Sneak Peek: Chuy's Green Chile Fest 2019 #greenchilefest #chuys #texmex #texaseats

It's time for Chuy's 31st annual Green Chile Fest...celebrating spicy in-season Hatch green chiles direct from New Mexico! If you love green chiles, this is definitely the food event for you! Now through September 1st, Chuy's is celebrating green chiles with a number of special limited edition menu items...and even a spicy signature cocktail. We visited one of the San Antonio Chuy's locations last weekend for a sneak preview of this special menu. Every menu item we sampled was spicy and delicious! Just wait until you see all of the fabulous menu items available for this year's Green Chile Fest.

When we walked up to the restaurant's front door, we immediately noticed the delicious smell of roasting green chiles in the air. That's because Chuy's roasts all of the green chiles used in its Green Chile Feast menu items on premises! We were warmely greeted and seated...then offered a signature New Mexico Martini to kick off our meal. While we waited for the bartender to whip up our martini, the manager took me to the chile roasting area so I could see the process used to pre the chiles for use in recipes. The roasting process is done by hand and takes approximately 7-8 minutes per batch. 

By the time I made it back inside from viewing the chile roasting process, our New Mexico Martini was heading from the bar to our table. This signature Green Chile Fest cocktail gets it spicy kick from the addition of El Jimador's jalapeno-infused tequila. The citrusy flavor is definitely reminiscent of a margarita -- with a spicy flavor that kicks in a second or two after your first sip! This cocktail is served with a garnish of lime and olives in a salt-rimmed martini glass. The logo shaker it comes served is poured tableside and includes enough for two martini glasses. This cocktail is perfect for pairing with crispy tortilla chips dipped in Chuy's addictive signature creamy Jalapeno Ranch dipping saue!

Our first green chile-infused food item from the kitchen was the inventive Pork Belly Tacos. These tacos feature roasted and braised green chile pork belly served inside blue corn tortillas. Each taco is topped with crunchy jicama, red cabbage slaw, and pineapple-green chile pico de gallo. What an explosion of flavors! Spicy, savory pork belly pairs perfectly with the sweetly spicy pineapple pico. The fruity note provideds a lightness that worked especially well with the rich pork belly. This colorful dish comes with two tacos, making it ideal for sharing as an appetizer to kick off your meal.

Up next were a duo of enchiladas that perfectly showcase the versatility of the green chile. Pablo's Enchiladas feature chicken, and the Fired Up Steak Enchiladas feature beef. The spicy green chile paired nicely with with both meats!

Pablo's Enchiladas feature flour tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken breast and cheese. They're topped with Pablo's Cream sauce, which features both green chiles and poblano peppers. Add a bit of pico de gallo and green chiles on top, and you have one amazing entrée! 


The Fired Up Steak Enchiladas include tender beef fajita steak and cheese rolled inside corn tortillas. These enchiladas are covered in spicy red and green chile sauces. Finally, they're topped with grilled peppers, onions, and more melted cheese. We loved sharing a bit of both enchilada varieties to get the best of both worlds!

We were getting pretty full...but no visit to Chuy's is complete without a piece of their amazing house-made Tres Leches Cake for dessert. We ordered one piece for our table of three, which allowed me to have a taste without undermining my diet. The cake came to the table garnished with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of cajeta caramel. Chuy's Tres Leches Cake is moist and not too sweet. It was the perfect ending to our spicy meal!

If you want to try these special menu items during Chuy's 31st annual Green Chile Fest, keep in mind you only have until September 1st to do so. Texas-based Chuy's has nearly 100 locations across the country, so there's likely one near you! To locate the Chuy's restaurant closest to you, visit the Locations page on their website. I also want to take a moment to mention Chuy's fabulous Happy Hour, which takes place every Monday thru Friday from 400-700PM. Customers enjoy drink specials and Chuy's signature Nacho Car...which includes free chips, salsa, creamy jalapeño dipping sauce, queso, and taco meat! 

Disclosure: Chuy's provided The Weekend Gourmet team a hosted tasting of its special Hatch Green Chile Fest menu to faciliate this feature. All opinions expressed are solely my own.