Honestly, we had originally picked a different theme. In view of all the heartbreak and devastation that's been going on in the United States these days, we got together and agreed to change our theme, and I'm glad we did.
For our Reflection post I'm sharing my Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken Nachos recipe, and I'll tell you why.
I love October. Even as a summer person I have to admit that October has so much to offer. It used to have even more, as my birthday is in this month (tomorrow, actually) but I'm more dreading those these days than looking forward to them. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to be alive, just a little less enthralled with getting older. I understand, though, that this seems to be how birthdays work.
As I get older and my family is all in the same place at the same time far less, reflecting back on family time spent together through the years brings me great joy. As those memories go, there's one family tradition that comes to mind, especially this time of year. It's hard to beat a weekend in October sitting on the couch with a fire in the fireplace and a football game on the TV. Saturday it's college and Sunday it's the pros. And so I can enjoy the day, dinner is not a big ordeal, it's casual grazing. I tend to make appetizers, put them out on the counter, we serve ourselves through the afternoon and evening.
Last weekend I made just one dish, Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken Nachos. I was concerned that it would be enough, or that there would be an uprising of the villagers at having just one dish instead of the normal smorgasbord. Didn't happen. These dinner sized nachos were more than enough for us all, so quick and easy to make with a little planning ahead, and when my family loves a new recipe? Makes me feel great.
A couple of quick notes about this recipe. Although it's fast and simple to make, there are a few things you need to know. First, if you want to serve it with my Pico de Gallo, and face it, you should, make that the day before. It's best if kept in the fridge overnight to let the flavors marry.
Second, I use leftovers from my grilled Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken in these nachos. You can use any cooked chicken, but I highly recommend you make my Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken as a dinner, making sure you grill enough to have leftovers and use them in these nachos. The marinade I use on the chicken adds flavor to these nachos, as does the grilling.
Since I made the Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken for dinner the night before, gathering the ingredients for this dish took no time at all. I heated the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes and brought the other ingredients to room temperature.
I placed the base, taco chips and sharp cheddar slices, into a 10 inch pie pan. You could really use and baking pan you want, though.
Then comes the fun part, just start building. The warm, chopped chicken came first. The chicken started the sharp cheddar melting.
Salsa, black olives, corn, green onion, black beans, good thing there wasn't room for the kitchen sink, where would I wash my dishes?
Top it off with chopped pepper jack cheese and jalapeno slices and it's ready to go in the oven.
It doesn't take long, just about 15 minutes for all of the ingredients to heat and the cheese to melt. Now that's my idea of dinner sized nachos.
Be sure to serve with extra taco chips, and don't forget the toppings. I served it with sour cream, my homemade Pico de Gallo and guacamole I made while the nachos were baking.
We loved this dinner. No question I'll be making them again. Soon.
As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!
As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!
Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:
Kia of Think in English shares 10 Reasons Teaching ESL/EFL is the Best Job in the World.
Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Identifying Your Kids' Strengths.
Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog shares Gratitude Journaling.
Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares a side dish recipe for Brussel Sprout Stir Fry with Spicy Nut/Seed Mix.
Kia of Think in English shares 10 Reasons Teaching ESL/EFL is the Best Job in the World.
Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Identifying Your Kids' Strengths.
Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog shares Gratitude Journaling.
Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares a side dish recipe for Brussel Sprout Stir Fry with Spicy Nut/Seed Mix.
Be sure to stop by again next month for more theme based projects.
Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken Nachos
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients:
about 1/2 bag tortilla chips
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
1 large (cooked) Grilled Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken breast, warm
1/2 cup salsa
1 (2.25 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup drained corn niblets
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 cup drained black beans
1 cup chopped or shredded pepper jack cheese
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced into rings
OPT for serving: additional tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole, Pico de Gallo
Directions:
*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
*Grease a 10 inch pie plate. Spread the tortilla chips into the dish. Top with the slices of sharp cheddar.
*Chop the chicken breast and place on top of the cheese. Top with salsa, black olives, corn, green onion, black beans, pepper jack and jalapeno slices.
*Bake for about 20 minutes or until the ingredients are hot and the cheese is melted.
*OPT: serve with additional tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole and/or Pico de Gallo.
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
1 large (cooked) Grilled Sriracha Chipotle Ranch Chicken breast, warm
1/2 cup salsa
1 (2.25 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup drained corn niblets
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 cup drained black beans
1 cup chopped or shredded pepper jack cheese
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced into rings
OPT for serving: additional tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole, Pico de Gallo
Directions:
*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
*Grease a 10 inch pie plate. Spread the tortilla chips into the dish. Top with the slices of sharp cheddar.
*Chop the chicken breast and place on top of the cheese. Top with salsa, black olives, corn, green onion, black beans, pepper jack and jalapeno slices.
*Bake for about 20 minutes or until the ingredients are hot and the cheese is melted.
*OPT: serve with additional tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole and/or Pico de Gallo.
Happy Birthday!!! I know what you mean by not being so thrilled with those but we should celebrate anyway because heck, you have a whole new year to look forward to and another year's worth of memories to add to all of those other great ones. I hope you have a wonderful day full of smiles and laughter. Your nachos look amazing! My go to dish is quesadillas, it strikes me that quesadillas are nachos without the crunch.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind wishes, Kia.
DeleteThis looks great and I love to use leftovers! Happy Pre-Birthday.
ReplyDeleteI love using leftovers too. Not only is it easy, but I feel like I've accomplished something by using them.
DeleteOh, man, these look amazing! Can I just come over to your house? I'll bring birthday cake . . .
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome to come over. You can even bring a cake, but we're not mentioning that "b" word around here, gonna hope it just slides right by.
DeleteI have only recently begun to love nachos and these look amazing!
ReplyDeleteOnly recently? What was wrong with you before, LOL?
DeleteHappy pre-birthday. Pinned. You have a winner here! Looks amazing and I assume tastes the same way. Now, if I can only convince my husband to use leftovers, lol. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't like to use leftovers? Don't tell me he throws them out?
DeleteWhy do I always forget about nachos? Oh my you have my stomach rumbling! And I totally agree. The best pico is married pico! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, never forget the nachos, they're always a hit!
DeleteI am a nacho loving fool!! and I love any recipe that uses leftovers. It's two meals at the price of one. What could be better? Not much when it comes to budgets and cooking.
ReplyDeleteYes, love when cooking and budget come together. Leftovers are actually fun and easy to work with.
DeleteHubby and I have a lunch date. I was going to suggest Mexican, but he ended up picking a different place closer to where I need to be this afternoon. Now I really want to make some of these nachos and chow down!!
ReplyDeleteMake them. You won't be sorry!
Delete