BBQ Chicken Nachos

Looking for an easy and delicious twist on the classic nachos? Look no further than this baked BBQ Chicken Nachos recipe!

BBQ Chicken Nachos

It wasn’t too long ago I was posed with the question ‘If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?’ (yes me and my pals have odd conversations). ‘NACHOS’ flew out my mouth like a bullet from a gun and honestly I don’t regret a thing. I mean I’m sure I’d regret being on death row, but not devouring nachos as my last feast. Any way 😂Here’s why you’re gonna love these nachos:

• BBQ Chicken – BBQ Chicken meet nachos. Food meet coma.
• Double Decker – If you’re not double deckering you’re not doing nachos right. Hey, I don’t make the rules!
• EASY – Nachos are so freaking easy to make, it would be rude not to!

These nachos are perfect for game day, awesome for a shared appetizer or even for a feast on a Saturday night in!

Making BBQ Chicken Nachos

Like I said, nachos are incredibly easy and fairly quick to make. Here we’re adding homemade BBQ Chicken for an additional layer, but nothing to stress about.

Tips for the best BBQ Chicken Nachos

• BBQ Sauce – As tempting as it is, don’t drench your chicken in BBQ sauce, otherwise the nachos will come out soggy. Here I use around 3/4cup.
• Chips – Use a brand of chip that is sturdy. Don’t opt for thin and flimsy style chips or again, the nachos will come out soggy.
• Cooking Time – Baking the nachos is only really just to melt the cheese, just 15mins at 180C/356F will do try trick. Much longer and the cheese becomes too crispy/firm and you don’t get that glorious cheese pull (that and the chicken will over cook and become tough).

How to make BBQ Chicken Nachos (quick summary)

1. Dice chicken breast into tiny chunks
2. Combine with seasoning.
3. Fry until white through the centre.
4. Stir through BBQ sauce and place to one side.
5. Layer tortilla chips, bbq chicken, cheese, onion & chilli. You can place a pot ready for a dip in the centre if you desire.
6. Repeat with second layer and bake.

How to Serve BBQ Chicken Nachos

I definitely recommend serving with a dip. If you want to create a hole in the centre as I have done you can totally do that. It will obviously warm up the dip slightly, so if you want a cold dip just serve it on the side. Here I just use sour cream, but Garlic and Herb Dip and Sour Cream and Chive Dip both work great!

I also like to garnish with a dusting of fresh coriander/cilantro, but this is completely optional!

Preventing BBQ Chicken Nachos from going soggy

Besides the pointers I’ve already suggested (not too much sauce and sturdy chip), I also recommend making sure you stack them evenly, otherwise you end up with a big mound in the centre, which will just steam and go soggy. Also make sure the dip is not slathered all over the nachos, a pot in the centre or on the side is far better. Finally just make sure you eat them quick! Working from the inside out also ensures the middle doesn’t go soggy before devoured.

BBQ Chicken Nachos FAQ

Can I make ahead BBQ Chicken Nachos ahead of time?

I actually don’t ever recommend making nachos ahead of time, just for the pure fact they go soggy WAY too easily. For this recipe you could make the chicken ahead of time and pop in the fridge until needed. Just bring it back to room temp before you layer up.

Can I use Rotisserie Chicken instead of fresh?

You could absolutely use rotisserie chicken for this recipe. Just cube or shred, then combine with your paprika, garlic powder and bbq sauce.

What cheese to use for nachos?

For BBQ chicken nachos I keep it fairly simple with 3/4 cheddar and 1/4 mozzarella. However, to pack in even more flavour, you could use Monterey Jack Cheese!

What BBQ Sauce should I use?

I usually go for something like Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, or Bulls Eye. In all instances just make sure you invest in a good quality BBQ sauce, it is the star of the show after all 😁

If you love the sound of these nachos then definitely check out my Gnocchi Nachos, No Bake Nachos, Irish Nachos and Chicken Fajita Nachos! If you’re looking for more BBQ recipes then head over to my BBQ Meatballs, BBQ Chicken Wraps, BBQ Chicken Pasta and BBQ Chicken Pizza! Alright let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we?!

