My dad’s chicken nachos are one of his best dishes – pretty much anytime we would have company over, these would be on the menu for the starter. People would go nuts over these and they’d be gone within minutes. Sometimes my dad would whip these up for a day of football watching along with his buffalo wings and while the wings were so delicious, these were definitely the star. The bonus part? They’re super simple to make.
The real name for these are “chichen nachos” – I am not sure why we called them that, but that’s the name their known by. Anytime my brother or I hear chichen nachos, we know exactly what we’re going to get- spicy chicken and lots of melty cheese and always served in the oval glass dish – never anything else. When I told my parents that I had started this blog I immediately knew that I wanted each of them to do a guest post and make one of their best dishes since I am constantly inspired by their cooking. While both of them make many meals that are so delicious, my mom and I both knew what my dad should make.
Last week they drove down to Charlotte from Illinois to spend some time with me and go and visit my brother in South Carolina. They knew we just had to make these nachos to post, so they even brought down the iconic dish that my dad always makes them in. They went to the store one morning while I was at work to gather all of the ingredients and then my dad went to work crafting these delicious nachos. He cooked while I photographed (and had my mom help!).
My dad is not a measure type of person, but I made him measure for this recipe so I could post it. As always, go by your preference on taste. While making the nachos, my dad pointed out a few times that you could add more or less of any of the ingredients so it is to your liking, especially for the spice level. My dad had everything chopped and ready to go, so after a quick amount of prep by chopping all the veggies and shredding the cheese, they were ready in less than 30 minutes. Once you try these nachos you’ll see what all the fuss is about and you’ll be making these for guests every time you have people over, trust me.
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb chicken breasts, cut up in small pieces
- Oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chile powder
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 6 oz cheddar, grated
- 6 oz pepper jack, grated
- 8oz tub of queso blanco, heated up in the microwave so it has a melted consistency (I bought it at Whole Foods with jalapenos)
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1-2 jalapenos, diced or sliced
- Cilantro, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Heat up a skillet over medium-high heat and add a little oil. Add the chicken and the salt, cumin, chile powder, and red chili flakes. Cook until chicken is fully cooked through and set aside.
- In an oven proof dish, start with a layer of tortilla chips. Add half of the chicken, half of the cheddar, pepper jack, queso blanco, green onions, tomato, yellow onion, and jalapenos. Top with another layer of chips and the remaining ingredients. Turn on the broiler to high and put the nachos under the broiler. Once the nachos have gotten brown and bubbly, turn off the broiler and leave in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with a few green onions and a handful of cilantro and serve immediately with a pico de gallo on the side.
- Note: My dad makes his own pico de gallo and it's fantastic. It's really simple, you just add diced tomatoes, onion, and a bit of jalapeno and mix in some cilantro. It's fantastic with these nachos or on its own with some tortilla chips after the nachos have been eaten. If you can, make your own - and just adjust to your tastes.
In this post: oval glass bakeware
0
0
0
0
0
0
Ugh. STOP. I am so hungry now 🙁 🙁 My husband will be in love with this meal this summer.
Haha sorry! – they are soooo good – and yes, perfect in the summer when you don’t want a full meal 🙂
These look amazing! I’ve never seen nachos like those before!
Thank you!! They are delicious 🙂
Yum!!!!!!!! Somehow I’m always not around when chichen nachos come out. You’ll have to do a sundae post sometime this summer!! xo
Oops, sundae PIE! Got so distracted thinking about it that I couldn’t type!
Haha I knew what you meant! Can’t believe you haven’t had the nachos- next time you see him, he’s going to have to make them for you! And yes, sundae pie is definitely going to HAVE to happen- I don’t think I’ve had it since hilton head? That has got to change!! Mint choco chip ice cream maybe? Now I’m going to be thinking about it all day!
I know! I’ve had many of his specialties but not those! I don’t think I’ve had it since then either! Ooh ya, mint chip would be amazing – I always like it with coffee too. I have A BUNCH of places I want to take you guys next time you’re out here!!! I’m getting hungry just thinking about all the places we’ll go!
Yummmm coffee ice cream would be especially good!! Yeah I need to plan a trip out there soon, I’ve been telling mom that we need a girls trip(including grandma!) to Hawaii or something- and of course that would mean getting to spend some time in the city and getting to go to all the places you want to take us!! I’m all about an adventure especially where food is concerned!!