Shredded Chicken Nachos
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Whether it’s game day, a family gathering, or a simple dinner, nothing beats a plate of loaded Shredded Chicken Nachos. These party nachos are piled high with juicy, flavorful shredded chicken that’s easy to make and versatile enough to adapt to your favorite cooking method (4 ways!).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: With options like using a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, you can get flavorful shredded chicken ready with minimal hands-on effort.
- Family-Friendly and Customizable: Each family member can top their nachos with what they love most, from gooey cheese and guacamole to simple salsa.
- Can Be Prepped Ahead: The shredded chicken can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer. When dinner time rolls around, all you have to do is assemble and bake—an excellent time-saver for busy weeknights.
- Minimal Cleanup: This recipe is practically a one-pan meal.
Ingredients
What makes these nachos delicious is the flavorful chicken. Use our simple recipe to infuse flavor. After chicken is cooked and shredded, you can add your toppings of choice.
4 Ways to Cook Chicken for Shredded Chicken Nachos
Bake in the Oven
Combine and toss all of the chicken ingredients in a glass baking dish. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken, until done.
Slow Cook in the Crockpot
Place all chicken ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. Really! That’s all it takes to get it done, otherwise, you’ll overcook and dry it out.
Here is a whole post about how long to cook chicken in the Crockpot.
Pressure Cook in the Instant Pot
Place chicken ingredients in a 6-quart Instant Pot. (Note: If using an 8-quart, add an additional 1/2 cup of broth.)
Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release of the pressure when the cook time is up.
Grill the Chicken
Pound out the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even cooking. Marinate the chicken in the ingredients listed for at least 1-2 hours.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400-450°F) and clean the grates well. Grill for 4-6 minutes per side, closing the lid in between flipping. The cook time may take a little longer, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
How to Know When Chicken is Done
Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internal temperature. A digital meat thermometer is a must to help cook chicken perfectly!
Assemble and Bake the Nachos
This is when the fun begins.
- Add tortilla chips to a baking sheet.
- Cover the chips with the desired amount of shredded chicken and cheese.
- Add baking sheet to the top rack of a cold oven. Turn the oven to broil on high.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Timing will vary depending on your oven so keep an eye on it!
- Top with toppings of your choice.
Make it in Advance
To make Shredded Chicken Nachos a freezer meal, you’ll just prep and freeze the seasoned chicken before cooking it.
Freeze For Later: Place seasoned chicken, salsa, lime juice, and cilantro into a gallon-sized freezer bag or container. Seal and freeze chicken alongside a bag of shredded cheese.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw and cook chicken any of the ways suggested below.
Mix It Up!
The chicken in this nacho recipe is really versatile! Try one of these alternate ways of serving the cooked chicken.
- Create a Chicken Burrito Bowl by serving the chicken and your favorite Mexican toppings over rice or quinoa.
- Make quesadillas with the chicken and cheese on whole wheat, corn, or gluten-free tortillas.
- Top a salad with this chicken, corn, black beans, shredded cheddar cheese, and cherry tomatoes. Use our Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette as the dressing.
- You can also change up the meats with our Shredded Beef Nachos, Ground Beef Nachos, or use our Crispy Carnitas!
What to Serve With Shredded Chicken Nachos
FAQs
Absolutely! The shredded chicken can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Just reheat it when you’re ready to assemble the nachos.
Stick to simple and kid-friendly options like shredded cheese, sour cream, and mild salsa. You can also set up a “nacho bar” with a variety of toppings so everyone can customize their plate to their liking.
To prevent soggy nachos, be sure to drain excess liquid from the shredded chicken or any wet toppings, like diced tomatoes. Also, this meal is best served immediately. The longer it sits out, the chips will absorb moisture.
Yes, but reheating nachos can be tricky. For the best results, reheat them in the oven at 350°F until the chips crisp up and the cheese melts again. Avoid microwaving, as this will make the chips soggy. Alternatively, deconstruct leftovers and use the toppings in other dishes, like a burrito bowl or taco salad.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Shredded Chicken Nachos
A simple, lime-infused marinade for chicken breasts produces flavorful and moist shredded chicken with a hint of heat. Use it atop baked nachos, which come together in just minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 cups salsa (your favorite kind)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 small limes)
- 1/3 cup of chopped fresh cilantro (sub: fresh parlsey)
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless medium chicken breasts*
- Half bag tortilla chips (about 6-7 ounces)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Optional Toppings: avocado, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, salsa, lime wedges, fresh chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes
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Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: Add the broth, taco seasoning, salsa, lime juice, and cilantro to a shallow dish or freezer bag. Stir or toss to combine. Add the chicken*, cover/seal, and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Cook Chicken: Cook using one of these methods. The chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internally and/or is no longer pink inside.
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- Bake in Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake the chicken & marinade uncovered in a glass dish for about 20-25 minutes, until done. May take longer depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- Slow Cooker: Add chicken & marinade to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
- Instant Pot: Place chicken and marinade in a 6-quart Instant Pot. (Note: If using an 8-quart, add an additional 1/2 cup of broth.) Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release of the pressure when the cook time is up. (Note: It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time starts.)
- Grill: Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400-450°F) and clean the grates well. Grill the chicken cutlets for about 4-6 minutes per side, closing the lid in between flipping, until done. The cook time may be longer depending on the thickness.
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- Shred Chicken: Using two forks shred the chicken (or dice if you prefer). Place the chicken back into the juices (skip this if you grilled the chicken.) Stir it around so it picks up a lot of that flavor and stays moist.
- Broil Nachos: Cover a rimmed sheet pan with parchment or foil for easy clean up. Spread out the tortilla chips on the pan in a single layer. Top the chips evenly with the shredded chicken (use a slotted spoon to drain excess liquid) and the cheese. Place chips in a cold oven on the top rack and turn the broiler on high. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese has fully melted (watch closely!). Timing will vary.
- Serve: Top with additional fresh toppings, as desired. Serve immediately.
Freeze For Later: Place the broth, taco seasoning, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, and chicken into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal, toss to combine, and freeze alongside a bag of shredded cheese.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw, using one of these safe thawing methods. Follow steps 2-5.
*If grilling the chicken: Before marinating, pound out the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even cooking. To do this, place one breast at a time inside a freezer bag and pound out.
Notes/Tips
- Shortcut: Use rotisserie chicken from the store. Shred it and toss with salsa, taco seasoning, and lime juice and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- You can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast if you want.
- You can fully cook and shred the chicken and then freeze it for later in the sauce.
- Don’t like cilantro? No worries. Just leave it out or use fresh parsley and the recipe works fine.
Very flavorful and easy
Glad you enjoyed these Ali, thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
I really want this to work, but I get the dreaded “food burn” notice. What can I do differently?
Oh man, those dang Instant Pots! We have heard from many testers and readers that the 8 quart Instant Pot gets burn notices frequently on tomato-based foods. The remedy is to add more liquid like chicken stock–basically thin out the liquid portion. Put some stock on the bottom of the pot, then add the chicken and other ingredients. I hope that helps!
Love this easy chicken recipe! The whole family loves the nachos and I froze the chicken for quick quesadilla and tacos another time.
So smart! Can’t let that delicious chicken go to waste!
This is so easy and makes nachos a much easier meal/snack (I was dicing and sautéing chicken with tomatoes before). Thanks for this great tip!
Great! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this.
This was really good. It definitely takes longer than 7 minutes to cook chicken breasts though. So I did 20 minutes high pressure so it would be tender and easier to shred.
I chicken breasts are always done in six or seven minutes on high pressure. I only do it longer if they are frozen, which is the same thing this recipe indicates.