These Chorizo Chile Rellenos are low carb, gluten & grain free, with a dairy-free option. Spicy chorizo, cheddar cheese and a light coating, you’ll love them!
If you want to have something truly spectacular then you need to make these low carb Chorizo Chile Rellenos.
My husband’s favorite food is anything ending in “xican” but with high carbohydrate sides like beans, rice, tortillas and chips – going out for Mexican food is something we just don’t do. Which is so sad because, we live in Southern California where there are so many really good Mexican restaurants.
When I saw a package of chorizo on sale the other day I knew I had to buy it and cook something special for the Hubbs. After thinking for a few minutes I decided on low carb chile rellenos. A chile relleno is a fresh poblano pepper stuffed with cheese, then battered and fried. I decided to combine the chorizo with the cheese to make a more hearty low carb chile relleno.
By the way, I have a recipe for homemade chorizo which I think is really great. Let’s face it, we don’t always know what goes into the food we buy at the store. Making it yourself ensures that you control what goes into it. Which ever chorizo you decide to use, store bought or homemade, either are perfect for this recipe.
Charring the tough outter skin of the poblano peppers.
Poblano peppers peeled and stuffed with chorizo and cheese. The one on the right has the dairy-free cheese.
Chiles Rellenos after being battered and pan fried. They appear darker in the photo.
At first I was a little concerned that the preparation of this Chile Rellenos would be a little ambitious, but as it turned out it was very do-able. I was able to do some of the work in stages so that I didn’t have to do it all at once. Also, the sauce can begin to cook down as the peppers char. They don’t need to much baby sitting, so the chorizo can also be cooked in another pan and it just takes minutes. I usually do mine earlier so it’s ready to go.
I suggest charring and peeling the poblano peppers and cooking the sausage the day before, then finishing the preparation closer to dinner time. I think you are going to feel that the little bit of extra work that goes into these low carb Chorizo Chile Rellenos is well worth it.
Would you like to make your own chorizo? Use this recipe: Homemade, Fresh Chorizo. It’s easy to make and you can sub turkey or ground beef instead of the sausage! It also makes the easiest and best low carb skillet chili!
Each serving of these wonderful Chorizo Chile Rellenos is 8 net carbs
[Disclosure: This recipe contains affiliate links.]
Chorizo Chile Rellenos (Low Carb, Gluten and Grain Free)
Ingredients
- 8 whole poblano or anaheim chile peppers
Filling
- 1 pound chorizo
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
Coating
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
Sauce
- 1 ounce onion
- 10 ounces fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Cook the chorizo: drain, cool and mix with the vinegar.
- Sauce: Saute the onion and garlic. Seed the tomatoes and give them a rough chop. Put the sauteed onions and garlic with the tomato and oregano in the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a frying pan, add the chicken broth and bay leaf and cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. (10-15 minutes)
- Peppers: Place the poblano peppers over the flame of a stove burner to blacken and blister the tough outside skin, all over. Place peppers in a paper or plastic bag to steam so that the skin will be easier to remove. Carefully remove the blackened skin from the peppers- just peel it off with your fingers. Cut a slit in one side of each pepper and remove the veins and seeds. Grate the cheese (or use vegan cheese) and mix into the cooled chorizo. Divide the mixture evenly between the 8 chiles; about 1/2 cup per chile. Make sure the sides of the chiles will still meet to close and secure with a toothpick. Set aside.
- Batter and Cook: In a dish big enough to fit a pepper, mix the cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) into the coconut flour and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chiles in the coconut flour mixture and set aside. (A commercial gluten-free bake mix like Bob's Red Mill also works, for a higher carb count). You will probably only use 1/2 of the mixture, but better to have more than not enough. Carefully separate the eggs putting the whites into a medium bowl and the yolks into a small one. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Beat the egg yolks with a fork and add 1/3 of the yolks to the egg whites at a time, folding in gently.
- Put the tip of a wooden spoon or chopstick in the hot oil. If little bubbles form quickly, the oil is ready for the chiles. Dip a chile in the whipped eggs and cover completely. Cook in the oil until golden brown on both sides. I was able to cook three chiles at a time.
- To plate, put a small amount of the tomato sauce on the plate and gently shake the plate back and forth to slightly spread the sauce. Place one of the Chile Rellenos on top of the pool of sauce. Add your sides and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Easy Low Carb Chorizo Skillet Chili
I just found this recipe, and read a few comments. I think everyone would like carb count not just one reader.
