Chilean Choripan — Homemade Grilled Sausage Sandwich Recipe

Versión en Español

The Chilean choripan is a grilled chorizo or longaniza sausage served in a warm, toasted marraqueta with pebre, salsa verde, chimichurri, or mayonnaise, the classic starter of every Chilean asado. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus 10 minutes of grilling and serves 4 people.

It is a sandwich shared by Argentine, Chilean, and Uruguayan cooking, each with its own variations.

How to Make a Chilean Choripan?

The Chilean version is usually made with a toasted marraqueta and a chorizo or longaniza grilled over charcoal as an appetizer before the main barbecue, almost always served with pebre or salsa verde, chimichurri, and mayonnaise.

Nutritional Information

Each choripan contains approximately 450 kcal, 40 g of carbohydrates, 28 g of fat, 18 g of protein, 2 g of fiber, 4 g of sugars, 50 mg of cholesterol, and 800 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.

Homemade Chilean Choripan Recipe

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 8 chorizos or longanizas
• 4 fresh marraquetas
• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• Pebre
• Salsa verde
• Chimichurri

Instructions

1. Light the charcoal and let it burn down to embers. The right heat is when you can hold your palm over the grill for about 5 seconds.

2. Arrange the chorizos or longanizas on the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, turning evenly, until cooked through and crisp outside. If you like, split them in half and mark them on the grill.

3. A couple of minutes before the sausages are done, split the marraquetas, open them without separating the halves completely, and set them around the edge of the grill until warm and lightly toasted.

4. Assemble the sandwiches by placing a chorizo or longaniza in each half marraqueta, pressing gently to release the juices. Serve right away with chimichurri, homemade mayonnaise, pebre, or salsa verde.

Additional Tips

Why marraqueta works

Marraqueta is the ideal bread for choripan because it is light, crisp, and shaped to hold the sausage without falling apart.

Watch the fat

Longanizas release more fat than a grilling chorizo, so grill them at a safe height to avoid flare ups that burn the casing.

Skip ketchup and mustard

Homemade mayonnaise, pebre, or chimichurri let the flavor of the sausage shine; ketchup and mustard tend to mask it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What bread can I use if I do not have marraqueta?

Baguette, hallulla, or a rustic whole wheat roll. Avoid very soft breads such as sandwich bread or hot dog buns, which fall apart with the sausage juices.

2. How do I keep the chorizo from releasing too much fat?

Cook it on a griddle or prick it lightly with a fork while it cooks so the fat drains gradually.

3. Can I make a vegetarian choripan?

Yes. Plant based chorizos made from textured soy, mushrooms, or legumes grill just like the traditional ones.

4. What is the difference between chorizo and longaniza?

Chorizo is made with ground meat and is shorter and thicker, around 10 to 15 cm, while longaniza uses chopped pork from different cuts and can be 30 cm long or more.

What Is a Choripan?

Choripan combines chori, from chorizo, and pan, bread. In Chile it is the traditional first bite of an asado, eaten standing by the grill while the bigger cuts cook.

Chorizo or Longaniza?

In Chile both are used. Chorizo is shorter and thicker and made with ground meat, while longaniza, a Chilean favorite, is longer and made with chopped pork, with famous versions from Chillan and San Carlos.

Did You Know?

Chorizo and longaniza are often thought to be the same, but they are different sausages, both of Spanish origin and both made from pork.

Recommended

• Chilean Grilled Asado Carnicero Recipe
• Homemade Chimichurri Recipe
• San Carlos Longaniza Recipe
• Chilean Completo Recipe