Chicken nacho salad – with cucumber, lettuce, tomato, soured cream, jalapeños, chicken and cheesy nachos – is a simple and fast salad that’s perfect for warm evenings.
This chicken nacho salad is one of those recipes that is so quick and easy, it’s barely a recipe. There’s very little cooking involved – just popping the nachos in the oven – and very little other work.
It’s simple, it’s tasty and it’s toddler approved! I developed it from a need to make an extremely quick dinner for a hungry child after a busy day, and this was an absolute win.
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Tortilla chips– use the cheapest, simplest ones you can find, flavoured only with salt.
- Grated cheese – you can use any melting grated cheese. I went for mozzarella, but cheddar works well too.
- Cooked chicken– leftover roast chicken is great for this, as is rotisserie chicken or packaged cooked chicken breasts. You can also bake some chicken breasts to use in the recipe. The chicken is best left to cool before using.
- Cucumber, lettuce, tomato – You could also use sweetcorn, avocado, bell peppers…get creative!
- Jalapeños – optional, but the kick of spice takes this to the next level.
- Soured cream – a dollop of soured cream on the side of each bowl is just enough to add some moisture and sharpness to each mouthful.
Top Tips
- Get ahead You can make the salad up to 48 hours ahead – just cook the nachos as you’re about to eat.
- Grill or bake You can either grill or bake the nachos. I baked mine, but they would be just as good under the grill.
- The chicken You can have the chicken hot, if you like. You can cook chicken breasts in the oven for 25 minutes (I would coat them with smoked paprika for a warm, smoky flavour) and slice and serve in the salad when ready.
Quick Chicken Nacho Salad
A simple and quick salad with cheesy nachos, chicken, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, jalapeños and soured cream.
Ingredients
- 200 grams tortilla chips
- 100 grams grated cheese
- 4 cooked chicken breasts
- 1 iceberg lettuce
- ½ cucumber
- 100 grams plum tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons soured cream
- 4 tablespoons sliced pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
- Put half the tortilla chips into an ovenproof dish and top with half of the cheese. Top with the rest of the tortilla chips, then the rest of the cheese. Put in the oven and bake for around 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Meanwhile, slice the chicken. Chop the lettuce, cucumber and tomato into small pieces.
- Get four bowls and share the chicken, lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes between the bowls. Add a tablespoon of soured cream and jalapeños to each. When the nachos are ready, add a handful to each bowl. You’re ready to serve!
Video
Notes
- For the cooked chicken, use either leftover roast chicken, precooked chicken from a store e.g. rotisserie chicken, or cook your own prior to making the salad.
- If you choose to cook your own chicken, a simple way is to drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and smoked paprika. Put in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
Nutrition
Calories: 676kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 65gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 641mgPotassium: 885mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1445IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 302mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
More delicious salad recipes to try:
- Carrot, Watercress and Beetroot Salad
- Warm Roasted Chickpea Salad
- Quinoa and Lentil Salad
- Steak and Green Bean Salad
- Warm Beef and Lentil Salad
- Sweetcorn and Black Bean Salad
- Pomegranate, Feta and Chickpea Salad
- Avocado, Bacon and Dolcelatte Salad
- Quinoa, Feta and Roasted Pepper Salad
- Asparagus and Green Bean Caesar Salad
THE BEST for a quick lunch or dinner
So brilliant to turn nachos into a salad! Loved this so much.
I loved the flavors and textures in this nacho salad!
Yum! Whipped up this chicken nacho salad for a lunch with a few friends on the deck. Was delish, satisfying and quick to put together. Adding it to my family dinner list also!
This Chicken Nacho Salad recipe is delish! It’s easy to prepare and bursting with flavor. Perfect for a quick meal. Thank you!
This is such a great quick and easy recipe idea! And I happen to have everything in the house! Dinner sorted, thank you!