Our Favorite Chicken Nachos
- PREP 15min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 35min
Store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken makes these chicken nachos easy. Instead of red salsa, we go for green — or salsa verde — made from chili peppers, tomatillos, onion, and garlic. It’s zesty and works beautifully with chicken. In addition to the chicken, we pile our nachos up with sharp, flavorful cheddar cheese, spicy pickled jalapeños, spring onions, and lots of extras like thinly sliced radishes and crumbled fresh cheese. Serve this family-style, right off of the sheet pan.
You Will Need
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 ½ cups salsa verde, plus more for serving, try roasted tomatillo salsa verde
1 large bag of tortilla chips or use homemade tortilla chips, lightly salted
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
3 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
4 ounces crumbled queso fresco, feta cheese, or goat cheese
Optional toppings: sliced radishes, sliced black olives, cilantro, pickled red onions, sliced pickled jalapeños, candied jalapeños, sour cream, guacamole, avocado, sliced chili peppers
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or use parchment paper.
Add salsa verde to a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until warmed through.
Arrange a single layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of the lined pan, and then begin building the nachos. Scatter one-third of the chicken, black beans, pickled jalapeños, chopped green onion, and grated cheddar cheese over the chips. Repeat with additional layers of chips and toppings until they are all gone. (We usually end up with three layers of chips).
Bake the nachos until the cheese has completely melted and everything is hot, 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve nachos family style, right on the baking sheet, with as many additional toppings scattered on top as you like.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Spice level: When buying salsa verde, we recommend choosing a mild or medium spice level. If you’re making your own, adjust the chili peppers to your preference. If your salsa is too spicy, you can always cool things down by stirring a little sour cream into the salsa and chicken mixture.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.