Chicken Nachos is everything you know and love about nachos, made with juicy shredded Mexican CHICKEN! With mandatory melted cheese, quick guac and a dollop of sour cream, this nachos recipe is weekend worthy yet easy enough for dinner midweek.
You’ll love how juicy and flavour loaded the chicken is!
Chicken Nachos
I have it in my head that when most people think of nachos, they automatically think of a ground beef/ mince topping, like this Beef Nachos.
I have absolutely nothing to back me up on that statement, it’s just my personal opinion. 😇
So the entire premise on which I’m sharing this CHICKEN nachos recipe is that it’s something a little bit different to the usual. A nachos so outrageously delicious, a certain food blogger was inhaling pictured nachos like she was never going to eat again.
Lift / munch / eat / repeat. Now that’s an arm workout I’m happy to do many reps of!
Chicken Nachos ingredients
So here’s what goes in my Chicken Nachos. I make it with just essential toppings because the chicken itself is loaded with great flavour.
1. Juicy shredded Mexican Chicken – the exact same recipe I use for Chicken Tacos, except I reduce the sauce down a bit more (thicker sauce = crisper chips)
2. Quick Guac – it’s a dump and mash job. Potato masher, to be exact. Avocado, coriander/cilantro, lime, salt and pepper, mash as you would potato. Very effective!
3. Cheese – a nachos without cheese doesn’t exist in my world 😇
4. Jalapeno, coriander/cilantro and sour cream – basic toppings. A touch of freshness goes a long way with nachos!
Best cheese for nachos?
My favourite cheese for Nachos is Monterey Jack because it has flavour with a bit of stretch like Mozzarella, and it melts well without going greasy but doesn’t get that crusty brown top like Mozz (which is not a good thing for nachos, can end up pulling entire layer of cheese off).
Cheddar, tasty cheese, Colby and shredded Mexican Cheese blends are also firm faves, but any melting cheese will do here.
🇦🇺Australia – I get Monterey Jack and shredded Mexican Cheese blends at Costco. Excellent value – and the shredded cheese freezes 100%.
Chicken for Nachos
And here are the ingredients that go in the chicken for Nachos which, as mentioned above, is the exact same recipe I use for Chicken Tacos. (PS For the chicken, thigh, breast or tenderloin all work great here)
How I make nachos in the oven
This recipe is a nachos that’s baked in the oven, but I’m also going to tell you how to make it in the microwave. Because while one might turn their nose up at the thought of microwave nachos, it’s a damn convenient option to have for various circumstances one might encounter in life (including emergency munchies, and also the millions / billions of people in the world who don’t have ovens eg. much of Asia).
To bake it in the oven, it’s as simple as a double layer situation: chips -> chicken -> cheese -> repeat -> bake 5 minutes.
Guess what? Nachos chips DO NOT GO SOGGY if you microwave them! Cheese melts darn fast in the microwave. 🙂 Way faster than it takes for corn chips to become soggy!
How to make nachos in the microwave
To make nachos in the microwave:
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make dinner plate size single layer batches
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spread one layer of chips on a plate
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top with chicken then cheese
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microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the cheese to become bubbly
And here’s proof that the chips don’t go soggy – all the cheese pull shots were done with a quick microwave to remelt the cheese. And it took many MANY takes!!😂
A big, fat, juicy, cheesy nachos recipe
I am a firm believer that a Nachos should be able to stand on its own two feet even without extra toppings like guacamole and sour cream.
So I promise you this – the chicken topping for this nachos recipe has flavour aplenty, plus it’s nice and juicy so you’d happily devour this nachos even if you find yourself short on toppings.
As long as you have cheese.
I take no responsibility for devourability if you attempt this without cheese! ~ Nagi x
More weekend worthy munchies
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Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread – if you haven’t tried it, you haven’t lived…
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Homemade Movie Popcorn – ultra buttery, and stays crisp for DAYS!
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Spring Rolls! PS They can even be baked!
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Crispy Roasted Parmesan Potatoes – seriously so good to munch on as a snack!
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Browse for more Weekend Munchies
For complete transparency – the nachos you see in the video is about 2/3 of the recipe below which serves 4. I wanted it to fit on a cake pan so it looked decent for photos, rather than having a pile in the middle of a baking tray.
But of course, as it always happens when I try to be efficient and do the photos and video using the same batch, the nachos was completely butchered after shooting the video so I had to make it again for photos!
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
Nachos
- 250g / 8 oz tortilla or plain corn chips (Note 1)
- Shredded chicken for nachos , recipe follows
- 250g / 8 oz (2.5 cups) shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (Note 2)
- Quick guacamole , recipe follows
- Toppings: Sour cream, Coriander / cilantro leaves, Jalapeno , sliced or chopped
Chicken for Nachos
- 700 g / 1.2 lb chicken thighs or breast , skinless boneless (Note 3)
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken broth, separated (liquid stock)
Homemade Nachos Meat Seasoning
- 3 tbsp lime juice (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano
- 3 tsp EACH cumin powder, paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each
Quick Guacamole
- 2 avocados , medium
- 3 tbsp coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice (1 large)
Instructions
Chicken for Nachos
- Place Nachos Seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Add 2 tbsp of the chicken broth and mix to form a loose paste.
