food international: Chicken Nachos

It’s Super Bowl week, and you know what that means: NACHOS!

I mean, come on. It really is all about the nachos.

(Don’t tell the Seahawks and Patriots I said that.)

Here’s the step-by-step recipe for the luscious Chicken Nachos I made on Saturday’s football-centric episode of my Food Network show! The chicken is super flavorful and every-so-slightly spicy, and piled on chips with a bunch of melted cheese, it’s about the best football food you can ask for. As I pointed out on the show, you can leave the nachos plain and unadorned in their most basic state (as shown above), or you can pile on a bunch of fixins to make them all yours. (And the meat is also perfect for tacos, quesadillas, burritos…anything!)

Here’s how to make the nachos, baby.

(Sorry I called you baby.)

 

Grab 3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I only had 3 thawed out, but the recipe calls for 4) and sprinkle them generously with a packet of taco seasoning. If you’d rather make your own, just throw together a mix of chili powder, onion salt, cumin, garlic powder, and paprika until it looks right. Either way, you want to coat the heck out of the chicken because the seasoning will also eventually flavor the sauce.

 

For good measure, I also sprinkled on some additional chili powder. I wanted the chicken to have plenty of kick!

 

Heat about 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat and cook the chicken on both sides until it’s totally done in the middle. I actually started it on medium-high and it got a little brown, so I finished it off on medium.

Don’t worry about the chicken getting nice and brown on the outside, though. We’re a-gonna shred it here in a little bit, and that’ll just give it more flavor.

When it’s done, remove the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for a minute.

Without cleaning the skillet at all (you want all that flavor the chicken left behind) pour in an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce…

 

And 2 cups of hot water.

Whisk it around and let it come to a gentle boil…

Then reduce the heat to low.

Oh! And here’s where you can taste and doctor the sauce a bit. I added several dashes of my favorite hot sauce in the world, and I also added a little salt.

Next, use two forks…

 

To shred up all that gorgeous chicken. Shred it into bigger chunks if you like, but I like to keep going until it’s pretty fine.

Then just plunk all the chicken…

Right into the simmering sauce.

Toss the meat to completely coat it in the sauce…

 

It should be fine, but if you think the sauce is a little bit thick, feel free to pour in a little more hot water until it gets to the sauciness you want.

 

Let it simmer for a bit…and poifect! Absolutely poifect. Saucy, slightly spicy, flavorful…and ready to go.

 

It’s…nacho time!

 

Do a layer of chips and cheese…

A layer of chicken…

(Note: you can get a lot messier with the chicken if you want. I just didn’t want to freak you out.)

Then goes another layer of chips, cheese, and chicken…

 

Then just keep on going, making each layer a little smaller, until you have a chicken nacho mountain in front of you and you’re on the verge of feeling embarrassed, but in a good way.

Now it goes into either a 350 degree oven or a microwave…

Until it’s ooey, gooey, and the cheese is all melted.

 

You want to make my husband happy? Stick this in front of him while he’s watching a football game.

Just a little inside tip for you in case it ever comes up.

And okay. It makes me happy, too. And I don’t even need the football game!

Disclaimer: You can definitely doctor up the nachos however you want: pico de gallo, olives, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro…anything goes.

 

But there’s nothing like the original.

And psst. Stick the extra meat in the fridge! It can be used for tacos, pizza, quesadillas, etc.

Here’s the handy dandy printable!

Recipe

Chicken Nachos

Prep Time:

5 Minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Cook Time:

20 Minutes

Servings:

12 Servings

Ingredients

• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• Salt As Needed
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 can (8 Ounces) Tomato Sauce
• 2 cups Hot Water
• Several Dashes Hot Sauce
• Good Tortilla Chips
• Cheddar Jack Cheese, Freshly Grated
• Optional: Pico De Gallo, Sour Cream, Sliced Black Olives, Sliced Green Onions, Cilantro Leaves, Guacamole, Etc.

Instructions

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with the taco seasoning and chili powder. Rub in the seasoning as much as you can.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts on both sides until deep golden and totally done in the middle, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and let rest for a few minutes.

Whisk in the tomato sauce and the hot water (plus the hot sauce) and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm. Taste and adjust seasonings (may need salt, depending on the taco seasoning you use.)

Shred the chicken with 2 forks and transfer the shredded chicken to the sauce. Toss to coat it in the sauce and allow to simmer for a few minutes.

To build the nachos, build several layers of chips, cheese, and chicken, ending with a small layer on top. Microwave the dish (or put it in a 350 degree oven if ovenproof) until the cheese is totally melted.

Serve as is or add whatever extras you'd like! Dive into it immediately.