This keto chile relleno gets its golden coat from whipped eggs alone, no flour and no breading, which is exactly what makes it Low Carb at about 5 grams of net carb. It is a mild poblano roasted soft, stuffed with melty jack, fried in egg, then run under the broiler with sauce and cheese. The flourless batter is the catch most recipes hide, so I will show you how to keep it from sliding off.
Before going Low Carb, whenever I went to a Mexican restaurant I would always order enchiladas or quesadillas, so when I started my Low Carb lifestyle I assumed Mexican food was off-limits. Yes you can order fajitas and taco salads, but I got bored with those very quickly. Then I discovered Chile Rellenos and I fell in love. They are similar to an enchilada being that it is topped with an enchilada sauce, but instead of wrapped in a tortilla it is a mild chile stuffed with cheese. One of my favorite parts is that it is fried in an egg batter. Yep that batter is all eggs and no breading or flour. I figured since they were so good in my local Mexican restaurant I should try making my own. Well this wasn't the easiest recipe to conquer, but they turned out perfect.
The flourless egg batter in this keto chile relleno
A restaurant chile relleno usually starts with a dusting of flour before it ever meets the egg. Mine skips it. The chile goes straight into a batter of whipped egg whites folded with the yolks, the way the Mexican capeado technique builds its puff, and it fries up every bit as golden. No flour and no breading means it is naturally gluten-free and keto, with the egg doing all the lift. It is the part of this dish I love most, and it is the reason a chile relleno belongs on a Low Carb table at all.
How to keep a flourless batter from sliding off
Without a flour layer to grip, a wet chile will shed its batter in the oil. The fix is mostly about a dry surface and firm whites:
- Pat the peeled chiles completely dry, inside and out. This is why you peel them without rinsing.
- Beat the egg whites to firm peaks in a metal or glass bowl, since a plastic bowl holds a greasy film that keeps whites from whipping up. A pinch of cream of tartar helps them hold.
- For extra insurance, dust the dry chile with a little almond flour, grated parmesan, or crushed pork rinds. It plays the role flour does, with no wheat.
Fry the moment the chile is dipped, while the batter is at its puffiest.
Watch the enchilada sauce, the real carbs
The chile and cheese are the easy part. A roasted poblano is only about 3 grams of net carb, and the egg and jack add almost nothing. The carbs sneak in through the enchilada sauce. A lot of canned red sauces carry added sugar, flour, or starch, so the label is worth a look. Pick a no-sugar-added or keto enchilada sauce, or simmer a quick one from tomato, chile, and spices, and the whole plate stays around 5 grams of net carb.
Use a fresh poblano, and a no-fry option
Reach for a fresh poblano, the big, mild, dark-green chile. It is the classic choice, easy to stuff and forgiving to roast. If your store labels them pasilla, that is a common mix-up, since true pasilla is a dried chilaca and a different pepper; the fresh one you want is the poblano. An Anaheim works if poblanos are out, though it is smaller. If you would rather not fry, set the battered chiles on a sheet and bake at 400°F until golden and set, or go casserole-style and bake the stuffed chiles under beaten egg and cheese. Serve them with a low-carb chili con carne or alongside green chili frittatas for brunch, with more Low Carb dinner recipes to fill out the week.
Sources:
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient reference for poblano peppers, eggs, and Monterey Jack cheese
Larousse Cocina, traditional Mexican capeado egg-batter technique
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, flourless low-carb chile relleno notes
