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!
yep, nailed it again Nagi!
we doubled the recipe and it took ages to reduce the sauce on the second cooking stage, just added some cornflour to thicken and done.
i promply went into a food coma after a long day gardening haha
thanks again
Hi Nagi! This recipe looks great – if I wanted to add a few veges in, what would you recommend? I through red capsicum would go well but not sure what else…
Hi Michelle, you could use capsicum & corn – they would work perfectly!
Oh my goodness this was so so easy and so so delicious. Even Mr 9, who is not a shredded/sauce chicken man devoured it. Best of all I kept a scoop aside so he can have tacos tomorrow and hubby and I can have our favourite. This recipe is a definite keeper.
Awesome Michelle – That’s great!
Hi Nagi.
Can you prepare the chicken in advance? Thank you 🙂
You sure can Randi! I just cover and reheat in the microwave ❤️
Really yummy. Didn’t have any tomato paste for the sauce but a few tablespoons of salsa worked really well
Thanks from a fan i Denmark😃
I love your recipes, and I always love reading about Dozer!
Thanks so much Deborah!
Delicious as always.
I’m so glad you loved it Erika!!
YUMMMMMMMMM
So, so tasty – I don’t care for guacamole, so served it with your Mexican salsa – perfection!!!
Perfect Ali!
Hi,
Just wondering why in the video it says to use left over seasoning yet in the recipe it does not specify the amount. And also in the beginning of the video the the spices were added it appears fresh garlic was also used. Thus, do you use fresh garlic or garlic powder? Many thanks Lisa xoxo
Made this for dinner last night. Wow! Chicken was so flavourful!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Donna!
Loved these! I had this for dinner at Senor Burrito restaurant and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing!
You’ll have to make it now at home! – N x
Completely changed my dinner pans after finding your page , amazing thank you
That’s great Duane!!
Unbelievable!!! Made this last night and it was so good the family have requested it this weekend! Not sure I’ll ever be making beef nachos again!!!
That’s awesome Kate!!
This is super delish as is every other recipe I have made from your site!
Thank you Tegan! So pleased to hear you enjoyed this too! N x
How long do you think in the InstaPot?
I made this today in the Instant Pot & it turned out great. I spread the seasoning mix/paste on the chicken then used the saute function to cook the chicken 3 mins per side. I turned off the saute function then removed the chicken from IP and poured the chicken broth/ tomato paste into it. I then placed the chicken back into the IP with the sauce & set it for 10 mins on manual setting. My husband shredded it afterwards because I wasn’t home & without even tasting it he texted me, wanting to invite friends over to share it because he said it smelled delicious! Lol
Hi Antonia! Unfortunately this one isn’t for an Instant pot, sorry! N x
We just had this for dinner and it was delicious! Fabulous recipe 😊
That’s so great to hear Samantha! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Great!
Oh my gosh, I don’t think I can ever go back to beef mince nachos, this was insane AND will never buy pre-made spice mix again. I had everything in my cupboard all this time. This is so so good.
SO glad you enjoyed this Mona!! N xx
This looks amazeballs!! Thanks for the tips on the cheese, doing a Costco run this weekend (wish me luck)
Ba ha ha yes you do need luck to man handle the crowds, I always go midweek to avoid the crush! N xx
Nagi- I have a bunch of bags of your Carnitas recipe in the deep freezer. That should work for Nachos too, no?
It’s perfect! I just added a Note 3 to the recipe with directions 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi! Just so happens I’m making nachos for supper tonight, but with ground beef. Your Mexican chicken looks SO good and my next nachos are going to use that! I usually do some type of Mexican at least once a month. When my friend Anna and I get a girls’ day we always opt for Mexican with a pitcher of Margaritas of course! I just got some new Margarita glasses that are made from recycled tequila bottles, how cool is that!
Mmm! Nothing better than nachos and margaritas. 🙂 That’s so good about the margarita glasses! I’m going to be doing cocktail recipes soon, will have to see if I can find some of those margarita glasses! N x
I love nachos but struggle to make them taste as good as Guzman and Gomez so will definitely be trying these. What brand of corn chips do you use? I feel like the chips are the most important part.
But I’ve also left some links in the recipe for other brands that I like – Tostitos is a firm fave! N x
PS Forgot to answer corn chips! I like these ones from Harris Farms, they are sturdy -> https://www.harrisfarm.com.au/products/nature-corn-chip-unsalted. Also they are unsalted 🙂 I like lightly salted or unsalted. N x
I really hope this stacks up to your expectations! N xx