This easy recipe for BBQ chicken skillet baked nachos is a great way to add variety to your nacho game.
Nachos.....for dinner..... on a weeknight.....sign me up!! Who can resist the cheesy crunchy spicy goodness of a plate of chips loaded with your favorite toppings and served in a rustic cast iron skillet for added "dramatic effect?" Not me. If having nachos on a weeknight seems a little too cray cray for you, there's still 3 games left in the NCAA March Madness tournament....that's plenty of time for you make cast iron skillet nachos. And most people would say that nachos during a game is totally appropriate from a "diet" standpoint.
But in all seriousness, you don't need to feel guilty about eating these nachos. No sir. They're topped with lean shredded chicken breast and loaded with veggies. Veggies as in thin sliced crispy zucchini {fyi: it pairs delightfully well with BBQ sauce) and smokey shishito pepper. Say wha?? Shi-shi-to peppers. From Trader Joe's. This store just gets it. Every time I go there, it's an experience. Not just an everyday trip to the grocery store - more of a trip to a treasure trove of foodie-approved delicacies that I can't seem to find anywhere else in Lincoln. I walk through the door of Trader Joe's and immediately hear a choir of angels singing in my head.....
We should probably get back to singing the praises of these nachos....I used as little cheese as humanely possible for a skillet full of nachos. And if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty of wholesome, I used organic whole grain sweet potato tortilla chips. This is as healthy as nachos can get, my friends. And that doesn't mean they're not good. Far from true - these were "da bomb".....in the words of my dear husband. He'd eat them for dinner every week if I'd let him.
Now I've got to tell you a little secret before we move on to the recipe....this is one of the best time-saving tricks I've ever learned in the kitchen. Did you know that you can shred chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment??? Perfectly shredded chicken. No knife and fork required. 10 minutes of time saved. It's true - try it. As soon as I sauteed some chicken breasts, I plopped them in the bowl of my mixer, set the speed on low, and let it go for about 2 minutes. Hot, juicy shredded chicken ready to pile on top of yo cho's. Let's eat, kids!
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30 Minute BBQ Chicken Skillet Nachos
Ingredients
- Two 5-ounce chicken breast cutlets
- ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Cooking oil for sauteeing chicken
- 3 cups Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips I love "Food Should Taste Good" brand
- 1 ½ cups shredded chicken breasts from above
- ¼ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1 medium zucchini
- ½ cup of shishito peppers thinly sliced (or ⅓ cup thinly sliced fresh jalapenos)
- 1 ¼ cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- Optional for serving: lime wedges and fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Place a 10'' cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats.
- Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with ancho powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Saute the chicken in a small amount of oil for about 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Place the hot, cooked chicken breasts in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer speed to low - it will shred the chicken in about 2 minutes.
- While you saute the chicken, sliced the zucchini into quarters and then slice each quarter into ¼'' thick triangles. Thinly slice the shishito peppers until you get to the top part with the seeds. Discard the tops of the peppers with the seeds.
- Assemble the nachos: remove cast iron skillet from preheated oven. Place chips in the bottom of skillet, followed by shredded chicken, BB1 sauce, zucchini, shishito peppers, and finally cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and bubbles over all your yummy toppings.
- Serve the nachos piping hot topped with fresh cilantro leaves and a few squeezes of lime juice. Enjoy!
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