ULTIMATE CHICKEN NACHOS RECIPES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, vegetable oil, and cayenne pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes, or longer if desired.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture, and fry until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spread a thin layer of tortilla chips in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken, 1/4 of the chilies, and 1/4 of the cheese over the chips. Repeat layers ending with cheese on the top.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Serve with your favorite nacho toppings.

Steps:

• Cook's note. Do the prep work first, and the dish will come together effortlessly. Assemble all ingredients before beginning. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I cook my chicken tenders while my chips and cheeses are heating in the oven. With a little practice, they both get done at the same time.
• PREPARE CHICKEN TENDERS Remove any skin or fat from the tenders and blot dry with paper towels and set aside.
• PREPARE TOPPINGS Chop your tomatoes, green onions, olives and avocado. You will need sour cream and jalapeno rings or anything else you can't live without on a nacho. :)
• You will also need a jar of Tostitos salsa con queso, a salsa flavored cheese sauce/dip, and a can of Fritos bean dip. (The bean dip works better in this recipe than the traditional refried beans) Grate your Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese.
• PREPARE THE CHIPS, BEANS AND CHEESES You will need a medium size bag of Santitas white corn chips. You can use yellow, if you prefer, or mix white and yellow corn chips together. You will also need a 9 X 13 baking dish to build your Nachos.
• Place 3/4 of the bag of Santitas chips in the baking dish. Spoon dollops of Fritos bean dip over the first layer of chips, using all of the can of bean dip on this bottom layer.
• Spoon 1 cup of the salsa con queso and 1 cup of the Tillamook sharp grated cheese evenly over the chips. (This is to our preference, you can reduce the amount of cheese if you prefer. Avoid adding more because you don't want it to be soggy). Place the baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until salsa con queso and chips are hot.
• Remove baking dish from oven and add the remaining layer of chips and spoon on the salsa con queso and bake another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven, and sprinkle the remaining cup of Tillamook cheese on top. Leave dish in the oven to keep warm and melt the cheese.
• SEASONINGS FOR THE CHICKEN Sprinkle chicken tenders on both sides with salt and pepper, to your taste.
• Sprinkle with the remaining seasonings: garlic powder, and a pinch of chipotle pepper. If you like it spicy hot, season both sides with chipotle. (Don't forget there are jalapenos as a garnish for the top of the dish!:)
• HOW TO COOK THE CHICKEN Heat a couple of tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet and a pat of butter until hot, but not smoking.
• Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the chicken tenders. When the chicken is nicely brown, turn it over. Adjust heat to medium. Fry the other side. Don't overcook the chicken, but do get a good sear on it.
• Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into large chunks, set aside and tent the chicken to keep it warm.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven and add the toppings in the following order: tomatoes, olives, jalapeno, avocado and cooked chipotle chicken. Add sour cream and sprinkle with chopped green onions last.
• Serve immediately. Enjoy!
• Here is a closeup!