Loaded Buffalo Chicken Nachos
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Buffalo Chicken Nachos pack all the flavor of your favorite buffalo wing with the cheesy goodness of a nacho. Loaded with shredded cheese, buffalo chicken, and endless toppings these easy to make sheet pan nachos are a one-of-a-kind recipe!
Table of contents
This buffalo chicken nacho recipe takes everything you love about nachos (crispy tortilla chips, melty cheese, and endless toppings) and the best things about buffalo chicken (hot buffalo sauce and crumbly blue cheese) and puts them together for an unforgettable loaded nacho!
I created this easy to make nacho recipe when I needed to use up a rotisserie chicken. It was easy to chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and flavor with some buffalo sauce I had leftover from my Air Fryer Chicken Wings.
This mash-up of nachos with the flavor of your favorite buffalo wings is truly a one-of-a-kind dish that your whole family with love!
Why we love these loaded nachos
Aside from being dangerously addictive there are many reasons to love these crispy, hot buffalo chicken nachos. They are:
- Easy to make – Rotisserie chicken takes the hard work out of making these nachos.
- Super-versatile – You can add or remove any toppings based on dietary needs and personal taste preference.
- Quick to bake – In and out of the oven in under 10 minutes, it just doesn’t get much better than that!
- Feeds a crowd – You can scale this recipe up or down depending upon the number of people you need to feed.
History of Nachos
Nachos are known for their crunchy tortilla chips, melty cheese, and all the toppings your heart can handle. This Tex-Mex dish originated in northern Mexico, near the Texas border. They are served as a snack, appetizer, and even in some cases as your meal.
Toppings for nachos span from simple to extravagant and no matter what your dietary need or personal preference, there is a nacho out there just perfect for you!
How to Make Crispy Buffalo Chicken Nachos
Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Nachos
- Hot Buffalo Sauce – Mixed with unsalted butter to make a creamy, spicy buffalo coating.
- Chicken – Cooked rotisserie chicken chopped into bite-sized pieces.
- Smoked Paprika – For a little extra kick.
- Tortilla chips – These will make the base of the nachos. I suggest picking your favorite, sturdy tortilla chip.
- Toppings – Shredded Mexican cheese blend, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, olives, jalapeño, avocado, cilantro, and blue cheese (optional but highly recommended)
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter heats up, add the hot buffalo sauce.
- Once the mixture heats up, add chicken pieces and paprika. Cook in the sauce pan for 3-4 minutes until most of the sauce is absorbed. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Layer with tortilla chips, followed by 1 cup of cheese and the chicken pieces.
- Layer with remaining cup of cheese. Top with onions, tomatoes, olives, and sliced jalapeños.
- Bake for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted through.
- Serve with chopped avocados, cilantro, and crumbled blue cheese.
Melt butter in pan. Add buffalo sauce. Add the chopped chicken. Stir chicken to coat. Cook 3-4 minutes. Layer tortilla chips on baking sheet. Layer cheese, chicken, cheese. Top with onion, jalapeño, tomatoes, and olives. Bake 5 minutes.
Recipe notes
Tips for Prepping Ahead
If you are planning on making and serving these buffalo chicken nachos for a party or game day celebration, prepping a few things in advance will make assembly and baking go much more smoothly. To prep ahead:
- Make the buffalo chicken a day or two before. Simply make the hot buffalo sauce, cook the chicken pieces with the sauce and paprika, and store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days before making the nachos. Reheat the buffalo chicken in the microwave before topping on the tortilla chips and baking the nachos.
- Chop the toppings ahead. Get your onion, tomato, olives, and jalapeño diced up to 3 days before you plan to make the nachos. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble your chicken nachos.
- Use pre-shredded cheese. Skip shredding your own cheese and buy a pre-shredded package of Mexican blend cheese for the nachos.
The Best Nacho Toppings
Some of my favorite toppings to use on these buffalo chicken nachos are avocado, blue cheese, and cilantro. If you are looking for some other ways to top these tasty nachos try:
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced green or red onion
- Sour cream mixed with ranch seasoning drizzled on top
- Black beans
How to store and reheat left-over nachos
While I highly recommend finishing your platter of nachos I do understand that sometimes you are just too full and can’t finish the plate. To store and reheat your left-over nachos follow these directions.
- Remove the cold toppings from the nachos. Scrape off the avocado, cilantro, and blue cheese. You will also want to remove any sour cream or shredded lettuce if you added those to the nachos. Store in an air-tight container.
- Remove the chicken, onions, tomatoes, olives, and jalapeños as best as possible and store in a separate air-tight container.
- Place the cheese coated tortilla chips in a single layer in a ziplock bag. I like to put them on a paper plate so it’s easier to handle the bag.
- To reheat, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the tortilla chip in a single layer on the baking sheet followed by the chicken, onions, tomatoes, olives, and jalapeños. Add additional cheese to give the nachos maximum cheesiness.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cold toppings such as the avocado, blue cheese, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions about nachos
The first layer of nachos should always be the tortilla chips. After your tortilla chip layer, I suggest adding cheese before adding the meat and other toppings. This gives the other toppings something to melt into.
One of the best ways to prevent soggy nachos and keep your cheesy nachos crisp is to allow the cold toppings (avocado, cilantro, and blue cheese) to come to room temperature before putting them on the baked nachos. This will prevent them from cooling or condensing on the crisp, hot nachos.
I think it’s better to bake the nachos. This keeps the cheese from getting over-cooked and crunchy. Keeping the nachos oh-so gooey and perfect for snacking!
At 350°F, bake your nachos between 5-10 minutes.
Other recipes you’ll love
If you love these Buffalo Chicken Nachos, then you will love these other easy appetizer recipes!
- Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Wings – Juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, these air fryer chicken wings are finger-licking good!
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets – These 20-minute chicken nuggets made from ground chicken are a breeze to make and oh-so-delicious.
- Crispy Air Fryer French Fries – You can whip up these french fries any time using an air fryer and treat your kids to this healthy homemade version of this popular fast food.
- Air Fryer Chicken 65 – Crispy on the outside, tangy and juicy on the inside, Air Fryer Chicken 65 is a must make snack!
- Roasted phool makhana – A healthy alternative to chips, this crispy and light snack made from puffed lily seeds is ready in 10 minutes.
Loaded Buffalo Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¾ cup Hot Buffalo wings sauce
- 3 cups cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 13 oz tortilla chips
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- ½ cup finely chopped red onions
- ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup olives
- 1 jalapeno pepper sliced
- 1 avocado chopped
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add butter to a saucepan kept over medium heat. Once the butter heats up, add the hot sauce.
- Once the mixture heats up, add chicken pieces along with paprika and let it cook in the sauce for 3-4 minutes till most of the sauce is absorbed. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Layer it with tortilla chips, followed by 1 cup of cheese and chicken pieces.
- Layer it with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Top it with onions, tomatoes, olives, and sliced jalapenos.
- Bake for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted through.
- Serve it with chopped avocados, cilantro, and crumbled blue cheese.
Notes
Disclaimer: Approximate nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and can vary depending on the exact ingredients/brands used. If you have health issues, please work with a registered dietician or nutritionist.
