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Keto Fajita Chicken with Hatch Chile Mushroom Gravy
I created this easy-to-make Keto Fajita Chicken recipe after tasting a special dish that Chuy’s created especially for their annual Green Chile Festival. Fajita chicken covered in a rich and velvety brown gravy composed of spicy robust Hatch chiles and savory meaty mushrooms with a hint of rum.
‘Tis the season for Hatch green chiles in Texas. For a short time, roasted & fresh Hatch chiles can be found at Central Market and HEB stores. Many of us, yes including me, buy in large quantities and freeze them for future use. My favorite TexMex restaurant, CHUY’S, dedicates 3 weeks (mid-August through first week of September) to the special chile and call it the Green Chile Fest. Serious NOM NOM. In 1989, the co-owners of Chuy’s were the first to bring Hatch green chiles to central Texas.
Interesting fact: Chuy’s contracts with farmers in the Hatch Valley to grow over 1.75 million pounds of the Hatch green chiles just for their restaurants.
Hatch chiles (aka New Mexican chiles) get their name from the Hatch Valley area where they are grown. It stretches along the Rio Grande from Arrey, New Mexico, in the north to Tonuco Mountain to the southeast of Hatch, New Mexico, the self-proclaimed “Chili Capital of the World.” The peppers are generally harvested August through the end of September. Depending on weather, sometimes it’s earlier and lasts a little later.
Hatch chiles belong to the long green chile (New Mexican) pod type as do Anaheim peppers (seeds originated in NM, but were taken to Anaheim, CA to cultivate) which look similar but have a different taste profile. Hatch chiles tend to be more robust and zesty and can be pretty spicy. This difference in taste is due to the climate and soil in which it’s grown.
When roasted, the appeal of the chile is that it has a uniquely smoky yet sweet and buttery taste with a smooth heat. This makes it a very versatile pepper to use in all kinds of recipes whether savory or sweet. Truly a taste bud-shattering experience.
The peppers are such a rage that you can find products ranging from Hatch-infused burgers to Hatch cheese to Hatch beer to Hatch ice cream. Yes, ice cream!
Since the Green Chile Festival is in full swing at Chuy’s, my hubby and I decided to check out the new specials created just for the festival. My husband ordered chicken enchiladas that are covered in a creamy green chile brown gravy. The enchiladas are wrapped in a flour tortilla, and of course, that’s a no-go for keto, so he ordered it without the tortillas. And no beans or rice. I wasn’t so brave and stuck to my usual chicken fajita nachos minus the chips and beans. Yes, they really do that and it’s super good!
I tried a bite of his meal. OMG! The sauce was A-mazing! We were able to find out what some of the ingredients were but sadly, it contains cornstarch and soybean oil. BUMMER. I liked it so much I decided to try to somewhat replicate the recipe but ketofied. It didn’t turn out tasting the exact same, but that’s okay! It’s a richer more intense sauce which I like even better.
So, roll up your sleeves and let’s get this party started!
First off, you’ll need to get the marinade prepped. It takes at least 2 hours (4 hours is even better) to marinate the chicken, so make sure you plan ahead.
Once the chicken has marinated long enough, pop those little bwak bwak fillets in an olive oil coated hot pan and cook until the pink is gone and the juices run clear. Do not clean out the pan! You’ll need the stuck-on goodies for the gravy.
Remove chicken and cut into strips.
Dump onions and mushrooms into same pan. Now, you’re going to cook ingredients on medium heat until the onions caramelize and the mushrooms turn a dark brown. Add in the garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Some of the ingredients will start to stick to the pan and turn a dark color and that’s a good thing. Again, don’t wash out the pan.
Now, it’s time for the deglazing magic! Deglazing is nothing more than loosening brown bits from a pan by adding liquid, then heating while stirring and scraping the pan. Remember those seemingly burnt pieces and dark bottom pan?
Be sure to remove pan from heat. This is important because when you add alcohol to a hot pan, it can catch on fire. Add the rum, then beef bone broth, heavy cream, and Hatch chiles.
Note about Hatch chiles: If you happen to not be lucky enough to grab you some fresh fire roasted Hatch chiles when they’re in season, the next best thing is Hatch chiles in a jar. Amazon carries the brand I use. It can be a little pricey, but is very convenient. At Cosco, the 40oz jar is $7.99. And yes, in a pinch, you can use the canned green chiles that are found in most grocery stores, but it won’t be the same. 😛 Or if you really want to be ambitious and can get your hands on some fresh Hatch chiles, you can roast them yourself. Okay, back to the Keto Fajita Chicken recipe.
Put the pan back over medium heat and reduce liquid by 1/2, then add in the cilantro and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add in the last 2 Tbsp of butter to add a nice velvety texture.
Now, it’s time to assemble the dish. After coating a casserole dish with olive oil, put the sliced chicken in a layer on the bottom. Top with gravy, then the cheese.
Pop in the preheated oven for 15 minutes to warm the chicken and melt the cheese. Remove from oven and enjoy your Keto Fajita Chicken with Green chile gravy!
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil divided
- 1/4 cup Lime juice
- 3 Tbsp Coconut aminos
- 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 tsp Liquid smoke
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 2 lbs Chicken breasts trimmed and pounded flat
- 3 Tbsp Butter divided
- 1/2 cup Minced onions
- 1/2 cup Minced mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp Rum
- 1 cup Beef bone broth or beef stock
- 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup Hatch green chilis
- 1/4 cup Chopped cilantro
- 4 oz Shredded Monterey Jack cheese about 1 cup
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In small mixing bowl, add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and the rest of the ingredients for the fajita marinade. Pour marinade into gallon sized Ziploc bag and add chicken. Coat chicken well, then lay flat in a refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.
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Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Place marinated chicken in skillet and cook on medium heat until done and no liquid is left, about 8-12 minutes.
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Remove chicken and slice across grain into strips. Set aside.
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Preheat oven to 400F.
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To same skillet, add 1 Tbsp of the butter, mushrooms, and onions. Cook until onions are well caramelized and ingredients begin to stick to pan, almost to the point of burning.
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Time to deglaze the pan! Remove from heat and add the rum, then beef bone broth, heavy cream, and Hatch chiles. Stir together. The stuck on bits of yum will start to loosen from the bottom of the pan.
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Place back over medium heat and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 min.
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Add in the cilantro and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. To finish, add in the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and stir until melted.
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Coat medium sized oven proof casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. Add the cooked sliced chicken to bottom, then spoon gravy over it. Top with shredded cheese.
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Put casserole dish in oven and heat at 400F for about 15 minutes until chicken is warmed and cheese is melted.
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