Queso with Friends

Any and every party I attend, you can always find me near the chips and dips. I could stand there for hours, slowly eating my way through every bite of dip available. If this chorizo chicken queso dip was served, I wouldn’t be eating it so slowly. I would devour it quite quickly.

It’s a salty, cheesy, meaty dip that is reminiscent of a chile con queso, but with a different combination of proteins and flavors sure to impress your guests, family, and friends. I can’t wait to share this with everyone for tailgates, Autumn get-togethers, and cozy movie nights.

Tips For Making This Cheesy Chorizo Chicken Dip

If you plan on making this chicken chorizo queso, here are a few tips to make it extra special:

• When making a roux, or the base of your cheese sauce, be sure to sprinkle the flour as distributed across the pan as you can, in a thin layer.  This will help avoid any clumps in the flour and will encourage it to begin cooking quicker, so you can ensure there’s no raw-flour taste.  
• The second tip when making a roux, is to stir it the entire time and frequently scrape up any flour that sticks to the bottom of the pan. It’s really important to have your milk and beer measured out before you begin this step, so that you can begin pouring as soon as you’re ready. This helps avoid any accidental flour burning.
• If you’re in a rush and don’t have any shredded chicken on hand, my favorite tip is to grab a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store.  They are so moist and shred incredibly easily. Use what you need for this dip and then save the rest for salads or sandwiches over the next couple days.

Recipe Details

To base of this dip is a simple, classic, homemade cheese sauce.  To make a cheese sauce, you’ll start by making a roux, which is a combination of fat and flour. This roux is what makes cheese sauce thicker and even more flavorful.

For this specific recipe, the very first step is to brown some chorizo.  The chorizo is so flavorful and the paprika in the sausage gives it a stunning red color. With the fat that renders off the chorizo, and some melted butter, you’ll make the roux by sprinkling in flour and stirring it in. This will immediately begin thickening the ingredients.  Cook this for a few minutes, to make sure no raw flour taste remains, and then you’ll take the next steps to turn this into a sauce by pouring in some whole milk and a bit of beer.

Once the sauce has been made, you’ll layer in the remaining dip flavors. First, you’ll melt in some cream cheese, stir in the shredded chicken, and then add in fire-roasted tomatoes.

And of course, no chicken chorizo queso would be appropriate without a ton of cheese. The last step when making this dish is to melt in 2 full cups of cheese. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, to taste, and then serve! I like to serve this in a warmed cast-iron skillet topped with extra shredded cheese and thinly sliced green onions. Serve with your favorite corn chips, such as Frito’s, corn-dippers, or corn tortilla chips, and enjoy warm!

If you like the sound of this recipe, you should also check out these delicious appetizers:

• Baked Corn Black Bean Feta Dip
• Healthier Oven Baked Chicken Nachos
• Buffalo Chicken Walking Tacos

Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to let me know how your recipes turn out. I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Game Day

Cheesy Chorizo Chicken Dip

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Sautéed Cuisine: Mexican Courses: Appetizer

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 20 mins

Servings: 6

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Dietary:

N Nut Free

Description

Chorizo chicken queso jam perfect for sharing with friends and family. This dip has a homemade cheese-sauce base, layered with browned chorizo, shredded chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes with chiles, a bit of beer, and loads of cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 7 oz Mexican-style Chorizo
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¹⁄₂ cup cup beer, such as pale ale or lager, optional
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 6 oz shredded chicken
• 14.5 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup mild cheddar cheese
• ¹⁄₂ cup sharp white cheddar cheese
• ¹⁄₂ tsp black pepper
• small pinch of salt
• Additional cheese, sliced green onion, and corn chips for serving

Instructions

Prepare Your Ingredients

1. Mince the garlic and measure out all of your ingredients. Set aside, but in reach of our stovetop for easy access.

Make the Dip

1. Heat a heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Once warmed, add 6 oz of chorizo, breaking it up into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon. Continue stirring, breaking up the chorizo into smaller pieces, and browning for about 3 minutes, until it is slightly browned and very fragrant.

2. Add the minced garlic to the pan, stirring it into the chorizo. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

3. Add the butter to the pan.  Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour into the pan and begin stirring it into the melted butter and chorizo fat immediately.  The ingredients will begin to form into a soft mass. Continue stirring, scraping up any bits of flour sticking to the bottom of the pan to avoid any burning. Cook for about 3 minutes, this will insure all of the raw flour taste cooks out.

4. Slowly pour in the milk, ⅓ cup at a time, stirring the milk into the mixture, until a uniform sauce begins to form. Pour in the beer, if using, and stir to incorporate.

5. Add the shredded chicken and cream cheese, stirring to coat the chicken in the sauce and encourage the cream cheese to melt. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, letting the chicken warm through and the cream cheese to melt.

6. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and stir to combine.  Add in the two cheddar cheeses, about ½ cup at a time. Stir to melt in the cheese before adding in the next ½ cup.

7. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve The Dip

1. To serve, leave the dutch oven over the lowest heat setting on the stove, transfer the dip to a slow cooker over low heat, or transfer to a warmed cast-iron skillet. Garnish with additional cheese and thinly sliced green onions and serve with your favorite corn chips.