These baked nachos never disappoint! They are loaded with tender chicken, hearty black beans, sweet corn, rich layers of cheddar cheese, crunchy tortilla chips and more! You can make them just as easily to feed a crowd at a football watching party as whipping them up for a quick kid friendly dinner. These will be a favorite in no time!
Baked Chicken Nachos
I am about to say something a little controversial, but just stick with me for a minute.
Nachos are one of my favorite easy dinners.
I know… I know… Nachos aren’t dinner. WHY AREN’T YOU FEEDING YOUR FAMILY HEALTHY FOOD? I can feel the judgement of the internet coming down upon me.
These nachos don’t have to be the most ridiculously unhealthy thing though. They actually pack a pretty good punch in the veggie department and when I serve something in nachos, my kids don’t even question eating it. Nachos are their favorite dinner!
These nachos not only have chips and cheese (which I totally get aren’t that healthy,) but they are loaded with corn, black beans, fresh tender shredded chicken, peppers, guacamole (which my version has avocado, tomatoes, onions and lime,) Salsa (again, tons of yummy tomatoes and garlic,) a bit of sour cream, and fresh green cilantro.
So yes, you are right judgy internet. I am feeding them chips and cheese, but I am also getting in:
- black beans
- corn
- peppers
- tomatoes
- avocado
- onion
- multiple fresh herbs
ALL in ONE meal! And that my friends is is what I call a win! There is no way I would be able to get 3 little people to consume all of those side by side on a plate. Nachos are kind of like magic in my book!
The other huge win with this recipe is that you can make it super quick! You can go all out and make everything from scratch, but really this is one that I mostly use with either rotisserie chicken or leftovers from my green chile chicken or baked chicken fajitas. If you grab a chicken at the store, or have one of the other two leftover in the fridge, it literally can take as little as 10 minutes to get this in the oven.
How Do You Make Nachos?
How do you make these magical nachos you ask? I am so glad you did! Not only are you going to love how easy they are, but also how delicious. If you want another fun twist on your nachos, make sure to check out my Barbecue Chicken Nachos!
I am going to go through this recipe step by step here, answering all of the questions I usually get like and giving my own personal tips and tricks along the way. If you want the quick version feel free to scroll down to the bottom to grab the recipe card below.
Baked Chicken Nachos Recipe -Ingredients:
- 1 bag tortilla chips– When you are picking chips, you can use most varieties. I would avoid anything too thin. Although I usually absolutely love the Tostitos Cantina extra thin, they won’t hold up well with the weight and moisture of all of those yummy toppings.
- 16 oz sharp cheddar cheese– You can also use a mexi-blend or half cheddar, half monterey jack. I like sharp because it gives you a lot of flavor in every bite.
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn, drained well
- 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped (any color)- I love to use red, yellow or orange because I think they are the sweetest.
- 2 cups shredded chicken- Use either leftover chicken you have on hand or grab a rotisserie chicken to shred. When I use rotisserie, I generally mix it with a little salsa and a little taco seasoning to give it a great mexican inspired flavor.
For topping:
- guacamole- I adore this guacamole recipe.
- salsa- Use homemade or your favorite store bought
- sour cream- You can use any variety you like, regular, light or fat free
- cilantro- just a handful of fresh chopped cilantro will do!
Baked Chicken Nachos Recipe- Instructions
- Line a large sheet pan with foil. Then spread the bag of chips over it as spread out as possible. I don’t always use a whole bag, I just spread them out over the cookie sheet in a thin layer. You don’t have to worry about it being a single layer, just make sure there aren’t any super thick areas of chips.
- Sprinkle half the cheese over the nachos. Then evenly top them with the black beans, corn, chopped pepper, and chicken. Spread the remaining cheese over the top. Make sure the beans and corn are drained really well so they don’t make the chips soggy.
- How long do you cook nachos in the oven? Great question! Place in an oven preheated to 425˚F and bake the nachos for 10-15 minutes or until they are heated through and the cheese on top is just starting to brown. You can also use broil on low for this step, especially at the end if you want to add a little extra browning on that cheese.
- Remove from the oven and top with your choice of guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and fresh chopped cilantro. There are so many tasty toppings out there for nachos, and with these you really can’t go wrong. Let me know in the comments if you have any other great nacho toppings that I missed!
- Serve immediately – ENJOY! Make sure to serve these right away. Because the nachos have so much delicious stuff piled on top, they will get soggy fairly quickly, so you don’t want to make them too far in advance of when you want to eat them.
I hope you find that this recipe works its way to your regular family dinner rotation like it has at my house. If you get a chance to try it, I would love it if you would leave me a comment. Or take a pic of your creation and tag me on Instagram @easyfamilyrecipes. It makes my day to hear that people are making my recipes!
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Baked Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 16 oz sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 can black beans drained
- 1 can corn drained
- 1 sweet bell pepper any color
- 2 cups shredded chicken
For topping:
- guacamole- my favorite guacamole recipe here
- salsa
- sour cream
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Line a large sheet pan with foil. Then spread the bag of chips over it as spread out as possible.
- Sprinkle half the cheese over the nachos. Then evenly top them with the black beans, corn, chopped pepper, and chicken. Spread the remaining cheese over the top.
- Place in an oven preheated to 425˚F and bake the nachos for 10-15 minutes or until they are heated through and the cheese on top is just starting to brown.
- Remove from the oven and top with your choice of guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and fresh chopped cilantro.
- Serve immediately - ENJOY!
Recipe Notes:
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Seana Turner says
Great recipe! My daughter can’t eat red meat, so this would be a great alternative for her. If she makes them and brings them along, I think they would be a big hit, and it would be something she knows she could eat!
Kimber says
I don’t eat red meat either. Hopefully she can feel like she has a chicken eating friend here. If there’s one thing for sure… you can never go wrong with nachos at a party!
Jamie says
YUM!!!! Made these last night. THANK YOU, Kimber!!!!!
Kimber says
So glad you guys enjoyed them! This might be my kids favorite dinner!
Jenny says
These were the best! Corn and black beans were a nice addition. Thanks- my family just gobbled these up for the football game today ?