Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos

Name: Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 4 cups shredded chicken; 2 tablespoons adobo sauce, (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce); Juice of 1 lime; 1 teaspoon salt; 8 ounces tortilla chips; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese; 1, 13.5-ounce can pinto beans, (rinsed); ½ cup sliced pickled jalapeños, (optional, for garnish); ½ cup sour cream, (optional, for garnish); ¼ cup fresh cilantro, (finely chopped, optional, for garnish)

These loaded sheet pan nachos are easy, flavorful, and perfect for a fun, family-style dinner or an easy party appetizer! Adobo spiced shredded chicken, beans, and shredded cheese are loaded onto crispy, salty tortilla chips, and then everything is topped with fresh jalapeños, guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro.

A hand is shown lifting a nacho from the pan. Dollops of sour cream and guacamole sit on top.

Nachos are a go-to recipe at my house when I’m looking for an easy, family-friendly dinner that I know everyone (my small kiddos included) will absolutely love. I make and bake the base (tortilla chips, chicken, beans, and cheese) and then set out toppings for everyone to spoon on their plates as they’d like. It’s always a favorite!

Besides being great for an easy, family-style dinner, nachos are an incredible party appetizer! Serve them loaded with toppings already, or set the toppings out in smaller bowls for everyone to grab and add to their plates. They’re perfect for Super Bowl parties, Cinco de Mayo gatherings, and any and all poolside parties you have planned for the summer!

If you’re looking for more of our favorite Tex Mex recipes, look no further than these ground beef burrito bowls, this easy cheesy taco pasta, and this reader-favorite baked chicken taco recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s a crowd-pleaser – whether you’re serving these nachos to your family as a fun, different dinner or to a crowd at the next gathering you host (or attend), these nachos are sure to be a favorite!
It’s easily customizable – these nachos are incredible customizable, so if you aren’t a fan of a topping we used, swap it for something you do like!
It’s easy – it doesn’t get much easier than throwing shredded chicken, a can of beans, and shredded cheese on top of a bed of chips and baking everything until warm and melty. Dollop some toppings on, and there you have it: the easiest, most delicious recipe you’ve made in a long time.

Sheet Pan Nachos Ingredients

You’ll need ingredients for the base of the nachos and a handful of toppings – find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.

Ingredients for sheet pan nachos sit in a variety of bowls on a light pink surface.

Tortilla chips – grab any tortilla chips you love for this recipe. The sturdier the better!
Shredded chicken – we bought pre-cooked and shredded chicken from our local grocery store, but if you’ve already got a couple of chicken breasts or thighs at home and you’d like to make your own shredded chicken, feel free – our Instant Pot shredded chicken and slow cooker shredded chicken recipes are both really easy. You’ll need 4 cups of pre-cooked and shredded chicken or about 1.5 pounds of raw chicken breasts or thighs.
Pinto beans – we chose pinto beans for this recipe, but black beans would also work great. Grab a can of either one!
Adobo sauce – for this, you’ll just use the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers packed in adobo!
Guacamole – this recipe really does allow you to be as easy or homemade as you’d like, so with that in mind, feel free to buy a container of guacamole or make your own (our authentic guacamole recipe is what we used and it is DELICIOUS!).

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations and Modifications

Use a different protein – swap the shredded chicken for shredded beef or shredded pork, if you’d like!
Customize to your liking – just because we used jalapeños, guac, and sour cream as toppings here doesn’t mean you have to! Feel free to swap any of the toppings we chose out for something else or just add in as many toppings as you’d like. In my book, there’s no such thing as too many nacho toppings!
Make it dairy-free – there are a couple of ways to do this: you can either grab a dairy-free shredded cheese (these are pretty easy to find at most grocery stores) or swap the shredded cheese for a dairy-free nacho cheese sauce. Then, either skip the sour cream or grab a dairy-free sour cream.
Make it grain-free – swap regular tortilla chips for a grain-free option (Siete makes delicious grain-free tortilla chips).
Make it gluten-free – this dish is gluten-free as-is, so no swaps or modifications needed!

How to Make Sheet Pan Nachos

Recipes truly do not get easier than this one! Follow along below for the full how-to.

Shredded, seasoned chicken sits in a glass mixing bowl.

Fully assembled nachos sit on a white sheet pan. Shredded cheddar cheese covers them.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the chicken, adobo sauce, lime juice, and salt to a bowl, and toss until evenly combined.

Step 2: Spread the chips out on a rimmed baking sheet, top with the chicken, then layer the beans, and finally, the shredded cheese.

Fully baked sheet pan nachos sit on a white sheet pan.

Sheet pan nachos sit in a white colored sheet pan on a light pink surface.

Step 3: Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Step 4: Top with the guacamole, jalapeños, fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or anything else you like. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

When it comes to picking the chips for your nacho base, you’re going to want to get thick, sturdy tortilla chips so that they hold together and don’t get soggy!

How to Serve

Serve these chicken nachos loaded to the nines with all of the best nacho toppings! They’re perfect for a family-style dinner or to add to a party appetizer/snack spread.

How to Store and Reheat

It’s definitely worth noting that nachos don’t usually make for great leftovers, because the chips tend to get soggy once they’ve been in the fridge for a bit. That said, I’ve enjoyed day 2 nachos many a time, so if a less crunchy chip doesn’t bother you, you may enjoy the leftovers too!

My favorite way to store leftover nachos is just to cover the sheet pan with foil and (if you have room), stick the entire thing in the fridge. This makes reheating SUPER easy!

To reheat, simply take the foil off and stick the sheet pan into a 375°F oven to reheat for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.

Sheet pan nachos sit in a white colored sheet pan. A glass of ice water with a slice of limes sits to the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you keep sheet pan nachos from getting soggy?

To keep your nachos from getting soggy, be sure to use thick, sturdy tortilla chips. Also, wait to add the wet toppings (sour cream, guacamole) until you’re about to serve.

Should I put parchment paper under my nachos?

We didn’t use parchment paper, but you certainly can if you want to make clean up a breeze!

Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

Two assembled burrito bowls with rice, beans, peppers, onions, corn, ground beef, lettuce, guacamole, and cheese. Also pictured: a bowl of peppers, onions, and corn.

Ground Beef Burrito Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice

A metal sheet pan with crispy bean and cheese tacos. There is a metallic bowl with a bright green, creamy, avocado sauce and a wooden bowl with pink pickled onions. There is a green linen draped to the side. Some of the tacos are topped with a dollop of green sauce and a couple slices of pink pickled onions. All are sitting on a teal surface.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce

the top view of a skillet filled with skillet enchilada casserole topped with diced avocados and cilantro sitting on a marble surface

Ground Beef Skillet Enchiladas

If you tried this Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!