In Mexican cuisine, an alambre is a popular shared dish in which diners use tortillas as a glove to grab a fistful of melted cheese along with meat and vegetables. The name alambre translates to “wire,” a nod to earlier versions of the dish that were cooked on skewers rather than in a skillet.
An alambre is similar to fajitas in the sense that they’re both a medley of ingredients cooked together and served with tortillas. But where fajitas tend to keep each component more distinct, alambres embrace cohesion — the whole mixture is tossed together and blanketed with melted cheese so every bite is a little messy, a little stretchy, and full of everything at once. This version uses chicken thighs, bacon, mushrooms, chipotles, garlic, and onion.
Chicken thighs are preferred for their milder flavor and higher fat content, which keep the meat tender while allowing the smokiness of the bacon, the heat of the chipotles, and the savoriness of the mushrooms to come through clearly.
The key to a great alambre is the order of operations. The chicken marinates in chipotle adobo sauce — its vinegar and tomato base tenderizes the meat while building smoky, tangy flavor. The chicken cooks first to brown without overcrowding. Bacon renders next, its fat becoming the cooking medium for the mushrooms and onions, which need time to brown and concentrate their flavor.
Garlic and spices are added last and briefly bloomed in the heat, before everything comes together with chipotles for a final hit of smoke and heat. This smoky, cheesy one-skillet chicken dish comes together fast and feeds 4 to 6.
TIPS: Marinating the chicken in salt and acidic adobo sauce seasons it throughout and helps tenderize the meat. Cooking the ingredients in stages ensures tender chicken, crispy bacon, and well-browned vegetables, so each component keeps its ideal texture and flavor. Queso Oaxaca, also known as quesillo, is a fresh Mexican cheese. It can be substituted with any other melting cheese, such as mozzarella or Monterey Jack.
Chicken Alambre (Mexican Chicken Skillet With Bacon, Vegetables, and Melted Cheese)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/4-inch strips against the grain
- 2 to 3 minced chipotle chiles and 1/4 cup adobo sauce from 2 (7-ounce) cans chipotle in adobo
- 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste; for table salt, use half as much by volume
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 6 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 lb. cremini or white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 small white onion (6 oz.), thinly sliced
- 5 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 cup homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
- 10 oz. Queso Oaxaca, shredded
- Warm corn tortillas, for serving
- Roughly chopped cilantro, for topping
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/4 cup canned adobo sauce, kosher salt, and black pepper. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (Our chicken marinated for 2 hours.)
- In a 12-inch-deep sauté pan or cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer chicken and any juices to a large plate or bowl and set aside. Do not wipe skillet clean.
- Add bacon to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisped, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate or bowl. You should have about 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the skillet.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler on high. Add onions and mushrooms to rendered fat in skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions and mushrooms are beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock and scrape bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits, about 1 minute.
- Return cooked bacon, chicken, and any accumulated juices, and remaining minced chipotles to skillet. Cook, while stirring constantly, until all ingredients are warmed through, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt, if needed. Top with shredded cheese. Broil just until cheese is melted, 2 to 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and serve with warm tortillas.
Adapted from a recipe by Octavio Peña for Serious Eats
