Chicken Nachos
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Loaded with spicy pulled rotisserie chicken and ungodly amounts of cheese, these chicken nachos are hearty and satisfying – and everyone is happy when you say, “Nachos for dinner!”
Whenever I visit my sister in New York City, we pick one night to leave the kids and husbands at home to go out for a girls’ night. We always dine at the same Mexican restaurant around the corner from her apartment, and we always skip entrees and order a bunch of appetizers instead. It feels like such an indulgence to enjoy chips, salsa, guacamole, and the like without having to worry about filling up before the main course.
I love to eat this way at home, too, but it’s harder when feeding a family. These chicken nachos and my favorite beef nachos are some of the few appetizers I can get away with serving for dinner. Loaded with pulled rotisserie chicken in a spicy chipotle-tomato sauce and ungodly amounts of cheese, they are hearty and satisfying – and everyone is happy when I say, “Nachos for dinner!” This recipe makes two large sheet pans of nachos. If you want to mix things up, the chicken mixture can also be used as a filling for quesadillas, tacos or tostadas.
What you’ll need to make chicken nachos
You’ll notice that the recipe calls for two types of cheese: a Mexican blend and pecorino Romano, a sharp, salty Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk. The pecorino might seem like an odd addition to nachos, but it’s an excellent substitute for the funky, longer-aged Mexican cheeses that can be hard to find. I know almost 8 cups of cheese seems like a lot, but good nachos require a generous topping of melted cheese. Plus, light-on-the-cheese nachos are just plain sad! For the guacamole, you can make your favorite recipe — or do as I do and prepare a quick version by mashing some diced avocado with a little lime juice and salt, to taste.
How to make chicken nachos
Begin with the chicken. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
Add the tomato sauce, chipotle peppers and sauce, sugar, cumin, oregano, and salt.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken and cilantro.
Mix and set aside.
For the nachos, arrange the tortilla chips in a single layer, overlapping slightly, on two 13 x 18-inch baking sheets. Spread the chicken evenly over the chips.
Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the chicken.
Bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the nachos from the oven, then sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, passing the guacamole, sour cream, and lime wedges separately.
You may also like
- Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce
- Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Beef Empanadas
- Stacked Beef Enchiladas
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Jalapeño Poppers
Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos
Loaded with spicy pulled rotisserie chicken and ungodly amounts of cheese, these chicken nachos are hearty and satisfying – and everyone is happy when you say, “Nachos for dinner!”
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon sauce from can
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, from 1 rotisserie chicken
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
For the Nachos
- 1 (13-oz) bag tortilla chips
- 7 cups (28 oz) shredded Mexican blend cheese
- ⅔ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
- ¼ cup finely sliced scallions, from 2 to 3 scallions
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
For Serving (Optional)
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Limes wedges
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- Add the tomato sauce, chipotle peppers and sauce, sugar, cumin, oregano, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cilantro.
For the Nachos
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set two racks in the center of the oven.
- Arrange the tortilla chips in a single layer, overlapping slightly, on two 13 x 18-inch baking sheets. Spread the chicken evenly over the chips, followed by the cheeses.
- Bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the nachos from the oven, then sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, passing the guacamole, sour cream, and lime wedges separately.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The chicken mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead of time. Warm the chicken to room temperature in the microwave before assembling the nachos.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the optional ingredients for serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 appetizer-sized servings)
- Calories: 624
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 677 mg
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is a perfect recipe for those friends your husband brings in to watch those sports games. They gobbled it up and I actually had a few of his friends asking for the recipe. I loved them just as much. I followed the recipe exactly as is. Thank you so much.
Can’t get the star rating system to work but this is a five star recipe. Simple, yet super tasty and easy. I’ve made nachos numerous times but never his good. This will go into our regular rotation for “movies and munchies” nights. Thanks for another excellent recipe!
The chicken in this recipe is so yummy and versatile. It’s easy too! I use the chicken in my burrito bowls and my kids gobble it up! A keeper!
Awesome Sunday night dinner, my husband loves it
Hi Jenn,
I thought I had a can of chipotle chili peppers and already started making these. Can I just substitute chili powder instead? Thank you so much!
Hi Cheryl, instead of chili powder, I would replace the chipotle peppers and the tomato sauce with one 14-oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes. It would be nice with 1 tsp. of smoked paprika added to the tomatoes (as it will lend a nice smoky flavor that mimics the smokiness of the adobo sauce). Hope you enjoy!
Just made these for dinner tonight. Very tasty! I love the idea of an appetizer for dinner also. Would be perfect to serve as an appetizer at a football game viewing party, so will keep that in mind for next time. Jen, I have been using your recipes for several years, but this is my first time posting. Thank you so much for all the delicious recipes, especially the salads. I love to cook, but planning dinner can become tedious, so I really appreciate all the new ideas!
Thanks these were perfect just the way you made them, you have guacamole as an option but a must with my family, and I cheated and bought mine at Costco.
These nachos were fantastic. My teenage son said “OMG, my friends would devour these. So good!” Thanks Jenn. I would make a little less spicy but everything else was perfection
Hi Jenn, I was wondering what brand of tortilla chips you’d recommend for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Gabi, I usually buy Tostitos, but any supermarket brand is fine. 🙂
We inhaled these!!! They were so good and so easy to make!!!