A fun twist on a classic appetizer. Nachos amped up with ranch dressing coated chicken and crisp bacon. Oh yeah, baby.
This is now my favorite nacho recipe. Seriously, my taste buds were doing the happy dance when I crunched into this delicious combination. It’s been well proven that everything is better with bacon. But the superstar is actually the ranch dressing. I used southwest chipotle flavored ranch which I would highly recommend.
Shredded rotisserie chicken tossed in ranch dressing provides tons of flavor. Then the chicken and cheese are piled onto your favorite tortilla chips. After only 10 minutes in the oven, they are topped with all the goodies; pico de Gallo or salsa, lettuce, cilantro, another drizzle of ranch and served with lime wedges. Yummy!
Tips for Chicken & Bacon Ranch Nachos
A big shout out to the folks at Hy-Vee for this delicious and easy nacho recipe. I’ve found many winning recipes in their Seasons magazine and never leave the store without grabbing the latest edition.
Ranch dressing – I used Hidden Valley Ranch Southwest Chipotle dressing. Delicious, flavorful and not too spicy.
Chicken – rotisserie chicken makes this recipe easy peasy. I shredded the chicken the day before while it was hot and then popped it into the frig. The day I made the chips I let the chicken sit out for about 30 minutes before making the nachos.
Bacon – we are die-hard Nueske’s bacon fans at our house, but use whatever you like. The Hy-Vee recipe called for baking it in the oven, but I choose to pan fry it. The directions for baking the bacon are provided in the notes section of the recipe.
Salsa vs Pico de Gallo – either works. Based on personal preference I purchased a fresh chunky salsa and drained the excess liquid to keep the chips crisp.
Cilantro – or not. I love it, hubby doesn’t. I actually used chopped parsley for a little extra flourish to please everyone. But omit it if it isn’t your thing.
Other options – you could add sliced fresh or pickled jalapenos, diced peppers, dab on some refried beans, whatever. Get creative. Just like salad recipes, it’s more of an outline vs. a detailed manual.
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Chicken and Bacon Ranch Nachos
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb. bacon
- 5 oz. tortilla chips
- 8 oz. rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1/3 c. ranch dressing original or spicy flavored
- 1 1/2 c. shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1/2 c. fresh pico de gallo or chunky salsa or more
- 1 c. shredded lettuce
- chopped fresh cilantro optional
- additional ranch dressing for drizzling
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Fry bacon. Drain on paper towels. Crumble or chop and set aside.
- Line sheet pan with a sheet of foil.
- Spread chips in the pan. Combine chicken and 1/3 cup ranch dressing; spoon over chips. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven.
- Spoon pico de gallo or salsa on top of chips. Add lettuce and crumbled bacon. Drizzle with additional ranch dressing. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Happy Cinco Di Mayo!!! Great recipe. We had grapefruit-tangerine Margaritas with them. š¹
What an exotic and delicious sounding Margarita! Sounds like a tasty Cinco De Mayo feast! šø š®š¹