slow cooker pulled chicken nachos

The Superbowl is almost upon us! I've talked before about how I don't think I've ever actually watched the Superbowl... or really any football game where I wasn't physically in the stadium, but I am always down for football food! These irresistible nachos are made with slow cooked "pulled" barbecue chicken, and piled high with thin and crispy chips, tons of cheese, avocado, and pico de gallo. Because you know, pico has vegetables and that makes this healthy, right? Yep. Let's go with that.

First, let's start with the pulled chicken. It's one of those fabulous crockpot "dump" recipes where you literally just toss everything in the slow cooker, set it, and forget it. And 8 hours later, you magically have tender, flavorful, fall-off-the-bone chicken. Absolute magic, I tell you! I used this for nachos, but this would be so good on sandwiches too! And probably tacos. And enchiladas. And I mean, everything really. When is good chicken a bad idea?

I decided to use chicken thighs and drumsticks {aka dark meat} for these nachos cause I prefer those cuts of meat with recipes like this, since the slightly higher fat content makes for a richer, tastier end result. My brother was absolutely convinced this was pulled pork until I told him it was actually chicken. And even then, I don't think he totally believed me 😉 This can totally be made with chicken breasts too, and you're also minimizing the workload that way since you won't have to clean the chicken off the bones! I figured the flavor payoff was worth the little bit of extra work, but you can do whichever you prefer.

Besides the basic chicken, chips, and cheese, the toppings are totally up to you! I went with plain ol' diced avocado and tomatoes, but you can make guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa verde {yum!}, I bet even some beans would be delicious in here! I didn't have any beans on hand when I made this, but I think next time I whip up nachos, I'll definitely throw some in. If you're looking for more yummy Superbowl-appropriate bites, you can check out my Mac & Cheese Bites, Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Crescent Rolls, Frito Pie Dip, and Tex Mex Potato Skins. Yum! What are your favorite football foods?

{chicken recipe from Natasha's Kitchen}

slow cooker pulled chicken nachos

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 5 mins

 

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Recipe type: Meat & Seafood

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• *for the chicken*
• 3 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 bottle {about 1.5 cups} barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• *for the nachos*
• tortilla chips
• shredded medium cheddar
• desired toppings: guacamole, salsa, beans, sour cream, etc.

Instructions

1. First, prepare the chicken. In your slow cooker, combine the chicken, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and onion. Cook your chicken on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 3.5-4 hours. Chicken should be very tender and falling off the bone!
2. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, clean off the bone, and toss back into the crockpot with the cooking juices. If the cooking sauce is too runny, you can run the slow cooker on high with the lid *off* for 10-15 minutes to help it reduce down.
3. When ready to assemble the nachos, grab a cast iron skillet or baking sheet lined with foil.
4. Lay down a layer of tortilla chips, and top with the chicken, cheese, and beans. Top with more of the chips and toppings, resulting in 2-3 layers.
5. Place in the oven under the broiler for 5-6 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.
6. Serve immediately with guacamole, salsa, and additional toppings!

3.5.3208