Loaded chicken nachos are a Tex-Mex classic. Piled high with melted cheese, juicy fajita spiced chicken, and loaded with toppings. Homemade nachos are the perfect easy dinner or snack.
These nachos make the perfect side dish for the 5 bean vegetarian chilli or the slow cooker chilli con Carne. And they're amazing when served with fresh-cut salsa like this pico de gallo.
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⭐️ Why you need to make loaded baked nachos
- Customizability: Nachos can be whatever you want! Add toppings like meat, beans, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream that can be mixed and matched to create the perfect plate of nachos.
- Sharing: Nachos are great for feeding a crowd! It's the perfect dish for large gatherings or casual grazing.
- Convenience: Nachos are so easy to make at home. They take little time and even less effort making them great for busy weeknights.
- Crunchy and cheesy: The combination of crispy, salty tortilla chips and melted cheese is a classic. Everyone loves all the textures and flavours together!
🧾 Ingredients you need to make homemade chicken nachos
- Tortilla Chips – Use your favorite tortilla chips in this recipe but skip Dorritos or nacho cheese flavoured chips. You want thicker chips that can hold all of the cheese and goodies without getting soggy or being overpowered by Dorritos flavour.
- Meat – This nacho recipe is topped with fajita-seasoned minced chicken but you can use beef or turkey mince too. *I've bought a fajita kit because it has salsa as well as fajita seasoning, but you can make your own fajita spice mix if you prefer.
- Cheese – The best homemade nachos have lots of extra cheese, so don’t skimp! I'm using cheddar, but you can use a mix of cheddar and mozzarella.
- Toppings – Nachos need lots of toppings! And these cheesy nachos are no different with jalapeños, tomatoes, and onions, piled on top.
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🏻🍳 Step By Step
How To Make Homemade Nachos
Homemade loaded nachos are super easy to make and totally customizable!
- Make meat mixture: Brown chicken, stir in fajita seasoning and mix well.
- Layer on a pan: Layer the chips with cheese and the seasoned chicken.
- Bake: Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and enjoy: Remove from oven and load ’em up!
🧀 Leftover Nachos
The best nachos are eaten fresh when the tortilla chips are fresh and crunchy! If you have lots leftover, there are a couple of options:
- Option 1: Refrigerate. To reheat bake on a pan at 170°C until hot, about 7 minutes. This helps to refresh the chips and melt the cheese.
- Option 2: Discard the chips and save the nacho mixture in a covered container in the refrigerator, about 3 days. Add it to fresh chips and bake like new.
- Option 3: Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the cheese is bubbling and melty.
🍯 The best nacho toppings
- Cheese: traditional and most common, shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese can be used for melting on top of the nachos.
- Meat: Such as ground beef, chicken, pulled pork, or chorizo can be added for some protein.
- Beans: black or pinto beans are a great addition to nachos and can be used as a vegetarian option.
- Salsa: Fresh or store-bought salsa can be used as a topping or dip to add some tangy and spicy flavour.
- Guacamole: A classic topping that adds some creaminess and a bit of a kick to the nachos.
- Sour cream: adds a cool and tangy flavour to balance out the spicy and savory toppings. You can use Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche if you prefer.
- Pico de Gallo or diced tomatoes: adds freshness and a burst of flavor.
- Jalapeños: adds some heat and a bit of crunch to the nachos.
- Olives: adds a salty and briny flavor.
- Green onions: adds some freshness and a bit of a bite to the nachos.
- Diced red onions: adds a nice tangy and spicy note
- Hot sauce or chili flakes: for those who like it extra spicy.
💡 Layering the perfect pan of baked chicken nachos
A top tip for making nachos at home is to layer the ingredients. Instead of just dumping all of the toppings on top of the chips, it's best to layer them to ensure that each chip is covered with toppings and cheese.
Here's how to do it:
- Spread a layer of tortilla chips on a baking sheet or oven-safe dish.
- Sprinkle a layer of cheese over the chips.
- Add a layer of your desired toppings, such as meat, beans, or vegetables.
- Repeat the layers until you've used all of your ingredients.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is melted and the toppings are heated through.
- Once it's out of the oven, you can add some toppings such as sour cream, fresh coriander, diced tomatoes, or green onions.
Layering the ingredients this way ensures that each chip has cheese and filling.
❓FAQ
Yes, you can make nachos in the microwave, but they may not be as crispy as oven-baked nachos. To make them in the microwave, place a layer of tortilla chips on a microwave-safe plate and top them with cheese and toppings. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
It's best to add it after baking. Fresh salsas are made with raw vegetables and are often used as a topping rather than a cooked ingredient. Adding it after baking will ensure that the vegetables retain their texture and flavour.
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Easy Homemade Loaded Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken mince
- 1 package fajita seasoning, or make your own
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 200 g shredded cheddar cheese
- 200 g Tortilla chips
Homemade fajita seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Cajun spice
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
For topping
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- Sour cream, light creme fraiche
- Green onions, sliced
- ½ bunch of chopped coriander
- Salsa
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan and gently sautee the sliced onion for about 5 minutes. Once the onion has started to soften add in the chicken and continue to cook for a further 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Once the chicken is cooked, place it into a bowl and place the tortilla chips in the skillet.
- Spoon the cooked chicken over the tortilla crisps and top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Place the skillet back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Remove the nachos from the oven and top with mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes, coriander, sour cream and sliced jalapenos.
Notes
- If you prefer to skip the fajita kit, just use 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning to coat the chicken.
- You can use fat-free Greek yoghurt over the nachos instead of creme fraiche. It’s cheaper and has less fat and calories.
- You can use a bag of tortilla chips rather than making your own to make this recipe even faster.
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