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:
make dinner plate size single layer batches
spread one layer of chips on a plate
top with chicken then cheese
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
Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread – if you haven’t tried it, you haven’t lived…
Homemade Movie Popcorn – ultra buttery, and stays crisp for DAYS!
Spring Rolls! PS They can even be baked!
Crispy Roasted Parmesan Potatoes – seriously so good to munch on as a snack!
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!
Nagi, these chicken nachos were amazing! The spice for the meat was bang-on. Thank you!!
Nagi, this nachos recipe was simply the best!! I will be making over again and sharing. Thank you!!
I was daunted by the number of steps in the chicken, but the final product is worth the effort. The sauciness of the chicken gives a chewiness to the chips beneath it, and the tomato flavor is unexpectedly rich. 10/10 absolute gas.
Ok wow! This was delicious. I didn’t think chicken nachos could be so good!! Thank you for sharing all your amazing recipes Nagi. I love ALL of them
Absolutely love this recipe. I’ve made it twice now and it’s going to appear as a regular in our family meals
I have not yet cooked the chicken Naco recipe but I am confused with the different options you provide. So is ot the Mexican Shredded Chicken recipe you recommend and if so I am confused with the Brown Chicken part as I believe the chicken has already been cooked at this stage??
I would love to give this recipe a go but I am totally confused….. Help!!
I believe you can cook the chicken like in the video, or use pre-cooked/pre-shredded chicken, toss in the spice mix, and cook.
These chicken nachos are so good! Incredibly delicious chicken, pretty fast and easy to prepare. Will make again and again! Thank you.
I have probably made this about 50 times for my family of 5. I usually double the recipe and use chicken thigh, but use only half the amount of chicken stock to keep the sauce thick. The teens love the leftover chicken for wraps at school the next day.
Hi Nagi, how long can/should you put the raw chicken in the seasoning paste before cooking? Is there a max/min time to have it marinate?
Forgot to leave stars!
That chicken. Omg – so good with nachos. Made ‘nachos of your dreams’ from your cookbook, using this chicken, the cheese sauce, pico de gallo and taco sauce. Absolutely no need to order in anymore – this is as good as nachos get. Thank you so from the bottom of my stomach, Nagi!
This was so good! The chicken is absolutely delicious – I will have to use it for different recipes. Otherwise, these are probably the best nachos I’ve ever had!
Fantastic!
Made as written tonight….so delicious! Chopped the chicken vs shredding. Also made the Mexican red rice recipe, simple and so good! Highly recommend both
Very tasty! I had some drummies that had to be used tonight, so cut the meat off and turned them into nachos. Not the easiest to shred, but results were excellent. Topped with shredded lettuce and cherry toms to feel better about the mass of cheese I just ate. Now to pass out and drool on the couch like Dozer. Thanks Nagi!
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.
Made this with chicken mince instead of cut pieces, and it was perfect! Thanks so much, a delicious TV dinner for a lazy evening.
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.