You’ve worked all day, finally made it home, switched into some comfy clothes and maybe knocked out a few chores around the house. Making dinner is 1,000% the last thing you want to do, but you’re hungry and so are the kids. You want something delicious, but you don’t want to spend 2 hours prepping a meal. Well, do I have the solution for you! CHICKEN NACHO NIGHT is your way out! These nachos are dead simple to make, absolutely delicious and totally satisfying. You’ll be making these at least once a week, I promise.
We’re a pretty big fans of Taco Tuesdays in our house but it can get a bit old after awhile. I was looking for something to switch it up with but was still easy to make and in the same spirit. After much thoughtful consideration, hours of research, weeks of development, months of painstaking preparation, and years of trial and error, CHICKEN NACHO NIGHT was born.
All kidding aside, I went through a solid ten different variations before I got them just right, and personally I think they’re perfect. As good as you’ll get at any restaurant and it won’t break the bank. Seriously, we took the kids out a few weeks ago to a brick oven pizza place near us and ordered nachos as a starter. They were $17.00 and the serving was barely big enough to split between us. The recipe below will run you about $12.00 and you’ll get enough nachos to feed 4 hungry adults.
My Nacho Secrets
Over the years, I’ve refined this recipe quite a bit and I’ve come up with a couple secret ingredients that give these nachos a little something extra in the flavor department. First and foremost, I use fresh ingredients everywhere I can. That means, throw those pickled jalapenos back in the refrigerator, or better yet, in the trash. That brings me to my next secret, I don’t use jalapenos at all! I use serrano peppers instead! Call me crazy but jalapenos have just never done it for me. I don’t think they have a great flavor and I find the heat they have to be on the sharp side. Serrano’s on the other hand have great flavor and a nice warm heat that kind of sneaks up on you. They are definitely hotter than a jalapeno though so you have to watch how much you use. I will replace one jalapeno with half of a serrano. If you don’t like too much heat then remove the seeds and just use the pepper itself.
The other secret ingredient that I add is a bit of turmeric. While, you don’t normally think of turmeric when you think of Mexican type dishes, I can assure you it makes all the difference in the world. It has a great earthy flavor that really ties a dish like this together. Be careful though it’s easy to overdo it. A little bit will wow your taste buds, but go too heavy and that’s all you’ll be able to taste.
OK Let’s get Cooking!
A Few Helpful Hints!
- Take your chicken out of the refrigerator 20 mins before you’re going to start cooking. You want it to get almost to room temperature.
- If you’re making these for the kids, or if you just don’t like spicy, I recommend using only half of a serrano pepper with the seeds removed. You’ll also want to dice it up extra fine so no one gets a big chunk of it. At this level you’ll still get some flavor from the pepper but the heat will be be very mild. If you go with the full serrano with the seeds the heat level is at the upper end of what you’d get from a medium heat salsa.
- Don’t cook the peppers and onions too much. You just want to soften the peppers up a bit and sweeten up the onion.
✅ Quick Tips: Read the recipe in its entirety before you start cooking. This will help you understand the ingredients, steps, and timing involved, and allow you to prepare any necessary equipment or ingredients beforehand.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quick is quick to make?
I can whip these up start to finish in 20 minutes
Are these spicy?
Yes the full recipe is spicy, around the upper range of a medium heat salsa. Check out the helpful hints section above if you don’t like spicey. .
What do you recommend serving with these?
I usually go pretty plain and just serve with sour cream and some guacamole as these have tons of built in flavor.
Can I use ground beef instead of chicken?
Absolutely. Follow all of the same directions just using ground beef. However, be sure to drain the pan really well after you cook the beef.
Check out our video!
Chicken Nacho Night
Description
Cheesy Deliciousness Packed with Flavor
Ingredients
Chicken Nacho Night
Instructions
Prep Time!
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Prepare the Chicken
Slice each breast or tenderloin down along one side of the tendon. Then slice away the tendon from the other side and discard. Slice the chicken across the grain into 1/8" thick pieces place in a bowl. Drizzle a little avocado oil over the chicken add the adobo and mix well.
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Prepare Vegetables
Dice the pepper and onion. Smash and finely dice the garlic. Finely dice the serrano pepper. Set the onion and pepper aside in one bowl and the garlic and serrano aside in another.
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Other Prep
Preheat your skillet on medium heat and turn your oven on to 400°. This is also a good time to open the cans of beans and tomatoes. Pour the beans into sieve and rinse well under cool water.
Cooking Instructions
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Cook the Chicken
Add 2 TBS of high smoke point oil to your preheated pan (I use avocado oil). Cook the chicken in batches, until just done through, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Set the chicken aside.
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Cook the Vegetables
Add the peppers and onions to the same pan you used for the chicken and cook until the peppers start to soften and the onion starts to get translucent about 5 mins. Add in the garlic and serrano and cook till fragrant, about 1 min. Add the chicken back to the pan and then add the black beans and diced tomatoes. Add the spices and stir to combine everything. Continue cooking until mostly all of the water from the beans and tomatoes has evaporated, about 6-8 mins, then remove from heat.
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Build and Bake
Line a large cookie sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray. Build layers of tortilla chips, cheese, and the chicken mixture. Bake for 5-10 mins watching carefully. Remove from oven as soon as the cheese starts to turn brown around the edges.
Serving Recommendations
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Serving
Serve immediately while everything is still warm and melty. I like to serve these with some homemade guacamole and sour cream!
