Halloween Queso With Chicken and Cheese

Halloween Queso With Chicken and Cheese

This Halloween queso with chicken and cheese is spooky and delicious. Easy to make with ground chicken, cheddar cheese soup, Merkts Cheddar, salsa and some taco seasoning. The beauty of this recipe is that it is perfect for trick or treating night. It keeps warm in a slow cooker or on the stove on low without the cheese getting icky. Blue corn tortilla chips give this a spooky, black and orange themed look, while also tasting delicious.

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Easy To Make Ahead Of Time & Keep Warm

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time and reheat it, or keep it warm. Because you are not making a traditional cheese sauce, the cheese sauce does not get gloppy and weird. This queso stays smooth thanks to the cheddar cheese soup and the Merkt’s Cheddar Cheese Spread. I like to keep this warm in a slow cooker for parties and provide all the toppings for people to be able to build their own nachos. This is a perfect meal for Halloween night or a Halloween party because it can stay warm all evening during Halloween activities.

The Soup

The soup I like to use is this Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese soup in a can. The cans are 10.5 ounces each. The soup is smooth and helps this recipe to stay creamy even when it is being kept warm for many hours. I also like the flavor of this soup. I am able to find this soup everywhere.

Merkt’s Cheddar Cheese Spread

The cheddar cheese spread I use in this recipe is from Merkt’s. I like the Merkt’s Cheddar Cheese spread for this recipe because it also stays smooth and creamy when being kept warm. This spread is everywhere I shop. Walmart, Target and even Aldi has their own brand of this cheese. I use the extra sharp cheddar but you can use a less sharp one that you prefer the flavor of. The main reason I use this spread os for the texture. It is what helps this queso remain creamy and smooth even after being kept warm for hours or reheated. This also adds the orange color to the dish for that black and orange Halloween look.

The Chips

The chips brand that I used I got at target. They are the Good and gather brand. I picked them for the black color that paired well with the orange cheese sauce for that black and orange Halloween color. I see all types of dark colored chips in all stores. You can use this blue corn variety and they also sell black bean chips as well.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Halloween Queso with Chicken and Cheese

Print

This Halloween queso with chicken and cheese is spooky and delicious. Easy to make with ground chicken, cheddar cheese soup, Merkts Cheddar, salsa and some taco seasoning. The beauty of this recipe is that it is perfect for trick or treating night. It keeps warm in a slow cooker or on the stove on low without the cheese getting icky. Blue corn tortilla chips give this a spooky, black and orange themed look, while also tasting delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of ground chicken
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 2 10.5 ounce cans of Campbells Cheddar Cheese Soup
• Approximately 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of Merkt's Sharp Cheddar Spread (in the tub)
• Approximately 1/2 cup of a pico de gallo or chunky style salsa ( I used medium spice)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powders
• 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powders
• 1 bag of blue corn tortilla chips
• 1 bag of blue corn tortilla chips
• *all products are pictured and/or linked in the post beyond this recipe card if you have questions or need clarification.
• *all products are pictured and/or linked in the post beyond this recipe card if you have questions or need clarification.

Instructions

1. Add some cooking oil of your choice to a skillet. About 1/2 tablepoon. Add your ground chicken. Cook the chicken completely, making sure to break up the chicken into a fine crumble as you cook. You don't want large chunks of chicken. I like to use a ground meat chopper to break up ground meat while cooking. You can find one on amazon or even the dollar store. This stretches the quantity of the meat and makes for a more cohesive recipe.
2. When the chicken is done cooking, add your cumin, chili powder, black pepper and garlic and onion powders to the chicken plus the water and the taco seasoning packet. Bring to a simmer and stir well to combine. let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add your two cans of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup, your Merkt's Cheddar cheese spread and your salsa. You can add more of the Merkt's and the salsa as you prefer, depending on how thick or thin or chunky you want your queso.
4. Cook this all on low and slow for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want a slightly thinner texture, you can add hot water, 1/4 cup at a time to smooth out your queso until it is the texture that you like.
5. This keeps warm in a slow cooker for 6 hours or can be reheated quickly on the stove.
6. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and any nacho topping on the side.

Another Great Halloween Recipe

One of my favorite, and most popular Halloween recipes , is this Festive Taco Dip. It is fun, delicious and has a few healthy components. My recipe that is linked, walks you through the step by step of making it.