Hatch Green Chile Queso Dip with Chorizo and Mushrooms

Look no further for your new favorite game day appetizer, it’s this Hatch Green Chile Queso recipe! It’s blended with chorizo and mushrooms for plenty of spicy, savory flavors. Pair it with your favorite chips, veggies, or other dipping snacks and enjoy!

Not long ago, I was scrolling Instagram (as one does) and stumbled upon a post from Tara from New Mexico Milk Maid. It was her Green Chile Queso with Buttery Rolls and my mouth started drooling instantly. Queso dip? Always a fan. Hatch chiles? Yes, please! And an easy one-pan recipe? It doesn’t get any better!

I first experimented with this hatch chile recipe last year during football season. And now my hometown team, the Kansas City Chiefs, are gearing up for another season. The entire city is excited for plenty of tailgates and watch parties! No tailgate or game-day gathering is complete without a slow cooker or crock pot full of some kind of melted cheese dip. This quickly became one of our favorite recipes!

Why You’ll Love This Hatch Green Chile Queso Recipe

• It’s got the full spectrum of flavors, from spicy to savory to salty to a little bit smoky. Mushrooms are such an underrated ingredient but they shine in this recipe!
• And all flavors are easy to adjust based on the spices, seasonings, and type of chorizo you choose.
• It’s an incredibly versatile recipe, pairing well with tortilla chips, crunchy veggies, or (like the recipe that inspired it) buttery rolls!

If you’re looking for other appetizers and snacks for your watch party, check out my Mediterranean 7-Layer Dip or Old Bay Shrimp Stacks!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chorizo (as spicy as you like it)
• Cremini mushrooms, also called baby bella mushrooms 
• Whole milk
• Shredded cheese. Try a type of cheese that melts well, such as havarti, mozzarella, or pepper jack cheese.
• Cream cheese
• Hatch green chiles, canned or frozen
• A few garlic cloves
• Seasonings like dried cayenne pepper or chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper
• Butter
• All-purpose flour
• Fresh cilantro or green onions

Do I need the hatch chiles?

While I think this queso dip could still be yummy without them, I really think they’re an essential ingredient! After all, a recipe called “Green Chile Queso” just wouldn’t be the same. And no, that’s not a typo! While some other varieties go by “chili pepper” the New Mexico chiles are spelled differently. And “chili” often refers to the dish rather than the ingredient. 

Green chiles are native to New Mexico, first cultivated by the Pueblo and Hispano people in the area around what is now Santa Fe. Peppers from different pueblos had slightly different flavors and spice levels, but most started out bright green and ripened to a deep red color. Today, they’re known as Hatch chiles and Hatch, New Mexico is the green chile capital of the world! They host the Chile Festival at the end of every summer to kickoff roasting season. So if you’re lucky enough live in or near New Mexico, you might snag some freshly roasted green chiles for this recipe!

If you’re like me, however, you’ll have to use canned or frozen options. They still have wonderful flavor and work well in this green chile queso recipe. If you want to try roasting your own, look for Anaheim peppers. They’re a good substitute because they’re a similar type of pepper to Hatch chile peppers from New Mexico. You may also like poblano peppers or serrano peppers, which are smaller with more heat. 

How to Make Green Chile Queso 

First, grab a cutting board and sharpened chefs knife along with some measuring cups and spoons. Double check to make sure you have all the ingredients and you’re ready to get started!

1. Wash and dry the mushrooms, or wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. Roughly chop the stems and caps into small pieces to match the texture of the chorizo. Peel and mince the garlic cloves or measure from a jar of pre-minced garlic. Grate the cheese at this time, and chop the cilantro and green onions if using them for a garnish. 
2. Heat a cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Brown the chorizo for 3-5 minutes, then add the chopped mushrooms and garlic. Stir frequently and once the mushrooms are browned and the chorizo is fully cooked, remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the chorizo mixture to a bowl.
3. Next, adjust to medium heat and make a quick roux using the butter and all-purpose flour. In a pinch you can also use the remaining fat from the chorizo or vegetable oil. Melt the butter then sprinkle flour as you whisk it into a slurry. Stir and scrape constantly until it becomes light caramel and toasted in color. 
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the milk. Whisk to avoiding scalding, but be careful so it doesn’t splash over the edges. 
5. As the milk starts to heat up, add the shredded cheese a little at a time. Go slowly, and as it melts you can gradually add more while stirring the whole time. After all the shredded cheese is melted, stir in the cream cheese. 
6. Finally, stir in the diced green chiles, spices, and half of the chorizo mixture. Spoon the other half on top along with the cilantro and green onions. 

Pair this flavorful dip with tortilla chips, chopped veggies, pita bread, bread cubes, or your other favorite snacks for the big game. A personal favorite of mine is bell peppers, especially the red ones that are slightly sweet and very crunchy. 

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

Sure! Game day preparations can be hectic, so you can prep this appetizer in advance and hold warm in a small crock pot on a low heat setting. I haven’t experimented with it past 1-2 hours though, so I can’t vouch for how the texture or flavors change if you hold it warm for longer than that.

Other steps of the prep process can also be done ahead of time. Chop the mushrooms, grate the cheese, and measure out the spices so when it comes time to cook, all you have to do is dump and stir.

What if my queso recipe turns out gritty?

This is a mistake I made my first time testing this green chile queso recipe! But don’t worry, there’s a simple solution.

Gritty or grainy texture in a queso dip means the fat from the cheese and milk has “split” or curdled and separated out of the mixture. It’s not harmful in any way but it doesn’t make for the most pleasant eating experience. This can happen if you heat the dairy products too quickly.

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: Use whole milk, which has a higher fat percent than skim or reduced-fat. You can also try grating your own cheese (vs. buying pre-shredded cheese) for better results.

Here are a few different ways to avoid a gritty queso dip:

• Patience is key! I know it can be tempting to dump in all the shredded cheese as once, but slow and steady does the trick. Whisk constantly as you slowly heat the milk and add small handfuls of shredded cheese, letting each batch fully melt into the queso before adding more.
• Keep the heat in your pan very low, even moving the skillet off the burner if you still can’t regulate a low enough temperature.
• Worst case scenario, keep some heavy cream nearby. You can fix a gritty queso dip by adding a little chilled cream (which has more fat and a cold temperature) and vigorously whisking it in. This introduces extra fat, which can smooth out your green chile queso, as well as bring the temperature down more quickly than just pulling the skillet off the burner. If you don’t have that handy, try sour cream or extra cream cheese. 

While this queso dip is a bit more involved and hands-on than some of my other recipes, it’s worth it! Your taste buds will be rewarded with a creamy dip that’s full of amazing flavor.

If you give this Green Chile Queso recipe a try, let me know what you think! Leave a comment or rating, then be sure to share and check back soon for more recipes from Street Smart Nutrition!

Disclosure: This post was originally published in February 2022. It has since been updated to improve the overall quality of the information and/or images.