Loaded with melty cheese and tender seasoned chicken thighs, these chicken fajita nachos are everything you want in nachos and more. This is easy comfort food at it’s best.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs (1.1 lb / 3 medium thighs)
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning homemade or store-bought (notes 2)
- 3 small capsicums / bell pepper 1 each red, yelllow, green looks great
- 1 small red onion 1 inch long slices
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos chopped, optional
- 2 cups, firmly packed grated cheddar (225g / 8oz) (notes 3)
- 200 g thick corn tortilla chips (5 big handfuls / 7oz)
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Sliced jalapenos
- coriander/cilantro
- guacamole or diced avocado
- sour cream
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- non stick frying pan (best) or large skillet
- chopping board
- baking sheet or casserole dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan forced) / 395F.
- In a cold non stick frying pan, combine the chicken thighs, spice mix and half of the oil. Mix well until the thighs are evenly coated.
- Place pan over medium-high heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping a couple of times so the spices don’t burn and try to splay out the thick parts as it cooks too. Set the chicken aside on a plate.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the remaining oil to any leftover chickeny flavour in the pan. Add the capsicum, onion and pickled jalapenos, if using. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring often.
- Meanwhile, slice the chicken into small pieces.
- Turn the heat off and add the chicken along with any juices from it to the pan. Make sure to scrape in any spices left behind on the chopping board too. Give it a stir to combine everything well.
- Spread the corn chips out on a large pan, overlapping where needed so there are no gaps.
- Scatter over ⅓ of the cheese (this provides a moisture barrier so the chips stay crispier). Now, add the chicken mixture and the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly
- Serve immediately, topped with your favourite toppings.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Fajita seasoning: Use the recipe below to make your own or see my fajita seasoning recipe to make a larger batch so you have it ready to go any time.
- 2 teaspoons paprika (hot, sweet, mild or smoked)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Mexican chilli powder or other (not cayenne)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- Cheese: Use a good cheddar cheese grated from the block yourself (so important for texture). I use a creamy cheddar like Edam or Colby which have a slightly milder flavour than classic cheddar cheese and get a good melty texture. Monterey Jack is a popular choice. Use Pepper jack if you want some extra spice. You can also add some mozzarella for even more gooeyness but it is much milder in flavour so keep that in mind.
- Internal temperature of cooked chicken is 75C / 165F.
- Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.