How to make BBQ Chicken Nachos (Full Recipe & Video)

BBQ Chicken Nachos

Looking for an easy and delicious twist on the classic nachos? Look no further than this baked BBQ Chicken Nachos recipe!!

5 from 6 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 6

Course: Appetizer / Starter

Cuisine: Tex Mex

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 581kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £1.50 / $2

Equipment:

• 8" x 12" Baking Tray (or similar size)
• Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Cheese Grater
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Medium Bowl & Spatula/Spoon

Ingredients (check list):

• ▢ 7oz / 200g Tortilla Chips, or as needed (see notes)
• ▢ 2-3 cups / 200-300g Cheese, of choice (see notes)
• ▢ 14oz / 400g Chicken Breast, diced into very small chunks
• ▢ 3/4 cup / 200g BBQ Sauce, or as needed (see notes)
• ▢ 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• ▢ 1/2 Red Onion, very thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 Red Chillis, very thinly sliced & deseeded (optional)
• ▢ Cilantro/Coriander, finely diced to serve
• ▢ Sour Cream, to serve (or dip of choice)
• ▢ Olive Oil, for frying

Instructions:

• Pre heat oven to 180C/356F.
• In a bowl combine 14oz/400g chicken, 1 tsp smoked paprika & garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp black pepper.
• In a pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium/high and add your chicken. Fry until white through the centre then pour in 3/4cup/200g BBQ sauce (or to preference - but don't go overboard or nachos with be soggy. Can drizzle more sauce at the end). Stir to completely coat the chicken then place to one side.
• In a suitably sized tray, spread half your chips, topped with half your chicken, then half your cheese and finally half your onion & chilli. Repeat with second layer. You can also leave space for the dip as I do in the video if you’d like.
  
• Bake in the oven for 15mins or until golden and gooey. Serve with a sprinkling of coriander/cilantro and a pot of sour cream or dip of choice. I recommend eating from the inside out so they don't steam and go soggy in the middle.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Tortilla Chips - I use approx 200g/7oz, but work to preference/size of tray. Try and use a sturdy brand of chip, nothing thin and flimsy or the nachos will go soggy.

b) What Cheese to use?- For BBQ Chicken Nachos I use 3/4 Cheddar and 1/4 Mozzarella. Monterey Jack cheese also works great!

c) Best BBQ Sauce? - As the BBQ chicken is the star of the show, make sure you use a good quality BBQ sauce. I personally love Jack Daniel's. Bulls Eye is also great.

d) Can I use Rotisserie Chicken? - You sure can! Around two packed cups should be sufficient, either shredded or cubed into small pieces. If I'm using rotisserie chicken I usually coat in the seasoning and fry in a little oil for no longer than a couple of minutes, just to lock in the flavours. Completely optional, you could just stir the chicken in the spices then coat in the BBQ Sauce. Depending on how well the chicken was originally seasoned, you might not need as much salt.

e) Chillis - These are optional if you're not good with spice. All chillis are different in spice levels, so just go easy on how many you add. I also definitely recommend deseeding them. Can sub jalapeños.

f) Calories - Based on sharing between 6 people, with no sour cream and using 1 tbsp olive oil to fry the chicken.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

BBQ Chicken Nachos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 581 Calories from Fat 259

% Daily Value*

Fat 28.8g44%

Saturated Fat 9.592g48%

Trans Fat 0.478g

Polyunsaturated Fat 5.758g

Monounsaturated Fat 10.101g

Cholesterol 95mg32%

Sodium 1176mg49%

Potassium 420mg12%

Carbohydrates 49.49g16%

Fiber 2.9g12%

Sugar 12.68g14%

Protein 31.37g63%

Vitamin A 1550IU31%

Vitamin C 0.2mg0%

Calcium 330mg33%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

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