The Shaliuhe chromite body, situated in the Northern Margin of the Qaidam Basin (northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau), is a newly discovered podiform chromitite hosted in an ophiolitic sequence, which provides an important basis for chromite exploration in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. This study analyzed the mineral chemistry of chromite and the whole-rock major and trace element compositions of the ophiolite to investigate the genesis of the chromite, the composition of the parental magma, and the tectonic setting. The results are as follows: The chromite in the Shaliuhe ophiolite can be divided into primarily magmatic origin with some hydrothermal modification, and is generally of high-Cr type with a Cr# (chromium number) ranging from 61.74 to 99.74 (average 85.67). The chromite has a low TiO2 content (0.04–0.29 %), which is consistent with the typical geochemical characteristics of ophiolite-hosted chromitite. The chromite formed in a forearc tectonic setting of a subduction zone with a specific "magma-dominated + fluid-reworked" genetic mechanism: In the early stage, boninitic melts interacted with mantle peridotite through melt-rock reaction and melt mixing, promoting Cr saturation and crystallization to form primary chromite. In the late stage, serpentinization fluids dissolved and reworked the primary chromite, and the metasomatism by subduction-related slab fluids/melts influenced the final morphology and local re-enrichment of chromite. The parental magma exhibits a boninitic affinity and was derived from a highly depleted forearc mantle. The Shaliuhe ophiolite belongs to the SSZ (supra-subduction zone) type. The mantle source was dominated by forearc mantle peridotite, which underwent a high-degree partial melting process (exceeding 25%). This study provides a regional case for understanding the genesis of ophiolite-hosted podiform chromitite and offers a scientific basis for assessing the chromite resource potential in the North Qaidam Orogen.