These Loaded Chicken Nachos are surprisingly easy, super cheesy, and crazy delicious. Loaded with layers of Mexican spiced chicken, veggies and of course tons of cheese, these chicken nachos will satisfy all your favorite people!
Nachos are the perfect go-to when you are at a loss for what to cook for dinner. They are super easy to throw together and a perfect way to use up leftovers. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to make a good batch of nachos. Take my Beef and Black Bean Sheet Pan Nachos for example. They were a completely last minute, use up the leftovers kind of meal, and they were fantastically delicious.
My kids get super excited when I say we’re having nachos for dinner. They especially love these Loaded Chicken Nachos, and it’s a great way to get them to eat some veggies without them even realizing it. You can totally customize these chicken nachos by adding more sauteed veggies, different types of cheese or even just using rotisserie chicken. I like to use the same chicken recipe that I use to make my Chicken Tacos because it’s delicious.
How to Make Loaded Chicken Nachos
There are a couple of different ways to make nachos.
- Microwave Nachos – You could take the super easy route and layer them on a plate and microwave for a minute just to heat through and melt the cheese. This is the least preferred method
- Sheet Pan Nachos – Spread the tortilla chips out on a sheet pan (I recommend covering it with foil or parchment paper first) then top with cheese, meat, and veggies.
- Layered Loaded Nachos – Layer chips, cheese, chicken, then more chips, cheese, veggies…until you have a beautiful stock of nachos a mile high. These are absolutely the most fun to eat!
For my preferred method you’ll be making layers a upon layers of nacho goodness. Start with a layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of a pie plate. I like to use a pie plate because the size is perfect and the chips can easily spill out over the edges.
These are the ingredients you’ll need for your loaded chicken nachos:
- Tortilla Chips: Ok so first the chips. Use a good quality, thick chips to make these loaded chicken nachos. You don’t want some wimpy thin chip that’s going to break under the weight of all those toppings. My local Albertsons actually makes homemade tortilla chips in their deli and sells them in big bags. These are perfect because they are nice and thick and hold up well.
- Chicken: I use my Mexican chicken from my Chicken Tacos, but you can use plain shredded chicken, crockpot chicken, or even a rotisserie chicken. As long as you like the flavor, it will work. Shred the chicken into big chunks, not tiny shreds.
- Cheese: There are a variety of different kinds of cheese that you can use but my favorites are classic cheddar and colby jack. Both melt nicely and taste delicious. Feel free to use what you have on hand – just please no processed cheese!
- Veggies: You can see in the photos that I used green onions, tomatoes, olives and corn. I was out of black beans or I would have added those too. You could add jalapenos, peppers or just about any other veggie you like!
Super simple, super delicious, and guaranteed to be devoured in minutes, these Loaded Chicken Nachos are sure to be a hit! Serve them up as a hearty game day appetizer or an easy weeknight dinner. Just be sure to have lots of guacamole, salsa and sour cream for topping!
Want some more nacho recipes? Try these:
Loaded Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 large bag tortilla chips 10-13 ounces
- 2 cups shredded chicken taco meat or any shredded chicken, divided
- 2-3 cups freshly shredded cheese* sharp cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack, divided
- 1 15- ounce can corn drained
- 3 roma tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1 2- ounce can sliced olives drained
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- Garnishes: Salsa Guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, scallions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray with large cast iron skillet (or other oven safe skillet or pan) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Layer as follows: Tortilla chips in a single layer but overlapping, 2 cups of shredded chicken taco meat, 1 cup of cheese, more chips, black beans, corn, tomatoes, olives, green onions, remaining cheese.
- Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and nachos are heated through.
- Serve immediately, garnished with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, jalapeno slices, cilantro and/or scallions.
- NOTES: Use more or less cheese as desired, and feel free to customize the toppings to your linking.
For someone who needs portion control, how many servings should this be?
It all depends on the size of your portions. This recipe will feed about 4-5 people.