These chicken nachos are topped with queso, melted cheddar cheese, queso fresco, pico de gallo, chicken, avocado, black beans and avocado.
jump toRECIPE
These aren’t any ordinary nachos – they have three different types of cheese. The nachos are first topped with queso, then melted cheddar cheese and crumbled queso fresco. There are a lot of bad nachos out there in the world, and this is my attempt to right all the other wrongs.
I hate when you get a plate of nachos and the cheese is hardened to the chips. After being topped with cheese, these chips are then topped with chicken, black beans, green onion, avocado, jalapeño and pico de gallo.
Mornay – Mornay sauce is a Béchamel sauce with cheese added. The nacho cheese sauce used in this recipe is actually a Mornay. It starts with a roux base – butter with flour whisked in then milk is simmered until it’s thickened and shredded Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese is mixed in.
Cheddar cheese – Always use sharp Cheddar when cooking. If you use mild or medium Cheddar the flavor will cook out and the recipe will be lacking in that cheesy flavor.
Monterey Jack cheese – Monterey Jack cheese is a semi-hard mild cheese with a creamy texture that makes it great for melting.
Black beans – I typically use canned black beans in my recipes for a shortcut. Drain the beans of the liquid from the can and rinse in water prior to using them.
Chicken – This is a great use for leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken. I prefer grilled chicken breasts in this recipe because of the slightly smokey flavor it adds to the nachos.
How to Make Loaded Three-Cheese Nachos
Make a bechamel. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the flour, whisking to combine. Let the roux cook for a minute until a pale golden brown. Add the milk, whisking to incorporate.
Stir in the cheese. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low, whisking until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Slowly add 1 cup of the cheddar, the Monterey Jack cheese and salt, whisking to combine, until the cheese is completely melted.
Add cheese and broil. Preheat oven to broil, high. Spread the chips on a baking sheet and ladle cheese sauce over the top. Spread the remaining Cheddar cheese over the top and broil until the Cheddar has melted, about 1 minute.
Plate the chips. Remove from the oven and spread the chips topped with cheese on a large platter or serve on baking sheet.
Assemble. Top with the grilled chicken, beans, green onions, queso fresco, pico de gallo, avocado, jalapeños and sour cream.
Serve. Serve the chicken cheese nachos immediately.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this chicken nacho recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the flour, whisking to combine. Let the roux cook for a minute until a pale golden brown. Add the milk, whisking to incorporate.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low, whisking until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Slowly add 1 cup of the cheddar, the Monterey Jack cheese and salt, whisking to combine, until the cheese is completely melted.
Preheat oven to broil, high. Spread the chips on a baking sheet and ladle cheese sauce over the top. Spread the remaining Cheddar cheese over the top and broil until the Cheddar has melted, about 1 minute. Remove from the oven and spread the chips topped with cheese on a large platter.
Top with the grilled chicken, beans, green onions, queso fresco, pico de gallo, avocado, jalapeños and sour cream.
Serve immediately.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?
TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES!
@cookingwithcocktailrings
What a great recipe! Made this for Friday night dinner with ground beef instead of chicken. The cheese sauce was so good and the queso fresco on top of the nachos was a great addition. Will definitely be making this again! 🙂
What a great recipe! Made this for Friday night dinner with ground beef instead of chicken. The cheese sauce was so good and the queso fresco on top of the nachos was a great addition. Will definitely be making this again! 🙂
YAY! love that you used ground beef instead of chicken! Will need to try this with taco seasoned ground beef for sure!