Chicken Nachos

Chicken nachos are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. They're also a chef-pleaser because they are made on a sheet pan, easy to assemble, and quick to clean up, So it's a win-win all the way around!

We start these chicken nachos by adding salsa and chipotle pepper in adobo to juicy, shredded rotisserie chicken. It's a quick way to add loads of flavor to a store-bought protein. You can of course cook and shred chicken yourself.

Then pile tortilla chips high with two kinds of cheese and several fresh toppings. Serve them straight from the pan for the simplest dinner option tonight.

Ingredients in Chicken Nachos

 To make chicken nachos, you will need:

• Shredded rotisserie chicken: To keep things easy, we’ve called for rotisserie chicken. But if you’d like some suggestions for cooking your own, see below.
• Jarred salsa: You can use your favorite brand of jarred salsa. We like a medium heat, but feel free to switch to hot or mild depending on your heat tolerance.
• Finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo: This adds some extra smoky depth to the chicken. If your family doesn’t like heat, add a couple more tablespoons of the salsa to the chicken, and add in 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
• Tortilla chips: Be sure to buy sturdy tortilla chips that will hold up well to the nacho toppings. This is not the time for extra thin chips!
• Pepper Jack cheese and medium (or mild) Cheddar cheese: We like using a blend of these two cheeses for extra flavor, but feel free to use all pepper Jack for a little extra spice.
• Chopped fresh tomato: Taking the seeds out of the tomato helps keep the chips from getting too soggy when the toppings are added.
• Chopped avocado: The creamy texture of avocado contrasts nicely with the crunchy chips and spice from the chipotle pepper.
• Thinly sliced jalapeño: Feel free to skip or serve on the side if you have spice-adverse tasters.
• Sour cream: Dollops of sour cream are scattered on the nachos.
• Chopped cilantro and scallions: Add another layer of fresh, herbal notes to the nachos.
• Lime wedges: Serve with lime wedges on the side for an extra burst of acidity.

How To Make Chicken Nachos

Nachos are among the easiest foods you can make. After all, it's just toppings on top of chips. But in reality, there is a little hidden magic to making truly good homemade nachos. Follow these steps, and you'll succeed every time:

• Step 1. Prep your ingredients: First, start by preparing your pan and your ingredients. Lining the baking pan with aluminum foil makes for easy clean up after the nachos are gone. Make sure all of the vegetables are chopped before you put the nachos in the oven so you’ll be ready to put the toppings on right away. We recommend shredding your own cheese because it melts better, but you can use pre-shredded cheese in a pinch.
• Step 2. Warm the chicken: If you’re starting with a hot rotisserie chicken, heating it further probably isn’t necessary, but if it’s cold, be sure to microwave it until it’s heated through—the nachos don’t spend long enough in the oven to heat up cold chicken.
• Step 3. Layer the ingredients: Layering the chips, chicken, and cheese helps ensure all of the chips have plenty of topping—nothing is worse than getting to the bottom of a pile of nachos, only to find a bunch of dry chips.
• Step 4. Melt the cheese: Put the tray of chicken, tortillas, and cheese, into the oven, and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Step 5. Add the toppings: The nachos spend just long enough in the oven to melt the cheese, and then you’ll immediately top with your sour cream and chopped vegetables.

Toppings Variations

 If you’d like to switch it up a bit, try adding drained canned black beans or pinto beans along with the chicken. You can also add some fresh corn kernels, shredded lettuce, black olives, swap pickled jalapeño slices for fresh, or drizzle with Mexican crema instead of dollop with sour cream.