Pollo fundido is an easy cheesy chicken dish based on the popular dish at many Mexican restaurants. This take on the classic queso fundido recipe substitutes chicken for sausage and turns it into a winning chicken dinner to change up your taco night!

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Is there anything better than queso? Cheesy, zesty, gloriously delicious queso.

It’s my favorite when we go out for Mexican food.

So it’s no secret that I absolutely love pollo fundido with its cheesy goodness.

Plus it’s super easy to make and the sons adore it!

What is pollo fundido?

Pollo fundido is grilled seasoned chicken covered in a creamy, zesty white queso sauce.

It results in the richest, cheesiest chicken that we can’t get enough of thanks not just to the queso but to the seasoned salt mix you liberally season the chicken with.

Sometimes, you might see variations of this where you wrap the chicken in a soft flour tortilla chimichanga style before slathering on the queso.

Ingredients

To make this, you’ll need:

Chicken breasts– Trim them and cut them thinly.
Butter– To saute the onions in.
Onion– Any onion will work in a pinch though white onion is best. Thinly slice them.
Queso blanco white cheese sauce– Make it easy on yourself and use store bought, but if you are feeling ambitious you can make it from scratch.
Green chili pepper– Use the diced kind in the can.
Spices to make chili salt– Sea salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika.

How to Make Pollo Fundido

Making this cheesy chicken recipe is easy!

Start by mixing all the ingredients for the chili salt together in a small bowl and set it aside.

Then, pat the chicken breast dry with a piece of paper towel and season both sides of the chicken breasts liberally with the seasoning mix.

Now, add the butter to a skillet and let it melt before sautéing the onions until they just begin to caramelize.

Transfer the onions to a waiting bowl and set them aside while you cook the chicken in the hot skillet, until the chicken is cooked through.

Once the chicken is cooked, you can transfer it to a cutting board.

Let it rest for a couple minutes, then thinly slice the chicken into strips.

After you slice the chicken, put the cut chicken back into the pan along with the onions.

Now make the sauce by whisking together the queso and the chiles.

Pour the queso mix over the chicken and bring it to a slow simmer.

To finish let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Youre fundido is now ready!

Serve it while still warm, and you can choose to style it as an appetizer/dip or as an entrée for dinner.

What to Serve with Pollo Fundido

I like to serve pollo fundido over plain white rice, yellow rice, or even Mexican rice.

You can also put this out as part of a Mexican spread with tortilla shells and all the fajita and taco fixings. It makes the best gourmet fajitas!

Don’t forget the three bean salad and street corn!

One game days though we serve this chicken queso fundido appetizer style, as a dip with our favorite (sturdy) tortilla chips. I highly recommend taking the time to make a batch of homemade tortilla chips, but store bought ones work too!

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers of this dish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.

Leftovers can be repurposed into casseroles by mixing with rice and baking with more cheese and queso.

TIPS & TRICKS

Use lean chicken, this will prevent you from having to trim strips of fat off and make dinner prep so much faster.
To save even more time, use precooked rotisserie chicken breasts.
You can even use pre cut strips of raw chicken to really speed up the process
If you like a little heat in your dish, skip the canned chiles, and sub in a seeded, diced small jalapeno pepper.
For a smoky background, substitute a chopped up chile pepper in adobo sauce for the diced chiles.
Don’t worry when you pour the cheese sauce over the chicken, when the dish is simmered it will thin out perfectly & naturally.

Other Cheesy Chicken Dishes You Might Love

This pollo fundido recipe is a winner when you are looking for zesty Mexican cheesy chicken. Make it tonight and wow your family!

Need some other Mexican-style meal time inspiration? Here are some other deliciously cheesy chicken dishes you might love:

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