Hey there!
It’s Genêt from Raised on a Roux jumping on this opportunity to visit with you all again since Shea’s off galavanting with her hubby—a well deserved break for someone who works as hard as she does! While she’s away, I thought I’d share one of my favorite Super Bowl Sunday recipes with y’all, Cajun-Mexican Chicken Queso.
Cajun-Mexican basically refers to a Mexican dish that has been “Cajunized.” That is, blessed with some type of South Louisiana Cajun Country goodness. The regional ingredient that sets this queso apart from all others and gives it its fun name and punchy bite is andouille sausage.
For those of you who have never heard of andouille, it is a well-seasoned and very versatile smoked pork sausage that can be used in place of any other type of sausage. We throw it in gumbos, soups and stews, cook it down with dried beans, use it (cooked and crumbled) as a breading for seafood, grill it and stuff it into pasta shells, veggies, chicken and other meats. It’s a product I’m madly in love with (as is evident on my blog) and one worth getting to know.
And it’s the rock start of this queso because it adds an incredible depth of flavor and some really nice texture. I traditionally serve this queso alongside stacks of warm tortillas. But it can also be spooned into baked tortilla cups.
Oh, and if you happen to have any leftover, try tossing it with your favorite pasta for an awesome Cajun-Mexican lunch or dinner option.
Ingredients
- 1 2 1/2- to 3-pound rotisserie chicken
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 8-ounces andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, plus more for garnish
- 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 10-ounce cans original Rotel tomatoes , with liquid
- 2 4.5-ounce cans chopped green chiles
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1-ounce packet fajita seasoning mix
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- Sour cream and sliced black olives, for garnish
- Warm corn or flour tortillas, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Debone chicken and shred the meat; set aside.
- Discard skin and bones. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil.
- Add andouille sausage and cooked, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides,
- about 3 minutes.
- Add onions, green onions and jalapeño; cook, stirring
- frequently, until tender, 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic; cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Stir in Rotel tomatoes and green chiles.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of
- the liquid evaporates.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded chicken; set aside.
- In a separate medium saucepan, make a blond roux by melting the butter over
- medium heat. Gradually add the flour, whisking constantly, until light golden
- brown. Add half-and-half; bring to a boil.
- Cook, whisking frequently, for 10
- minutes.
- Stir in the fajita seasoning mix and cayenne pepper; remove from
- heat and stir in 2 cups grated cheese.
- Add cheese mixture to chicken mixture;
- stir to combine.
- Pour into a greased baking dish, top with remaining cheese and
- bake until heated through and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
- Garnish with sour
- cream, green onions and black olives and serve with warm tortillas.
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Genêt
