Tex-Mex Chicken & Pineapple Nachos
Easy Tex-Mex chicken nachos loaded with pineapple jalapeño salsa, homemade nacho cheese, guacamole, sour cream & crispy onions. They're perfect for sharing.
Servings: 6 People
Equipment
- Large Baking Tray (I Used A Rimmed 12x15" Tray)
Ingredients
Nachos
- 400 g Tortilla Chips
- 150 g Mature Cheddar (Grated)
- 120 g Sour Cream
- 50 g Pickled Jalapeños
- 40 g Crispy Onions (See Notes)
- A Handful Of Coriander Leaves
- Shredded Chicken (Recipe Below)
- Nacho Cheese Sauce (Recipe Below)
- Pineapple Salsa (Recipe Below)
- Guacamole (Recipe Below)
Chicken Marinade
- 1 kg Chicken Thighs (See Notes)
- 60 g Olive Oil
- 50 g Tomato Paste
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- Zest Of 1 Lime
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Nacho Cheese
- 40 g Unsalted Butter
- 40 g Plain Flour
- 500 g Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Pickled Jalapeño Juice
- 2 tsp French's Mustard
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 200 g American Cheese Slices (Unwrapped)
- 100 g Cheddar (Grated)
To Cook The Chicken
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 300 ml Chicken Stock
- 50 g Unsalted Butter (Chopped)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Half A Cinnamon Stick
Pineapple & Pickled Jalapeño Salsa
- Half A Large Pineapple (Peeled & Core Removed)
- 6 Slices Pickled Jalapeño (See Notes)
- 1 Echalion Shallot (Peeled)
- The Zest Of 1 Lime
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
Guacamole
- 2 Large Ripe Avocadoes
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
- Add all of the marinade into a large mixing bowl, stir to combine then add in the chicken thighs.
- Give the chicken thighs a toss in the marinade, so that they're all completely coated then transfer to an airtight container (or zip lock bag) & chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or up to a day.An overnight marinade is best!
Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Add the butter into a large saucepan then set over a medium heat & leave to melt, stirring frequently. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour then cook out for a minute, stirring constantly.
- Gradually add the milk in, a third at a time, letting each addition of milk thicken up before adding in more. Make sure to whisk regularly. Once the last addition of milk has been added, turn the heat down to low then cook out gently until thick. This will take 4-5 minutes.
- Once the sauce is thick, stir in the jalapeño juice, mustard, garlic powder & cayenne. Season to taste with salt & pepper now as well.
- To finish, take the pan off the heat, add in the cheese then stir to melt. Give the sauce a quick blend with a stick blender then set aside until you assemble the nachos. If you've made the sauce ahead of time, chill it in the fridge then reheat on the stove just before assembling the nachos.
Cooking The Chicken
- Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f). Whilst your oven is preheating, take the chicken out of the fridge & place onto a baking tray, skin side up. Then use kitchen paper to wipe any excess marinade off the chicken skin.
- Next, set a large skillet/frying pan over a medium heat, add in the tbsp of veg oil then leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.Make sure to use an oven proof skillet!
- Place the chicken thighs into the pan, skin side down then let them cook undisturbed for 5-10 minutes, until the skin is crisp & golden. Make sure to keep an eye on the chicken skin as it cooks, to prevent it from burning!
- Once the chicken skin is crisp & golden, use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken over then add in the chicken stock, butter, cinnamon stick & bay leaves. Transfer the pan into the preheated oven then roast for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75°c/167°f.The stock shouldn't completely cover the chicken, as we want the skin to stay crisp. You may need to use less stock, depending on the size of your pan.
- Once cooked, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a chopping board. Shred the meat then place into a mixing bowl along with a tablespoon of the cooking stock and mix to combine. Make sure to discard any bones! Any skin can be roughly chopped & stirred through the meat.
- Turn your oven down to 180°c/356°f once the chicken is cooked.
Pineapple Salsa - Make Whilst The Chicken Cooks/Rests
- Chop the pineapple into a 5mm dice, finely dice the shallot & jalapeños then add into a mixing bowl. Add in the lime (zest & juice), coriander, olive oil & salt then stir to combine.
Guacamole - Make Whilst The Chicken Cooks/Rests
- Halve the avocados, remove the stones then scoop the flesh out & place into a mixing bowl.
- Add the lime juice into the bowl, season the avocado with salt & pepper then mash with a whisk (or a fork). You can make it as smooth as you like, or keep it chunky!
Nachos
- Line the base of a large baking tray with baking parchment then top with half of the tortilla chips. They should be overlapping slightly & covering the bottom of the tin.
- Top the tortilla chips with half of the nacho cheese sauce, half of the shredded chicken and half of the grated cheese. Make sure to evenly distribute the toppings!
- Place the rest of the tortilla chips on top of the first layer then top with the remaining nacho cheese, shredded chicken & grated cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- To finish, add spoonfuls of sour cream & guacamole on top of the nachos then spoon the salsa on top and sprinkle over the pickled jalapeños, crispy onions & coriander.
Notes
1. To Cook On An Aga - Bake the nachos in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners. For the chicken & nacho cheese sauce, see the individual recipe cards for the Aga cooking instructions.
2. Components - The nacho cheese, Tex-Mex chicken & pineapple salsa all have their own detailed recipe posts! I used shop bought crispy onions for these nachos but you could make your own if you like.
3. Tortilla Chips - Using good quality tortilla chips makes all the difference when making nachos! I used Gran Luchito.
4. Making In Advance - The pineapple salsa, shredded chicken & nacho cheese sauce can all be made a couple of days ahead of time & stored in the fridge. The nacho cheese sauce should be reheated on the stove (over a low heat) but the chicken can be used cold. You may need to bake the nachos for another 5 minutes, to ensure that the meat is piping hot!
5. Leftovers - Leftover nachos can be reheated by being baked at 180°c/356°f until piping hot. Cover them with foil if they start to colour too much.