Chicken, Cheese, and Black Bean Nachos

Name: Chicken, Cheese, and Black Bean Nachos
Ingredients: 2 cups (about ½ pound) shredded cooked chicken meat; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 red bell peppers , stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped; 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced; 1 garlic clove, finely diced; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans , drained and rinsed; 6 ounces yellow or blue corn tortilla chips; 2 cups (½ pound) grated Monterey Jack cheese; ¼ cup chopped scallions; ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro; Hot sauce , for serving (optional); Salsa , for serving (optional)

Chef

Barbara Scott-Goodman

View

Cookbook

The Ski Country Cookbook

Published by Chronicle

View

This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

This hearty nacho recipe is a good snack to serve to hungry friends coming in from the wintry cold. It’s fun to serve as finger food, eaten right out of the baking dish; it also makes a satisfying main course when served with rice and a salad.

Serves6

Cooking Methodbaking

CostModerate

Easy

Total Timeunder 30 minutes

Kid FriendlyYes

Occasiongame day

Recipe Coursemain course, snack

Dietary Considerationegg-free, gluten-free, high-calcium, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free

Equipmentbaking/gratin dish

Meallunch, snack

Moodblue, stressed

Taste and Texturecheesy, crisp, crunchy, herby, meaty, savory

Ingredients

2 cups (about ½ pound) shredded cooked chicken meat
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
6 ounces yellow or blue corn tortilla chips
2 cups (½ pound) grated Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup chopped scallions
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Salsa, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a medium bowl, toss the chicken, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste together and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Saute the bell and jalapeno peppers until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic, cumin, and chili powder, stirring, about 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 3 minutes.
In a shallow 3-quart baking dish or casserole, layer one half of the chips, pepper mixture, beans, chicken, and cheese. Repeat layering with the remaining chips, pepper mixture, beans, chicken, and cheese. Stir the scallions and cilantro together and sprinkle over the top. Bake until the cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with hot sauce and salsa, if desired.