If you like fajitas and you like nachos, then you’re going to love these loaded chicken fajitas nachos. A combo of cooked chicken, sautéed onions, and colorful bell peppers are piled on top of crispy tortilla chips in a sheet pan then covered in cheese that melts perfectly in the oven. From casual weeknight dinners to fun gatherings with friends, these Tex-Mex-inspired nachos are sure to be a crowd-pleasing favorite.
I’m just going to say it – these nachos are killer.
This recipe is what I like to call a “round 2 recipe” because you can use just about any leftover chicken you have in it.
Which isn’t to say you can’t cook up the chicken specifically for this recipe – it works either way.
While my family likes to eat these nachos for dinner, they absolutely work as an appetizer as well. I’ve written the serving size as 8 people for that reason.
Plus these are so easy to make and don’t have that much prep, making them handy when you don’t have a ton of time. Or have a hungry family to feed. Or both!
Grab these ingredients
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Tortilla chips – use chips that are on the thicker side as the fajita ingredients can be a little wet. This way the chips will hold up better when cooking.
- Cooked chicken – I like to use my Mexican grilled chicken breast for this recipe, but you can use any type of cooked chicken you have.
- Shredded cheese – you can buy pre-shredded cheese or shred your own. Cheese you shred on your own does tend to melt better so keep that in mind. I like to do a blend of cheddar cheese and pepper jack for these nachos.
- Onion – any white, yellow, or red onion would work, whichever you like best or have on hand.
- Bell peppers – I like to get two different colors of bell peppers but you can use whatever colors you’d like.
- Oil – this will be used for sauteeing the onions and bell peppers so use whatever oil you like cooking with. I like a mild oil like avocado oil.
- Salt – you want just a little bit of salt to season the veggies as they cook. I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt in this recipe as it’s less salty by volume than other salts, leaving a little more room for error. If you use a different salt, check out this salt conversion chart from Epicurious.
- Toppings – these can be whatever you like, but I tend to do pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole or avocado. You could also add on jalapeno, black beans, salsa, or anything else you like!
Making loaded chicken nachos on a sheet pan
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
There are just three really easy steps to making these nachos.
- Cook the veggies.
- Load the ingredients onto a sheet pan.
- Put it in the oven.
This recipe assumes you already have cooked chicken. As I mentioned previously, I like to use my grilled Mexican chicken breast, but you can you any leftover chicken you have or even buy a rotisserie chicken to use.
Saute the veggies
First things first – preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then move on to cooking the onions and bell peppers.
Assemble onto a sheet pan
Next, everything gets put onto a sheet pan – be sure and use one with a lip, not a flat cookie sheet!
Cook in the oven
Now it’s time to melt it all together!
Can you reheat chicken fajitas nachos?
Yes, you can reheat fajita nachos, but it’s difficult to get them crispy as the fajitas ingredients are inherently wet. The best way I’ve found to do it is as follows:
- Store the nachos (with the parchment paper underneath) in an airtight container in the fridge – they only really keep for 1 day.
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees F, placing the nachos with parchment paper on a sheet pan.
- Bake them until warmed through, between 7 and 10 minutes.
They may not turn out as crispy as the day they were cooked, but they will crisp up a bit and still taste delicious.
What to eat with nachos
If you’re looking to serve this as a dinner, here are some ideas for side dishes that go with nachos.
- a simple side salad, like this blueberry spinach salad;
- a crunchy coleslaw, along the lines of this purple cabbage slaw;
- a fruit dish, like some watermelon basil salad; or
- other fun appetizers, like these cucumber bites or these BBQ smoked meatballs.
Pin these loaded chicken nachos for later!
YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND PINTEREST TO SEE MORE GOOD TO EAT, GLUTEN FREE FOOD ON AND OFF THE GRILL.
If you like this chicken fajita nachos recipe, then please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Loaded Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Nachos
Ingredients
- 11 oz bag of Tortilla Chips
- 0.75 pounds cooked chicken roughly 3 thighs or 1 breast
- 10-12 ounces shredded cheese depending on how cheesy you like your nachos
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 2 bell peppers
- ½ tbsp oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- toppings salsa, pico de gallo, jalapeno, avocado, guacamole, sour cream, etc
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take a large nonstick pan, pour the oil in it, and place it over medium heat on the stove.
- Peel the skin off the onion and use a large sharp knife and cutting board to slice it into thin layers. Place the sliced onion in the pan, turn the heat to low, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. While the onion is cooking, remove the seed and stems from the bell peppers. Use the knife to cut the pepper into strips the cut the strips into thirds or fourths, depending on your preference. Add the cut bell pepper into the pan with the onion. Sprinkle the kosher salt onto the veggies and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, until softened.
- While the peppers and onions are cooking, lay the tortilla chips out in a crowded single layer on top of the parchment paper. Make sure there are no spots where you can see the parchment paper – you want to try and get the toppings on as many chips as possible and not have them fall through to the bottom of the pan.
- Use the knife and cutting board to chop the cooked chicken into quarter-inch to half-inch pieces. Sprinkle the pieces evenly over the tortilla chips.
- Once the veggies are done cooking, spread them in an even layer on top of the tortilla chips and chicken. Do the same with the shredded cheese, covering each chip as best you can.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and cook for between 12 and 20 minutes, depending on how big and how hot your oven runs. Check the nachos after 10 minutes to see how fast the cheese is melting and cook in 3 minutes increments until the cheese is melted to your liking and starting to brown. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and serve the nachos with whatever toppings you like.
Leave a comment