One pan, straight onto the table, no plates.
Two cups of shredded chicken tossed with three quarters of a cup of barbecue sauce is a two-minute job at four in the afternoon. Do it then and the entire night reduces to layering.
Chips on foil, chicken and black beans and corn scattered across, two cups of Monterey Jack over everything, eight to ten minutes at 400F. Green onions and cilantro after it comes out, and the pan goes on a trivet in the middle of the table.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 4. Plan on 12 minutes (chicken precooked).
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 large bag (about 12 oz) tortilla chips
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup corn, thawed if frozen
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
How to Make It
- Toss the shredded chicken with the barbecue sauce in a bowl until evenly coated.
- Spread the tortilla chips on a foil-lined sheet pan and scatter the chicken, beans, and corn over the top.
- Cover with the cheese and bake at 400F for 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the chicken is hot.
- Top with green onions and cilantro and serve straight from the pan.
Do the Slow Part Early
Cook and sauce the chicken ahead so the only after-practice step is layering and baking. A sheet pan of nachos is ready 10 minutes after you walk in.
- Shred and sauce the chicken in the afternoon
- Drain the beans and thaw the corn ahead
- Line the sheet pan with foil so cleanup is one toss
Store and Reheat
Nachos are best fresh, so store the sauced chicken on its own and build a new pan when you reheat. Chips go soggy if you save the assembled pan.
- Microwave the sauced chicken 2 minutes, then layer onto fresh chips and broil
- Reheat leftover loaded nachos in a 375F oven 6 minutes to re-crisp
- Sauced chicken keeps 3 days in the fridge for a second round
- Serve with: sour cream, guacamole
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Line the pan, always
Foil turns cleanup into one crumpled sheet, which counts for a lot at nine.
Cheese goes over the toppings
Laid on last it glues everything to the chips so nothing slides off the scoop.
Build a fresh pan
Assembled nachos go limp in the fridge, so keep only the sauced chicken.
Sour cream and guacamole
Two small bowls let the picky one eat plain chips and cheese in peace.
Six minutes at 375F
Leftover loaded chips crisp back up in the oven and never in the microwave.
Plan the next step
Plan your sheet-pan nights
Use the planner to keep sauced chicken ready for nachos and other fast layered dinners.