Chicken Nachos recipe made with a simple homemade cheese sauce made from real cheese. This simple nacho recipe can be made without an oven and you can add any veggies or toppings you prefer!
These Chicken Nachos are the best because of the homemade cheese sauce – it’s incredible! This cheese sauce is one that we make often at our house for lots of different recipes, and it fits in perfectly with this dish. I prefer using a cheese sauce in nachos instead of just using shredded cheese because the consistency is so creamy and you don’t have to worry about the cheese not melting completely!
And I just can’t bring myself to use the really processed nacho cheese sauce you can buy in a can. This recipe uses real cheese in the recipe, along with a few other very simple ingredients, and it only takes a few minutes to make.
My kids love nachos, and I love them because you can add as many veggies and toppings as you want, or you can keep them extremely simple and they are still delicious. Many times we end up having half of the tray of nachos be completely loaded, while the other half is pretty plain…and everyone is happy. Fast, simple, delicious dinner recipe that the whole family loves!
What type of chicken to use in chicken nachos?
I like to use a rotisserie chicken because it is so convenient and flavorful, but you can make your own cooked and shredded chicken very easily. My favorite way to cook chicken is in a slow cooker.
HOW TO MAKE SHREDDED CHICKEN
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 14.5-oz can chicken broth
- salt & pepper
Add chicken to a 4-quart slow cooker and pour the chicken broth on top. Add a few shakes of both salt & pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours and remove chicken & shred with 2 forks. At this point, the chicken should fall apart fairly easily and be super moist and tender.
Ingredients in CHICKEN NACHOS
Homemade Cheese Sauce recipe:
- 1 1/2 TBSP butter
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese (I prefer to use a Mexican blend, but regular cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese is great too!)
Nachos
- 7-8 oz tortilla chips (about half of a regular sized bag)
- 2-3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
- black beans, rinsed and drained
- sliced olives
- tomatoes, diced
- jalapenos, de-seeded and diced
- guacamole
- sour cream
How to make Chicken Nachos with Homemade Cheese Sauce
- To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the cornstarch and salt and stir until well combined. Add the milk and stir constantly until boiling. Continue to stir and boil for one minute. Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stirring until cheese is completely melted. Keep on low heat until ready to add to the nachos.
- Heat the chicken, black beans and jalapenos over medium heat in a saucepan until heated through.
- Arrange the tortilla chips on a large jelly roll pan. Pour the cheese sauce over the chips, and then add the chicken/bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top (tomatoes, olives, guacamole, etc) and then serve immediately.
- If you want the chips to be a little more crispy and you want the tomatoes, olives, etc. heated also, you can place the whole tray in the oven at 400° for about about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to bake before adding sour cream or guacamole. This step is totally optional as the cheese, chicken and beans will be heated up and warmed already, even without the oven!
CHICKEN NACHOS WITH HOMEMADE CHEESE SAUCE
Chicken Nachos with Homemade Cheese Sauce can be completely customized with lots of different toppings to fit everyone’s tastes!
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Servings: 6 -8 servings
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce:
- 1 1/2 TBSP butter
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar or cheddar/jack)
Nachos
- 7-8 oz tortilla chips about half of a regular sized bag
- 2-3 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- black beans rinsed and drained
- sliced olives
- tomatoes diced
- jalapenos de-seeded and diced
- guacamole
- sour cream
Instructions
-
To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the cornstarch and salt and stir until well combined. Add the milk and stir constantly until boiling. Continue to stir and boil for one minute. Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stirring until cheese is completely melted. Keep on low heat until ready to add to the nachos.
-
Heat the chicken, black beans and jalapenos over medium heat in a saucepan until heated through.
-
Arrange the tortilla chips on a large jelly roll pan. Pour the cheese sauce over the chips, and then add the chicken/bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top (tomatoes, olives, guacamole, sour cream, etc) and then serve immediately.
-
If you want the chips to be a little more crispy and you want the tomatoes, olives, etc. heated too, you can place the whole tray in the oven at 400° for about about 8-10 minutes (before guacamole or sour cream). This step is totally optional as the cheese, chicken and beans will be heated up and warmed already, even without the oven!
If you enjoyed our Chicken Nachos, you might want to try these other chicken recipes too!
Chicken Nachos recipe made with a simple homemade cheese sauce made from real cheese. This simple nacho recipe can be made without an oven and you can add any veggies or toppings you prefer!
