Healthier Oven-Baked Chicken Nachos

Healthy(er) Indulgence

Oven-baked nachos are one of the first things I could make when I started cooking that had me thinking “wow, these are SO good.” Over time, I’ve loved mixing and matching different ingredients together to make ultimate trays of nachos, use up leftovers from the fridge, or bake a simple snack food to get me through the weekend.  These healthier oven-baked chicken nachos are one of the most common recipes I turn to. These nachos feel indulgent but don’t leave you feeling like you indulged.  The bulk of this try of comfort food is fresh produce and protein, meaning it makes for a great meal on its own. At our house we love to make a big tray of nachos on a Friday or Saturday night, make a floor picnic, and cozy up to watch a movie.  It’s great finger food that you can pick at for an entire show.

Tips for Making the Best Oven-Baked Chicken Nachos

In my practice of making oven-baked nachos, I’ve picked up a few tips along the way.  Here’s what I recommend when making this recipe, or any nacho recipe:

• The ingredient that truly makes a tray of nachos is the cheese.  When I make nachos, I love to add layers of cheese in between the ingredients. This helps to make sure you have cheese in every bite!
• Use fresh ingredients, when you can.  This doesn’t mean you have to make the salsa, guac, and protein homemade, but look at your grocery store for the ingredients made at the deli.  The fresher the taste of these ingredients, the higher of a quality your nachos will have. (bonus tips: I love the chili lime chicken in the refrigerated section of Trader Joe’s for these nachos - the perfect protein add)
• Saving leftovers from nachos can be challenging. The chips end up soggy and guacamole in the microwave feels wrong. If you do have leftovers, keep in them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them again.  To make it easy on myself, I usually pick up the parchment paper I baked them on and transfer it directly into a leftovers container.  Once you’re ready to reheat, scoop off as much of the guacamole, or anything else you’d prefer to keep cool, and heat the nachos in the oven at 350° for about 10 minutes.  Adding more cheese to the leftovers is always a good idea, too!
• Can’t find Mexican crema at your grocery store? Look for creme fraiche.  It’s really similar in taste and consistency. If you don’t have luck finding either, add a little bit of water to your sour cream and stir it in to incorporate.  It will give you a more similar consistency to crema.

Recipe Details

When it comes to making nachos, it’s all about the layering! The base, of course, is the tortilla chips.  Pick your favorite brand and style of chip, but I recommend something sturdy to hold up to all of the toppings you’re about to add.  I like to go for a triangle-cut white corn chip. On top of the layer of chips, add your first layer of cheddar cheese. This layer will help the rest of the ingredients stick to the chips, plus everything is better with more cheese, right?  Over the first level of cheese, add your black beans and cubed chicken, evenly distributing the pieces across the chips.  For the chicken, either use leftover pieces from a previous meal or buy it pre-bought either from the deli or refrigerated section of your grocery store. Add the rest of the cheddar cheese over the chicken and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Once the cheese has melted and the chips, chicken, and beans are warm, take your baking tray out of the oven. Over the warm nachos, add the rest of your fresh ingredients.  Starting with a generous sprinkle of cotjia cheese and pico de gallo.  When it comes to the pico, I like to go for a mild heat, but if you love spicy this is a great place to add in some heat! To finish up the nachos, add a few dollops of Mexican crema or cream cheese and guacamole onto the center of the tray, sprinkle fresh cilantro, and squeeze a half of a lime over the top.  Serve right away and enjoy!