BONNIE'S: THE ULTIMATE CHICKEN NACHOS

BONNIE'S: THE ULTIMATE CHICKEN NACHOS image

This is party food, people!! This pretty dish is a complete meal in one. You can make a larger pan if you need to, just double up on the ingredients to feed all those hungry people. Provide a spatula for serving and let everyone dig in! Don't forget to stand back for the accolades! :) Enjoy! Photos are my own, and so is this...

Provided by BonniE !

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

8 chicken tenders
salt and pepper to taste
just a pinch of chipotle dried pepper, more if you like it spicy hot
garlic powder to taste
1 bag Santitas white corn chips, yellow corn is okay or mix them. I prefer white corn chips.
16 ounces Tostitos salsa con queso, divided
1 9 ounce can of Fritos bean dip
2 cups sharp Tillamook grated cheese, divided
1 can or 3/4 cup sliced black olives, drained
1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup jalapeno rings from jar
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 pat of butter, about a tablespoon
2 tablespoons olive oil

Steps:

1. Cook's note. Do the prep work first, and the dish will come together effortlessly. Assemble all ingredients before beginning. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I cook my chicken tenders while my chips and cheeses are heating in the oven. With a little practice, they both get done at the same time.
2. PREPARE CHICKEN TENDERS Remove any skin or fat from the tenders and blot dry with paper towels and set aside.
3. PREPARE TOPPINGS Chop your tomatoes, green onions, olives and avocado. You will need sour cream and jalapeno rings or anything else you can't live without on a nacho. :)
4. You will also need a jar of Tostitos salsa con queso, a salsa flavored cheese sauce/dip, and a can of Fritos bean dip. (The bean dip works better in this recipe than the traditional refried beans) Grate your Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese.
5. PREPARE THE CHIPS, BEANS AND CHEESES You will need a medium size bag of Santitas white corn chips. You can use yellow, if you prefer, or mix white and yellow corn chips together. You will also need a 9 X 13 baking dish to build your Nachos.
6. Place 3/4 of the bag of Santitas chips in the baking dish. Spoon dollops of Fritos bean dip over the first layer of chips, using all of the can of bean dip on this bottom layer.
7. Spoon 1 cup of the salsa con queso and 1 cup of the Tillamook sharp grated cheese evenly over the chips. (This is to our preference, you can reduce the amount of cheese if you prefer. Avoid adding more because you don't want it to be soggy). Place the baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until salsa con queso and chips are hot.
8. Remove baking dish from oven and add the remaining layer of chips and spoon on the salsa con queso and bake another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven, and sprinkle the remaining cup of Tillamook cheese on top. Leave dish in the oven to keep warm and melt the cheese.
9. SEASONINGS FOR THE CHICKEN Sprinkle chicken tenders on both sides with salt and pepper, to your taste.
10. Sprinkle with the remaining seasonings: garlic powder, and a pinch of chipotle pepper. If you like it spicy hot, season both sides with chipotle. (Don't forget there are jalapenos as a garnish for the top of the dish!:)
11. HOW TO COOK THE CHICKEN Heat a couple of tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet and a pat of butter until hot, but not smoking.
12. Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the chicken tenders. When the chicken is nicely brown, turn it over. Adjust heat to medium. Fry the other side. Don't overcook the chicken, but do get a good sear on it.
13. Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into large chunks, set aside and tent the chicken to keep it warm.
14. Remove the baking dish from the oven and add the toppings in the following order: tomatoes, olives, jalapeno, avocado and cooked chipotle chicken. Add sour cream and sprinkle with chopped green onions last.
15. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
16. Here is a closeup!