Piled High Skillet Chicken Nachos are a great way to bring fun to any occasion! These are also known as Restaurant Style Nachos and who doesn’t love recreating restaurant-quality food at home? We also love to make Skillet Spinach Artichoke Dip and Steak Bites for game day!
Easy Chicken Nachos
I don’t know about you, but I love chicken nachos! We make them often and usually utilize whatever ingredients we have on hand. I love the skillet method for these nachos because not only does the skillet hold in every bit of topping that may fall off, it holds its heat longer than a sheet pan and keep your nachos warm and perfect.
Tips for Easy Assembly
- Have chicken baked and cooled.
- Dice all of your ingredients ahead of time.
- Have salsa, more sour cream, and plates and napkins ready because once they are done folks will want to dig in!
Chicken Nachos Ingredients
The variations for this dish are endless, but this recipe happens to be one that we come back to again and again. I opted for a Homemade Taco Seasoning, but you can certainly use store bought.
- Chips– look for a sturdy chip, one that won’t easily break under the weight of all these amazing ingredients. I also prefer a salted chip and am obsessed with Black Bean Tortilla Chips in this dish.
- Cheese– I love the color variation between the cheddar and Monterey Jack, not to mention how well they melt and taste. You can absolutely use your favorite cheeses here! Feel free to try a spicy cheese or a higher-end cheese like gruyere.
- Chicken– I love buying a rotisserie chicken for this recipe but have also used leftovers. If you are baking, place chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a bit of oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 400°F for 22-25 minutes and then let rest before shredding.
- Beans– soggy chips are a no-no for nachos, so I make sure to drain and rinse off my black beans in this recipe.
- Onion– We opted for raw onion (not cooked before adding to skillet) because we love the texture. I know a lot of folks prefer them cooked and to do that just add to your skillet first with a little butter or oil. Cook for about 6 minutes or until onions are translucent. Remove from skillet, wipe clean, and begin building your chicken nachos.
- Jalapeno– The amount of jalapeno may vary depending on how hot they are or what season it is. During the winter months I tend to use a lot more jalapeno because they are store bought and not as flavorful, but in the summer I can get away with 1 jalapeno because they are fresh from the garden and SO GOOD.
- Tomato– I had to scale back for you here because I can’t get enough tomato on my nachos. Sometimes I will cover the entire skillet so all you can see if red! I like to use a variety of tomato depending on what is in season and enjoy a good Roma as they have fewer seeds. You can also use cherry tomatoes and just dice into quarters.
- Cilantro– You love it or hate it right? We love it. A finely diced sprinkle of cilantro can put a dish over the top with flavor!
- Sour Cream- Add the sour cream to a squeeze bottle and drizzle over the nachos. This is a great way to ensure every chip gets some as well as it looks pretty!
Optional Ingredients for Chicken Nachos
- Corn
- Garlic
- Olives
- Scallion
- Refried Beans
- Guacamole
Shredded Chicken Nachos
Shredded chicken is our go-to for skillet nachos but I also really like a diced chicken. After your chicken has cooked and cooled, simply chop into small cubes (1/2 inch) and use as you normally would. I find that when you do a small dice of the chicken more gets onto every chip and who doesn’t love chicken and cheese in every bite?!?
If you are shredding your chicken as we did in this recipe, we love to use a baked or rotisserie chicken. Just allow the chicken to cool enough to handle and then tear into bite-sized portions. I am not a fan of huge pieces of chicken as it can be awkward to eat, but you can opt for whatever size piece you prefer.
Looking for Other Great Appetizers?
Appetizers (the complete list!)
Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
NACHOS
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 large bag tortilla chips
- 2 cups (113 g) mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups (113 g) monterey jack cheese, shredded
- ½ cup (86 g) black beans, drained
- 1 small onion, diced and cooked
TOPPING
- ½ avocado, diced
- 1 large tomato, diced
- ¼ cup scallions, sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup jalapeños, diced
- sour cream, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- In a medium bowl, combine cooked chicken and taco seasoning. Mix well.
- Add 1/3 the tortilla chips to a skillet and top with seasoned chicken. Add 1/3 of the cheese, 1/3 of the black beans, and 1/3 of the onions. Repeat two more layers.
- Bake until cheese is melty, 10-12 minutes.
- Top with tomato, avocado, green onions and cilantro. Drizzle with sour cream.
Did you make this recipe?
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Great recipe. How to eat? More tortilla chips? In bowl with fork?
I use so many of your recipes. I depend on you. Really enjoyed your Tuesday morning programs. Miss them!
I’m not sure what you mean by the onion diced and “cooked?”. This recipe looks like a winner. I can’t wait to try it! I’m going to put the loaded skillet in my smoker for added flavor.
When would I add my refried beans?
I supposed you could stir them in with the chicken or do a layer on the bottom.
love the brightness colors in your i want more and to see more of these amazing Food dishes
These recipies look very good,but I don’t see anyway to save them.
I noticed one place you said black beans and another refried beans. I’ve made this recipe using black beans, pinto beans or refried beans — or no beans at all. They all work fine. I put the beans on as another layer over the chips. And in answer to one of the questions, I think a fork works best. And in answer to another question, if you want to save a recipe, use the Pinterest button and save it there. That’s how I save all my recipes.
I love your recipes
It was good, although I wish I had heated up the chicken beforehand. It wasn’t very warm due to the short time in the oven
I have a small cast iron skillet, I live alone. I divide this by three and it makes an awesome meal for me. Sometimes I will use leftover pulled pork or leftover ground beef. I love nachos, one pot meals and easy clean up!