CC2500 is very similar to the CC1101, has the same registers and can be controlled from the same driver.
CC1101 for sub-1GHz and CC2500 for the 2.4GHz band.
If you’re considering having a second radio, would something like this be an option?
I’m using the CC2500 to control my IKEA Ansluta LEDs. Pre-Tradfri (zigbee).