Chicken Nachos
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These ultimate sheet pan chicken nachos start with rotisserie chicken simmered in a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce, piled with cheese, and baked until melty and crisp. Easy enough for a weeknight, fun for a party, and always a hit.
When I want a dinner that feels a little fun, I turn to these sheet pan chicken nachos. Alongside my favorite beef nachos, they’re one of the few “appetizers” I can reliably pass off as a meal. Piled high with pulled rotisserie chicken simmered in a smoky, chipotle-tomato sauce with generous layers of melty cheese, they’re insanely delicious. And everyone is happy when I say, “Nachos for dinner!”
This homemade chicken nachos recipe yields two generous sheet pans—perfect for game day spreads, movie nights, or casual family dinners. The chicken mixture is so flavorful you can repurpose it into chicken quesadillas, chicken tacos, or crispy tostadas later in the week. Serve your nachos with bowls of salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and maybe even a pitcher of margaritas if you’re feeling festive.
Whether you’re feeding a crowd or just want a no-fuss, one-pan dinner that doesn’t skimp on flavor, these baked chicken nachos hit all the right notes. Crisp chips, saucy chicken, and gooey cheese—what more could you want?
“BEST NACHOS HANDS DOWN. My husband and I are obsessed!”
How to make chicken nachos
Step 1: Make the chicken topping. Cook the onion and garlic in a large skillet with olive oil until soft and translucent. Be sure to stir frequently and make sure they don’t brown. You may need to reduce the heat if they start to brown.
Add the tomato sauce, chipotle peppers and sauce, sugar, cumin, oregano, and salt to the skillet with the onions. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to concentrate the flavor.
Add the shredded chicken and cilantro to the sauce in the skillet and mix until everything is evenly combined.
Step 2: Assemble the nachos. Arrange the tortilla chips in a single layer, overlapping slightly, on two 13 x 18-inch baking sheets. Spread the chicken evenly over the chips. Sprinkle shredded Mexican blend cheese and grated pecorino Romano cheese evenly over the chicken.
Step 3: Bake and Serve. Bake your sheet pan chicken nachos until the cheese is melted. Remove the nachos from the oven, then sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately with the toppings on the side.
Jenn’s Pro Tips for the Best Sheet Pan Nachos
- Don’t skimp on the cheese: I know almost 8 cups of cheese seems like a lot, but loaded chicken nachos require a generous topping of melted cheese. Plus, light-on-the-cheese nachos are just plain sad!
- Time savers: Rotisserie chicken and a quick guacamole will save you time. For a quick version of guacamole, mash some diced avocado with a little lime juice and salt to taste.
- Make ahead: Nachos are best served immediately. If you want to get ahead of things you can make the chicken up to two days in advance and store in the refrigerator. Make sure to warm it up slightly before layering your nachos.
- Layer evenly: Make sure the chips are in a single layer and you spread out the toppings to ensure every chip has toppings.
- Customize the toppings: You can swap the chicken for another protein such as shredded beef or pork or feel free to add additional toppings like jalapeños, black beans, or corn.
- Serving ideas: Turn your chicken nachos into a full meal with Mexican rice or your other favorite Mexican dishes on the side! It’s also perfect for parties or game day gatherings served with other party appetizers such as 7 layer dip, baked chicken wings, and pigs in a blanket.
More Mexican-inspired recipes to try
Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos
Nachos for dinner? Always a win. These sheet pan chicken nachos are loaded with saucy pulled chicken and plenty of melty cheese.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon sauce from can
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, from 1 rotisserie chicken
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
For the Nachos
- 1 (13-oz) bag tortilla chips
- 7 cups (28 oz) shredded Mexican blend cheese
- ⅔ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
- ¼ cup finely sliced scallions, from 2 to 3 scallions
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
For Serving (Optional)
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Limes wedges
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- Add the tomato sauce, chipotle peppers and sauce, sugar, cumin, oregano, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cilantro.
For the Nachos
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set two racks in the center of the oven.
