What better comfort food to feed a family than nachos. Flavoursome, easy to make and the perfect crowd pleaser just like these chicken fajita nachos that have been on repeat at our place. Chicken fajitas and a nacho recipe all in one.
- Crunchy corn chips
- Juicy, spiced and flavourful chicken
- Loads of veggies
- and loads of gooey cheese
If that all sounds like your kind of delicious then you’re going to love these chicken fajita nachos fresh from the oven.
If you love a comforting chicken dish, you’ll love this pesto chicken calzone and this one pot taco pasta too.
Table of contents
Never Miss a Recipe!
Get the latest recipes straight to your inbox!
Fajita nachos ingredients
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Chicken thighs (1): I like to use chicken thighs (1) for this recipe, they have better flavour and stay nice and juicy. You can use skinless chicken breasts however be careful not to overcook them or they’ll become dry.
- Crushed tomatoes (2): but just the tomato pulp. I strain out all the juice so we don’t end up with soggy nachos.
- Fajita Seasoning (3): I make my own fajita seasoning using garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder, onion powder and salt.
- Capsicum / bell peppers (4): red, yellow and green give a variety of flavour and colour.
- Vegetable oil (5): I use rice bran oil. It has a high heating point so it’s just what I always have in my kitchen but you can use something like canola, avocado or even a light flavoured olive oil.
- Onion (6): I like red onion for this but you can certainly use white or brown too.
- Cheese (7): Lots of it. I use a creamy cheddar but you could also add in some mozzarella for extra stringiness.
- Corn chips (8): This is the most important choice you’ll make. The best corn chips for nachos are thicker – they’ll hold their crunch much better and stave off the sog. Don’t go for a regular bag of plain Doritos, they may be great for snacking on but your nachos will be a soggy mess sooner rather than later. Have a good look at the types of corn chips you can get and pick the thicker ones.
RELATED: Try these oven baked chicken tacos.
What’s the best cheese for nachos
I touched on it above, but I like a creamy or semi-hard cheddar. You want a cheese that has a good strong flavour but also a nice melting texture, so I find a creamier cheddar best. Monterey Jack cheese is a firm favourite if you can get it.
You can add a little mozzarella if you want extra melty, stringy cheese but remember it has a very mild flavour so won’t add any flavour to the nachos here.
How to make them
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- The chicken fajita seasoning recipe: This is literally a case of mixing together 6 everyday spices in a bowl and it’s ready.
- Turn it into fajita chicken: Coat the chicken thighs in the fajita spice mix (photo 1) then heat some oil in a pan and cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until it’s just cooked through and starting to get that char on the outside (photos 2 & 3). Take it out and chop it up (quite small) (photo 4).
- OPTIONAL: Strain the tomatoes (photo 5 & 6): Technically you can leave out the tomatoes altogether but I don’t like a dry nacho filling so my solution: strain all the juice from some crushed tomatoes and add just the pulp. It adds some tomato flavour and a little moisture to the filling without adding liquid. Just a note – I now skip this step and don’t find the tomatoes necessary at all. Feel free to leave them out for extra crispy nachos still with plenty of flavour.
- Cook the veggies: Saute the capsicum (peppers) and onion (photo 7) until softened, then add the tomato puree (photo 8) and give it mix around. Add the chicken back (photo 9) and give it a good mix.
- Layer it up (photos 10, 11 & 12): The nachos pictured here are two layers high however in the years I’ve been making this recipe, I now just do one layer on a sheet pan. Choose your favourite way – 1 or 2 layers. Corn chips, cheese, chicken mix, cheese, and repeat.
You’ll love these Korean Chicken Tacos too.
How to avoid soggy nachos
No one likes soggy nachos, so here are my top tips for crunchy nachos
- Thick corn chips – the thicker the better.
- Cheese between every layer – this creates a bit of a barrier between the filling and the chips.
- Two layers – the layering effect helps to keep more of those chips crunchy.
- Eat it quickly – be ready to dig in as soon as those nachos come out of the oven. There is no avoiding them softening over time.
Toppings for nachos
These chicken fajita nachos don’t really even need any toppings since there is so much flavour in the filling, however, I always find it hard to go past a bit of chunky guacamole or sour cream with any Mexican food. This fresh jalapeno relish is gorgeous too.
Sliced jalapenos and coriander (cilantro) give it a kick and a bit of brightness too.
