Chicken Nachos and homemade queso

Cheesy, meaty nachos, perfect for game day

It’s that time of year again, football fans!! Super Bowl Sunday is upon us. Grab a beer, get your lucky whatever, and let’s eat some delicious food. 

Bar foods like sliders, chips and dip are the go-to groups during the Superbowl. So, let’s just combine all those and make some nachos. Nachos are one of the pillars of Tex-Mex Food, they can be found in many different varieties around the South. In New Orleans, I’ve had crawfish etouffee and crab rangoon nachos with fried wontons as chips. Nachos are a perfect, lazy meal where you can build layers of flavor in whatever ways you’d like. 

During the pandemic, while everyone was making sourdough, I was making pulled chicken and broth. It was a great way to reduce food waste by using odds and ends to create something vibrant, and I finally had the time to nurture a stock.  Eventually, I wanted nachos, one thing led to another, and now I’m here to share these pulled chicken nachos with you. While cooking the chicken breast you create an unctuous broth, the flavor of which goes back into the chicken. As the broth reduces, it tenderizes the chicken, creating the perfect bite.

While the meat is an important part of this dish, I think the queso is the real winner here. Golden rivers of cheesy goodness bind all your ingredients together, balanced on a crunchy salty chip. The two recipes I will be providing are the pulled chicken and the queso. If you don’t want to make a queso feel free to use your favorite jar of queso! I used about 3 cups total. I like a cheesy nacho.

Pulled Chicken Breast Nachos  

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours | Serving Size: 10

Gather

Pulled chicken breast

• 2 tablespoons butter, 
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon oregano 
• 2 teaspoon salt 
• 2 pounds chicken breast
• 4 cups chicken broth or enough to cover the chicken  (if you have bouillon cubes use 4 cups of water and 2 cubes)
• 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into quarters, leave the “butt” on the onion to keep them together 
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled, left whole
• Juice from 1 lime

Queso

• 2 cups (approx. 12-14 slices) American cheese
• 2 cups Oaxacan cheese, shredded
• 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded.
• ½ cup milk  
• 1-2 fresh jalapeños diced, keep seeds to add spice (if you have pickled, 2 tablespoons; do not add the pickling liquid) 
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon onion powder

Nacho Assembly

• 1 bag of tortilla chips
• queso (see above for a homemade recipe or use your own)
• pulled chicken; drained
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced 
• ½ medium onion, diced 
• cilantro; for garnish

FOLLOW

1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat butter. Add cumin, black pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt.
2. Cook for 2 – 4 minutes until seasonings become fragrant. Add chicken, and cover with broth or water. Add onions and garlic
3. Turn heat to medium-high to bring to a boil, uncovered. Once at a boil, top with lid and reduce to medium-low heat, let simmer for 1-2 hours.
4. When chicken is tender, and can be pulled apart with a fork, squeeze lime over the shredded chicken, stir, and let sit in liquid until ready to use.

Queso

1. Make a double boiler, by placing a heat-proof bowl over a pot, the pot should have a little water in it to create steam, but not enough to boil and touch the bottom of the bowl.
2. Place over medium heat. Place cheese and milk into a bowl, allow to melt, stirring occasionally. If the consistency is too thick, feel free to add more milk. 
3. Once the cheese is melted and combined, add jalapeños, onion powder,` and cumin. Keep the boiler, on low to keep queso warm while nachos are in the oven.

Assembly 

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Adjust one rack to the second from the bottom position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lay a single layer of chips down evenly over the baking sheet.  Layer with cheese, chicken, beans, and jalapeños. I like to add a smaller layer of cheese on the top as well. 
3. Place on lowered rack and bake for 5 mins. 
4. Serve with additional queso, green salsa, or favorite fixing. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, and guacamole. Plop down on the couch and enjoy!