This hearty queso is a great dish to gather loved ones around the table this winter. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure meal that has it all: tender, spiced chicken, warm tortillas, roasted peppers, pickled jalapeños, tortilla chips, pico de gallo, and in the center: a pot of molten joy in the form of queso fundido sprinkled with smoky bacon. Grab a chip and dip it, roll up a taco and dunk it, make up a plate and slather it. It’s a mix-and-match, you-do-you deal–to be eaten only in queso cozy-night-in emergency!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
2 unit
Long Green Pepper
1 unit
Jalapeño
1 unit
Lime
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Tomato
5 teaspoon
White Wine Vinegar
4 ounce
Bacon
1 tablespoon
Mexican Spice Blend
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains Milk)
3 ounce
Queso Blanco
(Contains Milk)
½ cup
Mexican Cheese Blend
(Contains Milk)
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains Milk)
6 unit
Flour Tortillas
(Contains Soy, Wheat)
1.5 ounce
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
(Contains Sesame)
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
½ teaspoon
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Halve, deseed, and slice green peppers into ½-inch-thick strips. Trim and halve jalapeño lengthwise, removing ribs and seeds for less heat; thinly slice into half-moons. Quarter lime. Dice tomato. Trim and thinly slice scallions.
• Toss green peppers on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until just softened and lightly charred, 12-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine jalapeño, vinegar, juice from one lime wedge (two wedges for 4 servings), ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4), salt, and pepper. Microwave for 30 seconds; set aside to pickle. • In a separate small bowl, combine tomato, scallions, and juice from half a lime (whole lime for 4). Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice bacon* crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. • Heat a large dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon in an even layer; cook, undisturbed, until crispy on bottom, 2-3 minutes. Stir bacon and continue to cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 2-5 minutes more. • In the last 30 seconds of cooking, reduce heat to low and stir in half the Mexican Spice Blend until well coated and fragrant. • Turn off heat; using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Discard bacon fat; carefully wash out pan.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season all over with remaining Mexican Spice Blend, salt, and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. TIP: If chicken is browning too quickly, reduce heat to medium and cover pan with lid. • Transfer to a cutting board to rest.
• Heat cream sauce base in a small pan (medium pan for 4 servings) over medium-high heat until steaming and slightly bubbling, 1-2 minutes. • Reduce heat to medium, then gently whisk in queso blanco sauce until well combined. Gently stir in Mexican cheese blend and mozzarella, one packet at a time, until smooth. Remove pan from heat.
• Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels; microwave until warm and pliable, 30 seconds. • Slice chicken crosswise. • Top queso fundido with bacon, a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo, and a few slices of pickled jalapeño. • Place pan with queso fundido in the center of a large serving board; arrange chicken, tortillas, tortilla chips, roasted green peppers, and remaining pickled jalapeño (draining first) alongside. Squeeze remaining lime over chicken and serve with remaining pico de gallo on the side.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.