Can I use other meats?
Chicken breast will work as will ground beef or a nice steak. You could also use rotisserie chicken – add shredded rotisserie chicken once the veggies are cooked and along with all the spices making sure to mix it together well.
You can also use this classic homemade taco seasoning, in place of the fajita seasoning.
Did you try this chicken fajita nachos recipe?
Leaving a rating and comment below the recipe is so helpful!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to the newsletter for free recipes straight to your inbox. Also, follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
Ingredients
HOMEMADE FAJITA SEASONING
- 2 teaspoons paprika (notes 1)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Mexican chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
NACHO FILLING
- 1 tin (400g) crushed tomatoes (optional, see notes) (14 oz)
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 500 g chicken thighs (1.1 lb / 3 medium thighs)
- 1 small red capsicum / pepper (1 inch long slices)
- 1 small green capsicum / pepper (1 inch long slices)
- 1 small yellow capsicum / pepper (1 inch long slices)
- 1 small red onion (1 inch long slices)
- 2 cups firmly packed grated cheddar (225g / 8oz)
- 200 g thick corn tortilla chips (5 big handfuls / 7oz)
TO SERVE
- Sliced jalapenos, coriander (cilantro), guacamole, sour cream
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- non stick frying pan (best) or large skillet
- baking sheet or casserole dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 395F / 180C fan forced.
- Optional: I now skip the tomatoes when I make these nachos and they are still plenty flavourful and even crispier.Strain the crushed tomatoes into a bowl, pressing through with a spoon, until you have just ½ cup of pulp left. Reserve the purée for something else, you only need the tomatoes for the nachos.
- Mix the fajita seasoning ingredients (paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder and salt) together in a small bowl.
- In a cold non stick frying pan, combine the chicken thighs, spice mix and 3 teaspoons of oil. Mix well until the thighs are evenly coated.
- Place pan over medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip then cover for another 4-5 minutes or until cooked through (notes 2). Transfer chicken to a bowl with all the juices.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add the capsicum and onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. While that’s cooking, slice the chicken into small pieces.
- Add the tomato pulp to the pan with the vegetables, then cook, stirring, for a minute to evaporate any remaining juice.
- Add the chicken along with any juices from it and give it a stir to combine everything well. Take it off the heat.
- Place half of the chips into an 9 inch round casserole dish or skillet – slightly overlapping and some sticking up around the sides.
- Set aside ⅓ of the cheese for topping. Scatter ⅓ of the remaining cheese over the chips. Add half the chicken mixture and another ⅓ of the cheese. Repeat – corn chips, cheese, chicken topping it finally with the cheese you set aside. This puts the largest cheese portion on the top.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly
- Serve immediately, topped with jalapeños and coriander over the top and guacamole and sour cream on the side.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Paprika – I like mild or sweet but use smoked if you prefer
- Internal temperature of cooked chicken is 75C / 165F.
- Tomatoes: The tinned tomatoes are completely optional and are just there for an extra layer of flavour. You can just skip them altogether if you prefer – I do most of the time, these days.
This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission for my referral, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Sugar Salt Magic.
10 Comments on “Chicken Fajita Nachos”
Was such a yummy easy meal enjoyed by all, will definitely be making again
So happy you all love them, Brooke. Thank you so much for dropping back to leave a review 🙂
Made these to watch the grand final on the weekend. Delicious and easy. Thanks for the recipe I will be making these again
So happy you loved them Kim and thanks so much for trying my recipe.
This was such a delicious mid week meal I was able to whip up for the kids. I substituted chicken for mince and it packed a punch with flavour! I have a house full of little fussy eaters so was able to modify so easily for the kids without the capsicum and it was awesome. I am not buying the packet taco seasoning ever again your recipe is a household weekly winner 🏆😋
Thank you so much Deanna. So happy you loved it 🙂
We haven’t been out to have Mexican food in a really long time, this hits the spot!
Thanks Trang, so happy you love it
Our family comforting dish will certainly be a pasta. Next would be a pizza (flatbread) followed by a hearty soup served with toasted bread / cheesy bread. Nachos and other similar thing won’t be our first choice (Indeed, we rarely make this stuff), but looking at your photos, I am 100% ready to change my mind 🙂 This filing looks and sounds scrumptious on its own – no corn chips needed!
So glad I could change your mind Ben 🙂