Hi Betti. This recipe is on my list to update, so hopefully I’ll have that info soon. -Kim
Hi. I do t get how to use the coconut flour. Before you dip chilie in egg or after or mix the flour into the egg?? Thanks.
Sorry for the confusion, Marsha. I only roll the peppers in the coconut flour. Some of it will stick to the peppers allowing the whipped egg to stick.
-Kim
This was an amazing recipe, thank you so much! I used mexican quesadilla cheese instead of cheddar just because I have a great mexican grocery store by my house. Also, Ive been helping my bf go keto, so to decrease the carbs further, I skipped the coconut flour and starch altogether and used natural pork rinds wich have zero carbs. I ground them up in the blender till it was a powder. It will stick to the peppers just fine but, you have to spoon the egg batter over it to get it to really stick. The outcome was outstanding and the flovor was tremendous. I studied culinary nutrition at JWU Denver and have been working at developing keto recipes. With this minor alteration, you have one keto as f!*$ meal. Thank you so much for the inspiration. The tomato sauce was an amazing addition and really brought the whole dish together.
Sounds like you made some awesome subs, Chloe. Thanks for sharing. I’m so happy you found inspiration in the recipe. Enjoy your day. -Kim
Multiple stepped recipe that was incredible! Will make again! Enjoyed leftovers with scrambled eggs and greens for breakfast!
I’m so glad you liked it Anne! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment on and rate the recipe. Have a wonderful day. -Kim
What are the net carbs for this dish?
I don’t know what happened to the nutritional information, Angie. I’ll get my other computer out and look for the recipe in my cookbook program. I’m sorry about that! When I find it, I’ll email it to you, too. -Kim
Hi can we substitute cocnut flour with almond flour or skip it all together?
Hi Raquel. The coconut flour/corn starch mixture was just to help the egg stick to the peppers. I have not tried it with almond flour (coconut flour is a little more “powdery”), but it may work (?). If you have oat fiber, I would use about 2 tbsp of it instead of the coconut flour. You just need enough of the coating to make the outside of the peppers dry so it holds onto the egg.
The chorizo I used was not the red kind in the casing. It was like regular breakfast sausage consistency but spiced. I make my own. If you only have the red kind in the casing (it tends to turn liquidy upon cooking) you may want to cook it with some ground pork or there wont be any bulk. Does this make sense? Let me know if I am being unclear. This is a great recipe, although a bit of work. You can make the tomato sauce and peel the peppers several days before making the rellenos. I hope this helps. -Kim
Hi I made Chile Rellenos for the first time last weekend with a recipe video, from start to clean up 5 hours wow!
Your recipes looks a little quicker for the sauce.
Question how much oil do you put when frying the chiles?
The breading did not stay on that well, I took off and made it low carb.
My house smelled like a frying Pan, I had to wipe off appliances etc.
any additional tips is appreciated.
I like your recipe will have to try!
Thank you,
Victor
Hi Victor. The longest part of this process is blistering the peppers, but it’s more of a “let them sit and blister then turn” kind of thing. Once they are blistered and peeled, they can hang out in the fridge for 2 days or so. You can also make the tomato sauce in advance and reheat at serving time. Then it’s a matter of cooking the chorizo and adding it and the cheese to the peppers. The egg beats up really fast and the batter cooks up quickly. I’m trying to remember… I think I kept about 1/4 inch of oil in the pan during the process, adding more as needed. It is a time consuming dish, as many true Mexican dishes are, but it didn’t take 5 hours. I hope you enjoy the recipe. -Kim
Hi! Im looking for a authentic pobleno stuffed with just cheese, deep egg fried pepper. Thank you Pam
Pam, this is an authentic recipe. Just stuff the peppers with cheese and skip the chorizo. -Kim
What can be used in place of arrowroot and starch to keep keto?
Hi Sherry. I used the cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) to fluff up the coconut flour so that it would stick to the peppers. At that time, people weren’t using oat fiber very much. You can try oat fiber or a combination of oat fiber and protein powder. Just know that I haven’t tested these yet. I did test plain coconut flour and it didn’t give steller results. I don’t use ingredients like arrowroot powder or cornstarch lightly – only if it makes the overall recipe better and never more than 1 tablespoon in a recipe that yields 10 or more servings. I hope this helps. -Kim