- Add chicken, turn to coat in paste.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side (reserve paste left in bowl). Remove chicken into a shallow dish.
- Return skillet to stove. Add remaining chicken broth, tomato paste, sugar and scrape in any paste left in the bowl. Mix to dissolve, scraping base of pan, and bring to simmer.
- Meanwhile, shred chicken with forks, or chop (don't worry if raw inside).
- Return chicken into sauce, toss and simmer for 3 minutes until sauce reduces down to a thick sauce. Adjust salt to taste. Keep warm.
Quick Guacamole:
- Place ingredients in a bowl. Use potato masher to mash to desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Nachos:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Place half the corn chips slightly overlapping on a tray. Top with half the (warm) chicken and cheese.
- Top with remaining chips and cheese. Bake 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with coriander/cilantro and jalapeño. Serve immaterial with quick Guacamole and sour cream.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I went to the bathroom and came back to find him in THIS position….
Note the fluffy white blanket at the bottom. That covers HIS designated section of the sofa. So not only has he left drool on my MacBook, he’s breached his sofa boundary.
Naughty Dozer!
It’s a great recipe, thank you. There’s a typo where it says serve up immediately (says immaterial). Also, I assumed that the nachos is topped with the second half of chicken along with chips and cheese. Think there’s an omission. Or if half the chicken was supposed to be reserved for another day… no way! All in for us.
Chicken nachos. So supreme!
As per usual a hit with the family, however, i used a tin of jackfruit along with chicken to make it go further for unexpected dinner guests.
I’ve never commented on a recipe like this but OH ME OH MY! This was the BEST recipe I’ve ever tried online! First off, I would have never thought to add oregano to a dish like this but it takes it over the edge! Also, I don’t like super super spicy, so I substituted the cayenne pepper for chili powder and it was perfect! All I have to say if thank you! In our family we eat this at least two times a month!!!
Made this last night with shredded oyster mushrooms instead of chicken and it was amazing! Also used some black beans and charred corn which I added in at the end before assembly
That is genius and a brilliant solution for my vegan son to be able to enjoy alongside the rest of the family. Thanks for posting.
I made this with oven baked potato wedges instead of the corn chips – we all loved it! Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Loved!
Absolutely delicious. They went down very well with the family.
I fed this to 3 kids, including a super-picky one and another that always groans when I say we’re having chicken for dinner. It was a hit! 🙂
Woo hoo!! I’m glad the kids liked it Marisa! N x
This is amazing! I have made this a few times now, and it is an absolute favorite for everyone in my family – not easy! I now make extra chicken, and save some for quesadillas, or on top of salads, or just to eat – so good!
And I absolutely love Dozer!
This nachos is incredible! I’ve been making nachos for years and it’s always been ok, but I would look forward to going to a restaurant rather. This is even better than the restaurants I’ve been to! Thank you!
I LOVE this recipe. Just wondering if it is possible to make the chicken and freeze it for a later date?
Yes you can Monique!! N x
This is my base recipe for tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas as well. It’s a big hit in our house. I’ll NEVER EVER EVER use store-bought taco seasoning again. Thanks Nagi!
Not to be picky but instructions say serve immaterial, I think you meant immediately.
Oooops! Thanks! Will fox that up! N x
So easy to make and super delicious with tonnes of flavour 😋
This was absolutely delicious!
unfortunately I have the “I loathe coriander” gene and it can make me quite ill – what can you suggest as a substitute – I can only think of rocket or watercress – I doubt parsley would work all that well
Hi Helen – just leave it out then! Plenty of flavour there without it!! N x
Great recipe and especially love the instructions for making individual plates in the microwave. Does anyone have suggestions on how to make this vegetarian, i.e. a vego vehicle for the nacho seasoning? I’m thinking red kidney beans + ???
I always use red kidney beans 🙂
I use corn kernels and black beans for the chicken and sometimes mash the beans with the spice mix and some salsa.
Yummo, I’ll have to try that too, thanks Barb!
So I was reading the recipetin Heinz baked beans copycat post and saw ‘nachos’ mentioned! I added the nachos dried herbs and spices (garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, cumin powder, paprika, cayenne pepper) to some of the beans, and it worked really well! Too easy 🙂
This was fabulous! My fussy children also enjoyed it. We love every recipetineats recipe we have made. Thanks!
Easy to make, unbelievably delicious! Will be making again, a lot
Wow! Absolutely yum. We ate far too much but it was sooo good. This will definitely go into my Love It file. One to make again and again. Thank you Nagi.