Roasted Chicken Nachos With Green Chili-Cheese Sauce

Nachos made into a meal.

serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed (or used canned if unavailable)
• 2 jalapeños, stemmed
• ½ medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
• Kosher (coarse or margarita) salt
• ¼ cup (60 ml / ½ stick) unsalted butter
• ¼ cup (60 ml) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (480 ml) chicken stock, at room temperature
• 4 cups (950 ml) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 bag (1 pound / 450 g) salted corn tortilla chips
• 1 ea. (3 pounds / 1350 g) whole roasted chicken, meat finely shredded, skin and bones discarded
• 1 pint (570 ml) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped
• 2 handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, hand shredded
• 2 limes, juiced
• Kosher (coarse or margarita) salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Sour cream and guacamole, for serving

Steps

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil; add the tomatillos, jalapeños, onion, and garlic. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatillos are soft.
2. Drain and cool slightly, then put them in a blender.
3. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and cumin. Puree for a few seconds to blend, and then pour in about a ¼ cup of water and process to a coarse puree; taste and season with a generous pinch of salt. You should have about 2 cups of this green salsa (salsa verde).
4. Make a roux by melting the butter over medium-low heat in a thick-bottomed saucepan.
5. Just as the foam subsides, sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps.
6. Cook for 2–3 minutes to remove the starchy taste from the flour; don't allow it to brown.
7. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and simmer for 8 minutes to thicken.
8. Once you have a good base, fold in 2 cups of the shredded Jack cheese; mix until completely melted into a sauce.
9. Stir in the prepared salsa verde until incorporated; remove the green chili cheese sauce from the heat.
10. Make a quick salsa by combining the cherry tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice in a bowl; season with salt and pepper, tossing to combine.
11. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
12. Get a very large oven-proof platter and cover it with a few handfuls of tortilla chips, follow with a portion of the shredded chicken, a coating of the cheese sauce, and a nice sprinkle of the remaining shredded jack.
13. Make 3–4 layers of the nachos, depending on the size of the platter.
14. Bake the nachos until they are all hot and gooey, about 5–10 minutes.
15. Spoon the tomato salsa over the top of the nachos and serve with the sour cream on the side.

More recipes with chile peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, cumin, butter, flour, chicken, broth or stock, monterey jack cheese, tortillas or tomatoes

Adapted from “Roasted Chicken Nachos With Green Chili-Cheese Sauce” in the Wikibooks Cookbook by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for this site; this page's recipe text is shared under the same license.