Roasted Chicken Nachos with Green Chili-Cheese Sauce from the Wikibooks Cookbook—original source of recipe, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
- Serves: 6 to 8
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 [60ml] (½ stick) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose [60ml] flour
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock, at room temperature
- 4 cups (950ml) shredded jack cheese
- 1 (1-pound) (450g) bag salted corn tortilla chips
- 1 (3-pound) whole (1350g) roasted chicken, meat finely shredded, skin and bones discarded
Quick Salsa
- 1 pint (570ml) 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
Directions
- 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.
- Drain and cool slightly, then put them in a blender.
- 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).
- Make a roux by melting the butter over medium-low heat in a thick-bottomed saucepan.
- Just as the foam subsides, sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to remove the starchy taste from the flour; don't allow it to brown.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and simmer for 8 minutes to thicken.
- Once you have a good base, fold in 2 cups of the shredded jack cheese; mix until completely melted into a sauce.
- Stir in the prepared salsa verde until incorporated; remove the green chili cheese sauce from the heat.
Quick Salsa
- 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.
Building the Nachos
- To build these awesome nachos: preheat the oven to 350 degrees f (180c).
- 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.
- Make 3 or 4 layers of the nachos, depending on the size of the platter.
- Bake the nachos until they are all hot and gooey, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Putting it All Together
- Spoon the tomato salsa over the top of the nachos and serve with the sour cream on the side.