Our Favorite Chicken Nachos
My family’s favorite chicken nachos with shredded chicken, beans, lots of melty cheese, and all the toppings! We make them on a large sheet pan, meaning they are easy and have less cleanup for you! These chicken nachos are so delicious! They are inspired by our green chicken enchiladas, which have shredded chicken cooked in a salsa verde sauce (made with store-bought or homemade tomatillo salsa). We use the same salsa verde chicken for these epic loaded nachos. To make things extra easy, I make sheet pan nachos, which means you’ll pile your tortilla chips onto a large baking sheet and top with cheese, beans, and chicken, then bake in the oven until hot and melty! From there, you get to pile on all the fixings like cilantro, pickled onion, sour cream, guacamole, pickled jalapeños, and more! Key Ingredients Chicken: I usually start with leftover roasted chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken for these nachos. You can also use our shredded chicken recipe or this poached chicken recipe. I also have this Instant Pot salsa verde chicken, which would be perfect! Salsa Verde: Buy salsa verde from the store (or use green enchilada sauce) or make your own. Here’s our roasted salsa verde recipe for you to take a look at. Tortilla Chips: Buy your favorite store-bought chips or make your own. Here’s how I make homemade tortilla chips. Beans: Use pinto or black beans. I have this black beans recipe, this refried beans recipe or you can simply open a can of beans! Cheese: For the best nachos, use a melty cheese and lots of it. I love Oaxaca cheese (it melts so well), cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Tossing some crumbled fresh cheese like queso fresco before serving is also amazing. Favorite Toppings: Once the nachos are out of the oven, you can pile on whatever you love. Some of my family’s must-haves are sour cream, pickled red onions, guacamole, sliced olives, pickled jalapenos, and cilantro. A squeeze of fresh lime juice is nice, too! Chicken: I usually start with leftover roasted chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken for these nachos. You can also use our shredded chicken recipe or this poached chicken recipe. I also have this Instant Pot salsa verde chicken, which would be perfect! Salsa Verde: Buy salsa verde from the store (or use green enchilada sauce) or make your own. Here’s our roasted salsa verde recipe for you to take a look at. Tortilla Chips: Buy your favorite store-bought chips or make your own. Here’s how I make homemade tortilla chips. Beans: Use pinto or black beans. I have this black beans recipe, this refried beans recipe or you can simply open a can of beans! Cheese: For the best nachos, use a melty cheese and lots of it. I love Oaxaca cheese (it melts so well), cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Tossing some crumbled fresh cheese like queso fresco before serving is also amazing. Favorite Toppings: Once the nachos are out of the oven, you can pile on whatever you love. Some of my family’s must-haves are sour cream, pickled red onions, guacamole, sliced olives, pickled jalapenos, and cilantro. A squeeze of fresh lime juice is nice, too! How to Make Chicken Nachos I love these nachos so much! To make the salsa verde chicken, toss the shredded chicken into a skillet with your salsa or green enchilada sauce and warm through. From there, you can build the nachos. I do this on a large baking sheet, making the nachos crowd-friendly and easy to clean up. Since the chicken is already cooked, the nachos only need 15 to 20 minutes in the oven to crisp up. Once the cheese is all melty and the edges of your tortilla chips are turning crisp and brown, you can remove them from the oven and finish with whatever you love. Then, dig in! Our Favorite Chicken Nachos PREP 15 mins COOK 20 mins TOTAL 35 mins PREP 15 mins COOK 20 mins TOTAL 35 mins 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. 8 Servings 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 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or use parchment paper. 2Add salsa verde to a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until warmed through. 3Arrange 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). 4Bake the nachos until the cheese has completely melted and everything is hot, 15 to 20 minutes. 5Serve nachos family style, right on the baking sheet, with as many additional toppings scattered on top as you like. 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or use parchment paper. 2Add salsa verde to a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until warmed through. 3Arrange 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). 4Bake the nachos until the cheese has completely melted and everything is hot, 15 to 20 minutes. 5Serve 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. 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. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/8 of the recipe / Calories 538 / Total Fat 26g / Saturated Fat 9g / Cholesterol 96mg / Sodium 754mg / Carbohydrate 46g / Dietary Fiber 8g / Total Sugars 3g / Protein 30g AUTHOR: Adam Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us