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5.0 from 3 votes

BBQ Chicken Nachos

These BBQ chicken nachos with shredded bbq chicken, melty cheese, ranch, and cilantro over crispy tortilla chips are a fun and easy twist on traditional nachos.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
42 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 739 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

BBQ Shredded Chicken
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 4 small or 2 large*
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) butter salted or unsalted is fine
Nachos
  • 1 13 to 16-ounce bag of tortilla chips
  • 3 cups (12oz) shredded cheese I used 1 cup each of monterey jack, sharp cheddar, and smoked gouda
  • 1 to 2 roma tomatoes chopped
  • ½ red onion diced
  • 1 to 2 jalapeños sliced, optional
  • barbecue sauce for topping
  • ranch dressing for topping
  • ½ cup chopped, loosely packed cilantro for topping

Instructions

BBQ Shredded Chicken
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and water. Set aside.
  2. Pat chicken breasts dry and lightly salt and pepper both sides. Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat and melt butter.
  3. Add chicken breasts to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Flip the chicken breasts and pour barbecue sauce mixture over the top.
  4. Bring sauce to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low, keeping the sauce at just a simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken, re-cover, and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 165°F, usually around 3 to 6 minutes more.
  5. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow the sauce to continue simmering uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
  6. Shred chicken breasts and return shredded chicken to the pan of sauce. Stir until well-coated.
Nachos
  1. Cover a half sheet baking tray with half of the chips followed by half each of the cheese, shredded BBQ chicken*, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños. Layer remaining chips over the top followed by remaining chicken, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and finishing everything off with the last of the cheese.
  2. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until cheese is melted. Drizzle additional BBQ sauce and ranch dressing over the top* and then sprinkle with cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • *If starting with large chicken breasts, cut each piece of meat into 2 even cutlets by placing your hand on top of the chicken breast and running a sharp knife horizontally through the center of the breast, slicing the top and bottom into two thin, even pieces.
  • *If for any reason your BBQ chicken has cooled or been refrigerated before you assemble your nachos, reheat it before adding it to the chips. The nachos won't bake long enough to fully reheat cooled chicken. 
  • *To get perfect drizzle lines for the BBQ sauce and ranch dressing, you can transfer them to a squeeze bottle if you have one, or pour some sauce into plastic zip top bags, snip off an edge and draw your lines that way. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 739kcal (37%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 739

% Daily Value*

Calories 739kcal 37%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.