Do you know what’s not yours?
Nachos!
But they could be with this recipe.
Okay, that’s the obvious joke out of the way. I’ve always found Nachos to be very underrated as a meal. Sure, they make a great snack, but they can be a more than substantial meal if you build it how you want it from scratch. Sure, you can throw some cheese on Doritos in 30 seconds and call it Nachos – but you’d be wrong.
This way may take more time than using tortilla chips out of a bag – and there’s nothing wrong with doing that as long as you’ve got your toppings done right – but this way is a lot more satisfying. We’re making everything – we’re using flour tortillas for the tortilla chips, seasoning and cooking the chicken, and making the guacamole and tomato salsa from scratch. If you’re happy to put in the time, then these might be a contender for the Ultimate Chicken Nachos.
Chicken Nachos with Guacamole & Salsa
Print RecipeIngredients
- For the Nachos
- 8 x White Flour Tortillas
- 1 x Jar of Green Jalapenos
- 250g Grated Cheese
- 2tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 x Chicken Breasts
- 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Cayenne
- ½ tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- For the Guacamole
- 1 x Ripe Avocado
- 1 x Red Onion
- 2 x Tomataoes
- Bunch of Coriander
- 1 x Lime, Juiced
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- For the Salsa
- 3 x Tomatoes
- 1 x Red Onion
- 3 x Green Chillies
- 1 x Clove of Garlic, Crushed
- Bunch of Coriander
- 1 x Lime, Juiced
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
Put the chicken breasts into a plastic bag, and then add the olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne, chilli powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, coriander, thyme, salt and pepper. Seal the bag and then rub the chicken until they're thoroughly coated. Place into the fridge to marinade for an hour before you want to eat.
Preheat an oven to 180°C (160°C Fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
For your tortilla chips, take your flour tortillas and - keeping them in a stack - cut them into 8 equal pieces, so you should have 64 tortilla chips in total. If you want more, then use more tortillas, but 8 was fine for me.
Place the tortilla pieces onto a couple of large baking trays, spreading them out evenly, and baking them for 6 - 7 minutes until they're lightly browned and slightly crisp. You don't want to overcook them as they will go very brown in very little time! Do them in two batches if you've got a smaller oven.
Remove from the oven, and place into a good sized ovenproof dish. Put to one side.
Remove the chicken from the fridge, and heat a little oil in a pan and bring up to a high heat. Place the chicken breasts into the pan and cook on both sides for a 2 -3 minutes to char the outside of the chicken. Once both sides have good colour, transfer to the oven (either in the pan if it's oven safe, or transfer to a baking sheet) and cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 75° C (165°F).
Remove the chicken from the oven, and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Once the chicken has rested, cut into slices and spread over the top of the tortilla chips.
Drain the jalapenos throughly, and spread those over the top of the tortilla chips too.
Lastly, grate the cheese (if not pre-grated) ) and spread over the top of the Nachos. Place into the over to cook for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.
While the Nachos are cooking, make the Guacamole by first peeling and de-stoning the Avocado and placing it into a large bowl and mashing it up with a fork.
Finely chop the red onions and place into the bowl with the Avocado.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters and then remove the seeds and discared. Now dice the tomatoes and add to the Avocado and Onion.
Coarsely chop the coriander and add to the Guacamole, and then add the juice of the lime, salt, sugar and olive oil and then mix together until thoroughly combined. Transfer into a clean bowl for serving.
Lastly, for the salsa, roughly chop the tomatoes, onions and chillies - removing the seeds and white flesh if you wish - and then add to a large bowl.
Crush the garlic, roughly chop the coriander, and then add the juice of the lime, olive oil, and sea salt and mix together with the tomaoes, onions and chillies. Transfer into a clean bowl.
Serve the Nachos with the Guacamole, Salsa and some Sour Cream and enjoy!
