile in season. Lay the chile flat inside the butterflied breast so every slice gets a ribbon of chile and cheese.

Tips for stuffing and wrapping

Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing it almost in half and opening it like a book — don't cut all the way through. Layer the chile and cheese on one side, fold it over, then wrap with bacon, overlapping the slices to seal the seam. The bacon both flavors the chicken and holds the filling in. Use a mild melting cheese like Monterey Jack so it stays creamy rather than greasy. A meat thermometer is your friend: pull at 165F internal.

Serving and storage

Let the chicken rest five minutes before slicing so the juices and melted cheese settle. Serve over rice or with roasted vegetables, and spoon any pan drippings on top. Leftovers keep three days in the fridge; reheat in a 350F oven to re-crisp the bacon rather than the microwave, which makes it limp. It also slices beautifully cold for next-day lunch.