Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos Recipe

What foodstuff is better than loaded nachos? Alright, perhaps in terms of nutrition, there are a few things that score more points than nachos — kale salad, we're looking at you — but in terms of taste, they're pretty hard to beat. You've got the crunch of the chips, the salty, gooey goodness of the cheese, the spice of a favorite salsa, the bite of onions or chives, the cooling sour cream and, when you do it right, you have a good deal of tasty protein, too. And this recipe, courtesy of recipe developer Christina Musgrave of Tasting with Tina, does it right! 

These sheet pan chicken nachos transcend appetizer or snack and come to be more of a meal unto themselves. An easy-to-make and impossible not to enjoy meal, at that. Ah, but when to make this treat of a dish? "I love serving these for a football game or tailgate, girl's night, or for having a casual hangout with friends," says Musgrave. "These are great for a crowd."

So, assemble the gang, grab your sheet pan, and let's feed 'em!

To make a large, delectable serving of nachos, start with an entire bag of your preferred tortilla chips. You'll also need shredded chicken, a can of black beans, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, a diced Roma tomato, a sliced jalapeño, a diced red onion, and roughly-chopped cilantro, if desired.

Asked if there is a standout ingredient, Musgrave says: "There's no star ingredient, but the biggest time-saver in this recipe is shredded chicken. Using rotisserie chicken, buying shredded chicken, or using leftover chicken to make these will save a ton of time."

Start off these nachos by preheating your oven up to 400 F. Then, prepare that sheet pan by rolling a large piece of foil out over it. 

Evenly spread out the entire bag of chips across the pan, then top them with the shredded cheese and the shredded chicken. You'll also want to add the black beans in this step, but before you just dump the beans out onto the pan, make sure you drain, rinse, and pat them dry to prevent adding unnecessary moisture to the chips. 

Once the oven is hot, pop the pan in and bake the nachos for about 8-10 minutes, or just as long as it takes for the cheese to completely melt. Once the cheese has melted evenly, remove the pan from the oven and set about adding your toppings. Add the diced tomato, sliced jalapeño, and onion, then dollop the sour cream in spoonfuls before sprinkling the cilantro on top, if desired. 

And of course, you can add any of your personal favorite toppings, from salsa to hot sauce to corn or black olives. Musgrave says: "Try to space out the toppings as much as you can so you get maximum flavor and texture in every bite.

That's it, you're done! It's best to serve the nachos right away, right off the sheet pan itself, though you can use a broad spatula to lift out portions and plate them or put them in shallow bowls. Just grab some napkins either way, as eating nachos can be a messy but delighttul affair. As for kitchen cleanup? That's easy. "I love that the recipe is made and served on one pan," says Mugrave. "It helps a ton with cleanup and makes it super easy!"