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LC Fondue-Ish Note
So classic queso dip—with or without the chorizo—has a sorta fondue-ish thing going for it. That said, you won’t find any need for those dainty little forks with this choriqueso, we can assure you of that. Still, it’s quite handy for entertaining, seeing as the dip not only garners requests for recipes but takes mere minutes to toss together and can go to the table in the same skillet you heated on the stove. You’re welcome.
Choriqueso
Choriqueso is a Mexican cheese dip topped with cooked chorizo sausage and a sprinkling of cilantro that is served with chips or warm tortillas. Makes a swell appetizer or even a meal unto itself.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/3 cups best quality Mexican chorizo, removed from its casing and crumbled
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups tightly packed shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Lightly salted tortilla chips, corn tortillas, or flour tortillas, warmed for serving
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, brown the chorizo until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo from the skillet and place it in a colander lined with paper towels to drain. Using more paper towels, pat the chorizo dry and wipe the skillet clean.
- Return the skillet to the stove. With the heat on low, pour the heavy cream into the skillet and then immediately stir in the Monterey Jack. Continue to stir until the cheese completely melts, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and gently stir in the cooked, drained chorizo. Top with the cilantro and bring the skillet directly to the table. Serve warm with tortilla chips or warm. [Editor's Note: Seriously, serve it warm. It tends to get gloppy at room temperature. If you need it to hold for a while, transfer it to a wee slow cooker.]
Nutrition
Serving: 1 portionCalories: 281 kcalCarbohydrates: 1 gProtein: 14 gFat: 25 gSaturated Fat: 14 gMonounsaturated Fat: 5 gCholesterol: 76 mgSodium: 510 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe © 2014 Lisa Fain. Photo © 2014 Lisa Fain. All rights reserved.
Did this on the grill with a cast iron skillet. Cooked the chorizo as suggested, removed it, then layered in the cheese (used Queso Ranchero, skipped the cream) and the cooked chorizo. Put the skillet back on the grill over indirect heat and closed the lid, checking for several minutes as it grill baked and turned bubbly with a slight browning. Delicious!!!
David, I love, love, love everything about this—from the grill setup to the swap for Queso Ranchero (an inspired choice, by the way). You basically gave choriqueso the VIP outdoor treatment, and I’m here for it. Thank you for sharing your tweaks—it’s incredibly helpful for anyone wanting to take this to the grill. And I mean…bubbly and browned cheese? That’s just pure happiness in a skillet. Hope it becomes a regular in your grilling rotation!
What can replace the heavy cream?
Alex, you could probably get away with substituting half and half here, although we haven’t tried it this way so we can’t say for sure.