Loaded Chili-Lime Chicken Nachos Recipe

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Nachos are the best way to make a snack feel like an entire meal. Even in their simplest form, the warm, crispy tortilla chips covered in melted cheese are as filling as any quesadilla, and equally as fun and easy to eat. Beyond the simple, microwaved, shredded cheese-style version we've all succumbed to on lazy evenings, nachos can be piled high with dozens of creative toppings, and are a genius way to serve a crowd on a single sheet pan. The key is to add a deliciously seasoned meat, a few spicy pickled peppers, and plenty of vegetables and sauces.

This loaded chili-lime chicken nachos recipe written with developer Michelle McGlinn parts from the usual beefy nacho layer and instead features a spicy, tangy shredded chicken. Besides cheese (which in this recipe is a smooth and creamy Velveeta sauce), the nachos are also topped with spicy pickled jalapeños, avocados, sour cream, and a homemade pico de gallo. All sprinkled, drizzled, and shredded over a crispy tortilla chip base, this loaded nacho recipe is sure to be a crowd favorite at any function.

To make the chicken, you'll first need olive oil, lime, honey, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and chicken breasts or boneless thighs. For the pico de gallo, you'll also need either one beefsteak or three Roma tomatoes and a red (or white) onion. From there, you'll need ingredients for the toppings, like Velveeta, tortilla chips, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, and a fresh avocado.

Add olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to a large bowl.

Add chicken and coat with marinade, then cover and marinate for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium heat.

Add the chicken and marinade to the skillet and cook, turning halfway through, for 4 minutes or until browned.

Transfer the chicken to the oven to finish cooking, 15-20 minutes longer.

When chicken is cooked to 165 F, remove from the oven and use two forks to shred into pieces.

Cube the Velveeta and add to a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

Cook, stirring constantly, until Velveeta is melted.

Arrange tortilla chips on a baking sheet and pour Velveeta sauce over top. Arrange the chicken on top of the cheese, then transfer to the oven for 5 minutes to warm.

In the meantime, make the pico de gallo. Add the diced tomato, onion, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, and salt to a small bowl and stir.

Remove the nachos from the oven and top with pico de gallo.

Top nachos with pickled jalapeños, avocado, and cilantro, then squeeze the sour cream over the top to serve.

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There are many ways to make nachos, and it's likely that most of us have sprinkled shredded cheese over chips for a fast and easy version. Doing this results in melted cheese, but the cheese may be waxy, chunky, and a little less gooey than a smooth and creamy cheese sauce. Cheese sauce can be made completely from scratch by making a roux with butter and flour, then adding milk and cheese. This creates a thick and creamy cheese sauce that can be poured over nachos. Even better is using sodium citrate, which acts as an emulsifier and gives cheese sauce an even smoother, clump-free texture that never breaks or curdles. We can't all have sodium citrate in our pantry, though, so the next best thing? Velveeta.

Velveeta is a cheese product that is famously shelf-stable. Made with milk proteins and whey, Velveeta actually doesn't count as cheese — but it's close enough, and contains the magic ingredient that makes perfect, creamy nacho sauce: sodium citrate. When melting the Velveeta down to liquid, you'll notice that the sauce effortlessly becomes creamy and stays that way long after the heat is off. You can always add more cheese to make it cheesier, or a splash of milk to thin it out, or even added spices to add a little more depth of flavor or heat.

Besides the classic nacho toppings suggested in this recipe, you can also add a variety of toppings to the chicken and tortilla spread. First, you can add cheeses to make it even more dairy-heavy, such as shredded pepper Jack or crumbled cotija. You can also swap the pickled jalapeños for pickled red onions if you prefer tart, tangy flavor over spice. For more spice, you can consider adding chipotle mayo instead of just sour cream, which will amp up the heat and complement the spicy lime chicken.

Because chicken is so versatile, you can also add less conventional nacho toppings, too, such as barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, and bacon, for a chicken-barbecue-ranch twist. You could also drizzle the nachos with Buffalo sauce and scallions for a spicy, saucy twist, or even load up with feta, olives, and tzatziki for a fun, Mediterranean chicken nacho. You can also use up leftover rotisserie chicken instead of following the recipe as-written by marinating and cooking chicken breasts, but know that your nachos will be missing that chile-lime flavor profile.

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