BBQ Chicken Nachos
Make the best BBQ chicken nachos! These chicken nachos are loaded with tender chicken, BBQ sauce, and a super simple homemade cheese sauce. I use several shortcuts like cooked shredded chicken and store-bought BBQ sauce, so they’re easy to make. They’re better than any restaurant nachos and perfect for parties, game days, or make them for dinner!
These easy chicken nachos are a super-sized appetizer, snack, or even dinner, perfectly layered and fully loaded with tender chicken, BBQ sauce, creamy cheese sauce, and shredded cheese. And (bonus!) they are not complicated to make. Make them for game day, make them for a party, or make them for a random Friday night. You’ll never go out for nachos again.
What I love about these nachos, besides all of the layers of deliciousness, is the creamy white cheddar cheese sauce. It takes less than five minutes to make and elevates these nachos to a whole new level. The cheese sauce is the perfect velvety topping that stays smooth even after the nachos have cooled off.
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken: I use shredded rotisserie chicken, but you can use leftover chicken or roast turkey.
- Tortilla chips: Sturdy chips work best, so they hold up after they’re layered with the toppings.
- White cheddar cheese: The cheese is mixed with cornstarch and cream to make a smooth cheese sauce. White cheddar is delicious, but I’ve also made the sauce with smoked cheddar cheese and sharp cheddar cheese.
- BBQ sauce: Pick your favorite brand.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: I like to add some shredded cheese in addition to the cheese sauce. It adds a nice texture.
- Jalapeno: Fresh diced jalapeno is great or you can make it easy and use canned diced jalapenos.
- Onion: A little diced red onion adds flavor and a little pop of color.
- Garnishes: A squeeze of fresh lime juice and some fresh cilantro add the finishing touch.
How to Make the Nachos
☑️ Make the Cheese Sauce
Place the shredded cheese in a saucepan. Add the cornstarch and lightly toss the cheese to coat it evenly. Add the cream and then turn the heat to medium. Warm the cheese mixture, stirring often, until the sauce is smooth.
☑️ Assemble the Nachos
Grab a large sheet pan and line it with foil. The goal is to build up the nachos with even layers of all the toppings.
Now for the fun part: nacho assembly! Pro tip: With all the drizzling, it helps to channel your inner Jackson Pollack.
- Start by spreading half the tortilla chips in an even layer and top them with half the shredded chicken. Drizzle half of the barbecue sauce over the top of the chicken.
- Drizzle half of the cheddar cheese sauce over the BBQ sauce.
- Sprinkle half of the jalapeno and red onion over the top of the sauce.
- Spread half of the shredded cheddar cheese over the top to finish the first layer.
Starting with the chips, repeat these layers until you’ve used up all of the ingredients.
☑️ Bake
Bake the nachos: Pop the sheet pan nachos into a 375°F oven and bake them for about 10 minutes or so.
Once the shredded cheese has melted and the top layer of chips is toasty, they’re ready to serve. I like to squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top, along with some chopped cilantro or parsley.
☑️ Reheating Tips
The nachos are best hot from the oven, but if you have leftovers, you can reheat nachos in a 350°F oven until the chips crisp up a bit and the cheese is warmed up.
More Ways to Make Nachos
BBQ Chicken Nachos
Layers of chicken, cheese, BBQ sauce, and tortilla chips – these BBQ chicken nachos have it all!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Cheese Sauce (see note)
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Nachos
- 1 (11-ounce) bag tortilla chips
- 10 ounces shredded rotisserie chicken (see note)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 large jalapeno, stem, seeds, and ribs removed and finely chopped (see note)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
- Make the cheese sauce: Place the white cheddar cheese in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the top and toss to coat the cheese evenly. Add the cream and heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cheese has melted. Turn the heat to low. The cheese sauce will be very thin, but will thicken as it stands.
- Assemble the nachos: Spread half of the tortilla chips in an even layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle half of the shredded chicken over the top. Drizzle half of the BBQ sauce over the top followed by half of the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese, jalapeno, and onion evenly over the top. Spread the rest of the chips over the top, followed by the rest of the BBQ sauce, cheese sauce, jalapeno, onion, and shredded cheddar.
- Bake the nachos for ten minutes or until they are warmed through, and the shredded cheese is melted. Squeeze the lime juice over the top of the nachos, followed by the chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Notes
Cheese sauce: This homemade cheese sauce is so simple, but if you want to save a few minutes, use your favorite jarred nacho cheese sauce.
Chicken: Shredded rotisserie chicken works great, but any cooked chicken will work fine. So, if you have some leftover cooked chicken on hand, use it! Shred or dice it before you make the nachos.
Jalapeno: If you want to skip the fresh jalapeno, use a can or two of diced jalapenos.
Other toppings: Some guacamole and sour cream go well with these nachos, too!
Nutrition
- Calories: 591
- Sugar: 15.7g
- Sodium: 870.6mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 16.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.8g
- Carbohydrates: 46.2g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 23.5g
- Cholesterol: 106mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Recipes with Cheese Sauce
I hope you try these nachos soon! They’re perfect for parties, game day, or make them for dinner when you want to treat yourself. Enjoy!
Happy nacho-making!
This BBQ chicken nachos post has been updated from the archives. It was first published in October 2019.
Fantastic! Love everything about these bbq chicken nachos!
So glad you liked the recipe!