Oven-baked sheet pan nachos, loaded with real food ingredients! Healthier buffalo chicken nachos are perfect for a crowd, or a lazy Friday night family dinner.
There are two important things you need to know about me and this recipe:
- I have a strong affinity for buffalo wings.
- Sheet pan nachos are a revelation.
And subsequently, buffalo chicken sheet pan nachos are my new favorite food. I'm not a sports fan, but these nachos would be welcome for any sport type celebration. I also find them perfectly suitable for a lazy Friday night dinner, complete with a kombucha mocktail.
Let's Get Cooking!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Detailed measurements of specific ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Tortilla chips – Use a good sturdy tortilla chip, thinner chips will get soggy and no one wants a soggy chip. NO ONE!
- Chicken – I used my meal prep master chicken breast for this recipe, rotisserie chicken will also work.
- Buffalo sauce – I used Primal Kitchen paleo buffalo sauce for this recipe, you can use any buffalo sauce you love
- Cheese – You want a melting cheese like Monterrey jack and crumbled blue
- Veggies – Tomato, celery, jalapeno, fresh cilantro, and scallions
- Homemade guacamole – NECESSARY! Don't get me started on store-bought guacamole, not worth it (IMHO). For the best healthy guacamole follow this simple recipe and video.
TOOLS YOU WILL USE
- Sheet pan
- Small saute pan
- Knife
- Cutting board
TIPS FOR PERFECT SHEET PAN NACHOS
- Start with sturdy chips, if the chips are too flimsy (like thin “restaurant-style” tortilla chips) they will get soggy or fall apart.
- Layer with authority – as if you dominate the sheet pan nacho world! Start with heartier ingredients, in this recipe I start with the buffalo chicken and then a layer of shredded cheese (I always prefer to shred my own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-clumping agents that make it harder to melt), and then add toppings. Do not start with any “super wet” ingredients like salsa.
- Choose your cheese wisely – Melty cheese is essential and Monterrey jack is my favorite melty nacho cheese, I also added a sprinkling of crumbled blue to this recipe because… buffalo anything REQUIRES blue cheese!
- Leave dips for the side – adding blobs of dips on top makes me nervous… nervous because I may not get all the best parts into one bite. I prefer to leave dips like sour cream and guacamole on the side for perfect bite assembly.
- Add fresh veggies and herbs on top after the nachos have come out of the oven – I don't like a hot tomato on top of my nachos, I prefer cold crisp tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and crunchy celery. Bake the nachos with a few of the veggies that do well with heat (scallions and jalapeno in this case) and then finish the nachos with fresh crunchy veggies and herbs.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BUFFALO SAUCE
Tangy, spicy, buffalo sauce deliciousness. I am loving this Primal Kitchen paleo buffalo sauce, but you can also use Frank's Red Hot and butter, or any buffalo sauce you love.
WHAT MAKES THESE NACHOS “HEALTHIER”?
It's simple, an upgrade to the ingredients. Almost everything in this recipe is a single ingredient, save the chips. Nachos are not inherently “unhealthy” it is just a matter of what ingredients you are starting with and how many processed sauces you may or may not choose to add on top.
Yes, this recipe contains cheese. No, I don't think cheese is “unhealthy” Upgrade the quality of the food you are cooking with, and always make sure veggies exist somewhere.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS FOR THIS RECIPE
- Gluten-Free – Use certified gluten-free tortilla chips
- Vegetarian – Swap out the chicken for chickpeas!
- Vegan – Swap out the chicken for chickpeas and make a vegan cashew cheese sauce like this one, or use Siete foods vegan cashew queso (which is ABSOLUTELY delicious!)
- Paleo – Technically on the paleo diet corn isn't allowed, so the corn chips would be a no-go. You could swap cauliflower or sweet potato slices for the corn chips and replace the cheese with a cashew cheese sauce.
- Keto – Replace the corn chips with cauliflower slices like in this cauliflower nacho recipe.
I can’t wait for you to try these Buffalo Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
Buffalo Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos
Ingredients
- 11-13 ounce bag of tortilla chips
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- 2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
- 1/4 cup diced jalapeno
- 1/3 cup diced scallion
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- fresh cilantro
- homemade guacamole for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread chips evenly on the baking sheet
- In a bowl combine shredded chicken and buffalo sauce, toss until well coated. Spread the chicken over the chips. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the chicken. Top with scallions and jalapeno and the crumbled blue cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is warmed through.
- Remove the pan from the oven and top with celery, tomato, and fresh cilantro. Serve with homemade guacamole.
Notes
- Salsa verde
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Pickled jalapenos
- Swap out the chicken for chickpeas for a vegetarian version
Nutrition
MORE HEALTHIER GAME DAY RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
CRISPY TURMERIC BLACK PEPPER WINGS
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND QUINOA CHILI
QUICK AND EASY KALE AND BEEF CHILI
LOADED MEDITERRANEAN CAULIFLOWER NACHOS
Dana Suss says
Oh my goodness, this is the recipe of my dreams!!! I made this for my husband and me yesterday and it was a huge success! I will 100% be making this for Super Bowl Sunday 🙂