- Arrange the tortilla chips in a single layer, overlapping slightly, on two 13 x 18-inch baking sheets. Spread the chicken evenly over the chips, followed by the cheeses.
- Bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the nachos from the oven, then sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, passing the guacamole, sour cream, and lime wedges separately.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The chicken mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead of time. Warm the chicken to room temperature in the microwave before assembling the nachos.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the optional ingredients for serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 appetizer-sized servings)
- Calories: 624
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 677 mg
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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OFF THE THE CHAIN JENN! Made the roasted salsa to go with the nachos. OMG with your margaritas….. happy girl/family
What kind of cheese would you use if the Mexican cheeses were easy to find, as they are in Texas? Cotija? Queso fresco?
Hi Karen, Cotija would be perfect.
I needed to make a vegetarian version, so in place of the chicken, I shredded extra firm tofu (squeeze the water out of it and then shred it). It worked well as the sauce is very flavorful. We found the cumin a bit overpowering (but maybe I added too much). Thank you as always for your great recipes!
This looks great for a potluck dinner we will be going to. The only thing is that for whatever reason, I have always hated the taste of chipotle chiles (and am not sure if I can source them here in Malaysia anyway.) Could I just add some chili powder to the sauce or something else?
Hi Jessica, I would replace the chipotle peppers and the tomato sauce with one 14-oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes. It would be nice with 1 tsp. of smoked paprika added to the tomatoes (as it will lend a nice smoky flavor that mimics the smokiness of the adobo sauce). Hope you enjoy!
Thank you, Jenn!!! These were absolutely inhaled at the potluck we attended. A great way to make friends with our new neighbors. 🙂
My whole family loved these nachos! My picky eater and meat eater were both satisfied 😊 This one is a keeper!
I noticed you didn’t give nutrition information for these as you usually do. Are they as fattening as they seem? They do sound delicious.
My family of 5 loves all of your recipes!
Hi Arielle, I was struggling with how to calculate the number of servings as they could be an appetizer or a main dish. I’ve calculated/added them based on 10 appetizer-sized portions. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Jenn,
My daughter and I are addicted to chicken nachos at a local eatery. I would love to surprise her at home with these! My only worry is that she is not yet into foods that are too spicy. What sort of adjustment would you recommend to bring the spiciness down a bit without sacrificing too much flavor?
Thanks,
pmm
The chicken mixture itself is spicy but the nachos really aren’t too spicy. That said, it’s fine to cut the amount of chipotle peppers and sauce in half. Hope you and your daughter enjoy them!
We are literally devouring these right now!! Sooooooo good! I did reduce the amount of peppers and it has enough heat and flavor that we both can enjoy them! Thank you for another winner, Jenn!!!
You have perfect timing. Our theme for this week’s dinners has been Mexican, so we’ve made your chicken tacos, your quesadillas, Mexican lasagna and last night, we were thinking of nachos for tonight!
We do, however, have a 3 year old and I’m wondering if the Chipotle peppers would make this spicy for her? Any recommendations to make this toddler-friendly? We were even thinking using toasted pita chips to make it a little healthier.
Hi Bea, The chicken itself is spicy but the nachos aren’t really that hot, thanks to all that cheese. But go ahead and reduce the chipotle peppers if you’d like to tone it down.
In the photo, I am seeing avacado but it is not listed as an ingredient?
HI Laurie, Sorry for any confusion – I list guacamole as an optional ingredient for serving. Hope you enjoy the nachos if you try them!
I’m a huge fan of your Texas Chilli (as are any of my friends who have tried it) but I really can’t bring myself to add Chipotle chilli powder to it – the smell just reminds me of cigarette ash trays. In that recipe I use a regular hot chilli powder alongside the other spices, will this approach work for this recipe too?
Sure, Lee, that would work here. Hope you enjoy!
I’m wondering to assemble at home before I take to a friends or wait and assemble right before I serve? Thanks! I’ve made a couple of times and they just keep getting better!
Hi Glenna, I think it will stay more crispy if you assemble it right before you put it in the oven. Hope everyone enjoys!