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Easy Shredded Chicken Nachos Recipe

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You’re going to love these cheesy shredded chicken nachos! They are loaded with layers of crunchy chips, shredded salsa chicken, beans, and two layers of cheese. After a quick broil, it’s time to top with the perfect nacho toppings your heart desires. These loaded chicken nachos are the perfect blend of crunch, spice, and savory goodness. Whether you’re making game day snacks, having a movie night at home, or simply need a simple and quick dinner, these nachos in the oven are the perfect way to do it all.

If you love everything tacos, burritos, and nachos, try my cheesy black bean burritos, chicken fajita quesadillas, air fryer chicken flautas, walking taco casserole, or black bean quesaritos next time.

Hand holding a shredded chicken nacho.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

What You’ll Love About Shredded Chicken Nachos

  • So many delicious flavors
  • Cheesy crunchy layers
  • Filling and satisfying meal
  • Easy to prep
  • Easy to customize for the whole family
  • Can use shortcuts, leftover chicken or prep chicken ahead

Nacho Ingredients

  • Shredded chicken – I would recommend using this slow cooker chicken with salsa for these nachos, but you have lots of options (see below!).
  • Shredded cheese – I highly recommend using queso asadero or queso Oaxaca for the best flavor, but you can also use shredded cheddar, Mexican cheese blend, or Pepper jack cheese.
  • Beans – We prefer using refried black beans as the first choice, but canned refried beans will also work well. And if you prefer black beans or pinto beans, rinse and dry before layering them onto the nachos.
  • Lettuce – Use a crunchy lettuce like iceberg or romaine that is thinly shredded.
  • Avocado – Use a perfectly ripe avocado and if they are already a little mushy, consider making a quick guac and using that instead of diced.
  • Nacho toppings – Include your favorite toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo, diced tomatoes, squeeze of fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, diced red onion, sliced green onions, jalapeno peppers, black olives, hot sauce. This is what will take your sheet pan chicken nachos to the next level!
Ingredients to make shredded chicken nacho recipe.

How to Make Chicken Nachos

This is an overview on how to make easy shredded chicken nachos, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.

Prep. Preheat broiler and prep ingredients: heat shredded chicken for nachos, chop lettuce, chop cilantro, dice onion, dice avocado.
Assemble chicken nachos. On a large sheet pan, spread out a single layer of tortilla chips. Top with a layer of shredded cheese, dollops of beans, drained chicken mixture, and another layer of cheese. TIP: Drain chicken well so that it doesn’t make your nachos soggy.
GIF showing layering shredded chicken nachos.
Cook nachos. Broil nachos on the second or third rack down for 1-3 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Watch closely as this will cook quickly! Top with fresh toppings.
Baked shredded chicken nachos on a sheet pan with toppings.

How to Make Shredded Chicken for Nachos

You have a number of options for the shredded chicken for nachos:

  • Crockpot Salsa Chicken – This two-ingredient chicken is perfect for this easy nachos recipe, tacos, burritos, or burrito bowls.
  • Rotisserie Chicken – Remove skin and pull chicken meat off the bones. Roughly chop or shred with your hands.
  • Sous Vide Chicken Breast – This is the juiciest shredded ever, but will take a little advanced planning.
  • Grilled Chicken – You can always use grilled or baked chicken as well – dice up before layering it on the nachos.

Storage Instructions

Nachos are best eaten immediately, but components can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

How to Prep Ahead

The best way to prep this easy recipe ahead is to cook your skinless chicken breasts – cook with salsa or a little bit of taco seasoning for some extra flavor.

You could also prep ahead some of the toppings a day or two in advance.

Spatula lifting shredded chicken nachos off of sheet pan tray.

What to Serve with Chicken Nachos Recipe

This chicken nachos recipe can really be served all on its own, but feel free to add some sides if you want more veggies or to stretch the meal:

How to Feed Shredded Chicken Nachos Recipe to the Whole Family

I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.

I would recommend having everyone make their own sheet pan nachos nachos! Watch the video above to see how I did this with our family, but what you’ll want to do is make smaller trays made out of aluminum foil so they all fit on a larger baking sheet and then let everyone decide what goes on their nachos.

And of course, serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.

Tray of shredded chicken nacho.

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Hand picking up a chicken nacho.

More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes

If you like easy chicken recipes like this one, be sure to try these other chicken recipes:

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Hand holding a shredded chicken nacho.

Easy Shredded Chicken Nachos Recipe

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Description

You’re going to love these cheesy shredded chicken nachos! They are loaded with layers of chips, shredded chicken, beans, and cheese, plus fresh toppings! 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 cups shredded salsa chicken
  • bag of tortilla chips (I recommend thicker chips so they are sturdier)
  • 16 oz. shredded cheese
  • 15 oz. can of refried beans
  • 1 head romaine lettuce
  • 1 medium avocado
  • pico de gallo
  • sour cream
  • chopped cilantro
  • chopped red onion
  • extras: hot sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. Prep ingredients:
    Heat chicken in microwave or stove top if not already heated through.
    Wash and chop lettuce.
    Wash and chop cilantro.
    Mince red onion.
    Dice avocado.
  3. On a large sheet pan, put down a single layer of chips. Top with a layer of shredded cheese, dollops of refried beans, drained chicken mixture (you don’t want too much moisture or the chips will get mushy), and some more shredded cheese.
  4. Broil until the cheese has melted, 1-3 minutes, watching closely.
  5. Top with desired fresh toppings.


Notes

  • You’ll need cooked chicken for this recipe. I recommend crockpot salsa chicken, but you could also use shredded chicken from the store, rotisserie chicken, or grilled chicken. 

Keywords: shredded chicken nacho recipe, shredded chicken nachos, nacho recipe, chicken nachos recipe

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  1. […] jerk chicken nachos (simply swap the shredded chicken for jerk chicken in these nachos) with leftover chicken and top with shredded Monterey jack cheese, sliced jalapenos, and black […]

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