Loaded BBQ Chicken Nachos with Cilantro Lime Crema
These BBQ chicken nachos are loaded with saucy chicken, melty cheese, hot peppers, and bright cilantro lime crema! Inspired by traditional nachos, these are made in the oven for a sweet, savory, and easy party snack. Save this recipe for game day and get-togethers with friends!
Ingredients
BBQ Chicken
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts (454 grams)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon neutral oil (14 grams)
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (180 milliliters)
- 3/4 cup water (180 milliliters)
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, plus more as needed (132 grams)
Cilantro Lime Crema
- 1/2 cup crema or sour cream (130 grams)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (14 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more as needed (28 grams)
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Nachos & Assembly
- 15 ounces tortilla chips (425 grams)
- 2 cups freshly-shredded Monterey Jack cheese (200 grams)
- 2 cups freshly-shredded sharp cheddar cheese (200 grams)
- 1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained (439 grams)
- 1/2 cup pickled onions, drained (60 grams)
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
- 1-2 red chilis, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, diced
- Salsa, guacamole, etc. for serving
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- sheet pan
Instructions
BBQ Chicken
- In a small bowl, combine the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and cayenne. Set aside. Pat the chicken thighs or breasts dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it's very hot and shimmering. Add the chicken to the pan, and sear for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken. Add the chicken broth and water to the pan, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Partially cover the pan and simmer the chicken for 8-12 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the liquid is mostly evaporated.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pan, and shred it on a cutting board with two forks. Return the chicken to the pan and toss it with the BBQ sauce any any spices leftover in the pan. Taste, and add more BBQ sauce and salt if desired.
Cilantro-Lime Crema
- Add the crema (or sour cream), cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and a big pinch of salt to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until the crema is very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Taste and add more lime juice or salt if needed.
Nachos & Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread half the tortilla chips on a sheet pan. Sprinkle the chips with half of the cheese, beans, and BBQ chicken. Add one more layer of chips, cheese, beans, and BBQ chicken.
- Bake the nachos for 5-6 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Top the nachos with pickled onions, jalapeños, red chilis, and avocado. Drizzle the nachos with the cilantro lime crema. Serve immediately with salsa, guacamole, and other toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Use good chips! You want something light and crispy but durable enough to hold lots of ingredients.
You can also make the chicken in the slow cooker! Place the chicken in the bottom of the bowl of a slow cooker. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle the spices over the top. Add the chicken broth and water. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the slow cooker. Use two forks to shred the chicken and toss it with BBQ sauce.
Add the BBQ sauce to the shredded chicken in the hot skillet. The residual heat will help the sauce stick to the chicken.
If you don't have a food processor, you can also make the crema by hand. Just finely chop the cilantro and garlic. In a small bowl, whisk together the crema, chopped cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, minced garlic, and salt. The crema will be a bit more chunky but it will still taste delicious!
Nachos should have layers for the best chip-to-topping ratio. Make sure you're adding 2-3 layers of chips, beans, & chicken on the sheet pan so each bite is full of delicious toppings!
Make sure all of the ingredients are bite-sized. Nachos can be messy but they shouldn't be hard to eat!
Keep hot and cold ingredients separate. Hot cheese = good, but hot guacamole = sad. Anything that you want to serve warm like meat, cheese, and beans should be layered and baked. But, anything cold like salsas, avocado, and crema should be added last or served on the side.
Scale this recipe up for a party. Just divide the ingredients between a couple of sheet pans if you're making a lot. You can also halve the recipe for a small group!
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 544kcal, Carbohydrates: 31.8g, Protein: 31.6g, Fat: 32.6g, Saturated Fat: 14.6g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 712mg, Potassium: 517mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5.8g, Calcium: 500mg, Iron: 2mg
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