Everyone acts like Chicken Rotel starts and ends with a yellow box of Velveeta, but let’s not do that. I know that’s how most people first met this recipe, but we’re grown now and we season our food, too. When you make your own cheese sauce, it tastes like something you could’ve ordered at a Tex-Mex restaurant. I’ve tested and developed enough dips and casseroles to say that with my chest.
You will also love my Hawaiian Roll Sliders, Dry Rub Wings, and Air Fryer Crab Rangoon.
Chicken Rotel Ingredients
- Olive Oil (any oil or butter works)
- Diced or Shredded Chicken (Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or fully cooked chicken)
- Taco Seasoning
- Half and Half
- Flour
- Grated Cheese: I like to use a combination of sharp cheddar and Colby Jack. If you want to use Velveeta, go for it.
- Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Chilies
How to Make Chicken Rotel Dip
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season & Cook the Chicken: Heat a skillet over medium heat with a little oil. Add the diced chicken breasts and sprinkle generously with taco seasoning. Sauté until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
- Add the Flour: Sprinkle in the flour. Add it in stages instead of all at once. Stir to combine the chicken and flour each time you add more flour to the pan.
- Add the Half & Half: Pour in the half and half and stir. Stir for a couple of minutes and ensure the flour is incorporated.
- Melt the Cheese (low & slow): Turn off the heat and start adding the grated cheese in stages. Stir until melted before adding more.
- Add the Rotel: Add the drained Rotel and stir.
- Serve Warm (non-negotiable): Transfer to a serving dish, slow cooker, or fondue pot to keep warm. Cheese dip waits for no one and thickens as it cools.
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Chicken Rotel Dip
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also grab your FREE ebook with my best 30-minute one-pot meals! Dinner stress stops here.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (any oil or butter works)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs Diced into ½ inch cubes or fully cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups half and half
- 4 cups grated cheese I use 2 cups of sharp cheddar and 2 cups of Colby Jack. You can use all cheddar if preferred.
- 15.5 oz canned Rotel diced tomatoes and chillies Drained
Homemade Taco Seasoning (You can use a store-bought taco mix if you wish)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoom cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper Optional for spicy.
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with a little oil. Add the diced chicken breasts and sprinkle generously with taco seasoning. Sauté until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
- Sprinkle in the flour. Add it in stages instead of all at once. Stir to combine the chicken and flour each time you add more flour to the pan.
- Pour in the half and half and stir. Stir for a couple of minutes and ensure the flour is incorporated.
- Turn off the heat and start adding the grated cheese in stages. Stir until melted before adding more.
- Add the drained Rotel and stir.
- Transfer to a serving dish, slow cooker, or fondue pot to keep warm. Cheese dip waits for no one and thickens as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Frequently Asked Questions and Recipe Pro Tips
Absolutely. We just swap the processed block cheese situation for a real-deal cheese sauce that melts smoothly and actually tastes like cheese. It gives the recipe a more grown-up flavor and doesn’t rely on emulsifiers.
Sharp cheddar is the star for flavor, but you want something that melts easily too, think Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, fontina, or even pepper jack for heat. A blend gives you the best of both: flavor + melt.
I thicken it up with flour and half and half. It gives you that creamy texture without the processed aftertaste.
If you dump a whole bag of cheese into boiling liquid, it will seize and get grainy. Turn off the heat and add cheese gradually so it melts gently. Also shred your own cheese, pre-shredded has anti-caking agents that fight the melt.
Yep. Rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or meal-prep chicken all work. Shred or cube it so it mixes evenly.
Use hot Rotel, add diced jalapeños, or swap in pepper jack.
You can, but you’ll need a different thickening strategy. Cream cheese works but it produces thick rotel that is less smooth and less saucy.
Yes, cheese dip stiffens as it cools. A small slow cooker, warming tray, or fondue pot keeps it silky on the table. No one wants cold cheese dip.
Yes. Reheat low and slow with a splash of milk, cream, or broth to bring it back to queso status.
It can, but dairy + freezing is always a little chaotic. Reheat gently and whisk, dairy almost always separates so you may notice separation. Fresh is better if you’re serving guests.
What to Serve with Chicken Rotel
Tortilla chips are the default, but it also slaps with pita chips, pretzel bites, soft pretzels, veggies, toasted baguette, or spooned over rice or nachos.
More Appetizer Recipes
Rotisserie Buffalo Chicken Dip
Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
Hot Honey Wings
Southern Deviled Eggs
Fried Cheese Curds
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