Belizean Relleno Recipe

Savor the rich flavors of Belize with this authentic Relleno recipe, a delicious black soup featuring a spiced, stuffed chicken and hearty black recado sauce.

Black Relleno soup is a classic Belizean dish that has its roots in Maya and Spanish influences. Relleno comes in at least two varieties that we know of, black and white relleno. “Black Dinna,” Chimole, or Chirmole is often confused with Relleno but in our experience, these are very different given chirmole does not include the stuffing steps. Relleno stuffing is very rich is typically reserved for special occasions like weddings and family gatherings, while Chimole and Black Dinna are more commonly found at a Sunday dinner.

Relleno is popular across Belize, particularly in the Corozal and Orange Walk districts. The dish is known for its rich, black recado sauce, made from a blend of local spices and black recado paste, which gives the soup its signature color and flavor. Black recado is made dark by incorporating burned corn tortillas into a ground spice mix.

Belize Relleno Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cleaned and patted dry
• 1 onion
• 8 Belizean oregano leaves
• 1 sprig of epazote
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin
• 5 whole allspice seeds
• 6 whole dried cayenne peppers
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 4 tablespoons of black recado
• 4 tablespoons of chicken consommé
• 2 calabacitas quarted
• 2 chayotes quartered
• 4 tomatoes quartered
• 2 quarts water

Relleno (Stuffing) Recipe

• 1 tablespoon of lard (for frying)
• 1 white onion, finely minced
• 3 to 5 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of black recado
• 1 tablespoon of Belizean relleno spice mix
• 3 pounds of ground pork
• 3 raw eggs
• 9 hard-boiled eggs with whole yolks removed and reserved from whites

Dietary Alternatives:

• For a vegetarian option, substitute chicken with a large eggplant or stuffed bell peppers and use a plant-based ground meat substitute

Belizean Relleno Spice Mix Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon allspice seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 3 tablespoon oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 three-inch piece of cinnamon stick

Relleno Spice Mix Instructions

• Roast the spices in a preheated 350-degree oven or in a cast iron pot over the stove
• This should take 2 to 4 minutes max
• As soon as you see it changing color browning and smell, stir quickly and remove it from the heat
• Allow to cool before placing in a mortar and pestle and grinding together to make a powder
• If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can use a coffee grinder

Preparation:

1. Rinse chicken and remove any unwanted fat
2. Season chicken with salt and ground black pepper, set aside
3. In a large pot (10 quarts or more) heat 2 quarts of water
4. Add chicken consommé to the pot
5. In a small bowl dissolve the black recado paste and add to the stock pot
6. Add cloves, cummin, allspice seeds, whole onion, and half of the garlic cloves
7. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally
8. While the stock is developing return to the chicken stuffing or “relleno”.

Belizean Relleno Stuffing Instructions

1. In a frying pan heat your lard
2. Add the finely minced onion and garlic, and saute until shiny
3. In a bowl season the ground pork with about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of black recado
4. Add the pork mixture to your frying pan and cook until the pork is no longer pink (about ten minutes) stirring frequently
5. Remove the pork from the heat and add the minced egg whites
6. Add the raw eggs to the pork mixture, this will act as a binder, mix well
7. Begin stuffing the chicken cavities (front and back) with the pork mixture
8. Add about a cup of pork mixture to the chicken cavity then add a whole egg yolk to the stuffing
9. Repeat the stuffing process until the chicken is filled
10. Sew the chicken cavities closed with a needle and thread
11. Place chicken in a stock pot with soup
12. If you have remaining pork mixture wrap it tightly in tin foil to form little logs of stuffing. These will be added to the stock along with the chicken
13. The stock pot and broth should be big enough to allow the broth to submerge the chicken fully
14. If you do not have sufficient broth to submerge the chicken fully add some water
15. After the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes, add the whole cayenne peppers to the broth (this will add heat, so season to your taste)
16. Cook another 30 minutes then taste for heat/spice and salt, season to taste. Remove the peppers if the heat level is where you want it, the longer the peppers cook the hotter the soup will be
17. If when tasting the soup is not salty enough or too watery add chicken consommé to taste
18. Add your chopped tomatoes, Chayote, and Calabasas to the broth when the chicken has about 15 minutes left to cook, the goal is not to overcook them
19. Continue cooking the chicken another 30 minutes or until fully cooked, if you used a stewing hen or “yard bird” the cooking time will be increased, a Mennonite chicken or American chicken typically cooks well in an hour or so
20. Once the chicken is cooked remove it from the broth and reserve
21. Before serving the chicken be sure to remove the thread from the cavities fully
22. Carve the chicken into your desired serving sizes
23. When serving remove the stuffing relleno in as large of pieces as possible, for the best presentation
24. Slice the stuffing before serving

Serving Suggestions:

• Serve with a side of white rice, and warm corn tortillas to soak up the flavorful sauce
• For each serving place some of the stewed vegetables, chicken, and stuffing
• Pair with a refreshing ice-cold Coca-Cola or Belizean-style limeade or a glass of hibiscus tea
• For dessert, we always love Belizean Rum Cake

Tips and Tricks:

• The stewing chicken should be at least 4 pounds for better results, smaller chickens are harder to stuff and sew closed.
• Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more or less water, depending on your preference
• The amount of recado you use will play a big role in how dark your soup is, dissolving your recado before adding to the stock will help ensure there are no clumps.
• Some recados are homemade and grind can vary widely, some recommend straining the dissolved recado to remove any grittiness, This isn’t something we recommend for all recados but something you may consider for yours. Try making your own black recado at home with our black recado recipe.
• When adding the stuffing to the chicken take care to add the whole egg yolks without breaking them, this adds a lot to the presentation of the relleno to have whole yellow yolks emerge with the stuffing.
• Gently reheat leftovers on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce thickens too much.

Serves: 6-8

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Nutritional Information (per serving):

• Calories: 465
• Protein: 38g
• Carbohydrates: 12g
• Fiber: 2g Fat: 28g
• Sodium: 490mg
• (Nutritional information is an approximation and will vary widely)

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this Belizean Relleno recipe! Share your feedback, modifications, or any creative variations in the comments section below. Let’s work together to perfect this traditional Belizean dish!

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also enjoy our Chimole (Chirmole) Recipe or Picadillo Recipe which also features black recado.