These easy BBQ Chicken Nachos are the perfect movie night dinner or game day snack. You’ll LOVE the smoky, savory flavor, and the protein might just surprise you!

Sheet pan of BBQ Chicken Nachos drizzled with BBQ sauce

Your Movie Night Nachos, Made Even Better!

We take movie night dinners seriously at my house, and as much as we absolutely classics, like Homemade Gluten-Free Pizza and Pizza Bagels, this BBQ chicken nachos recipe is one of our other staples. There’s just so much to love!

THEY’RE SUPER EASY TO MAKE. No fancy skills required! These chicken nachos are made with simple ingredients, and basic techniques. They’re done in about 20 minutes!
THEY’RE SURPRISINGLY HIGH IN PROTEIN. Really. 1/4 of the pan = over 30 grams of protein!
THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Just like a barbecue chicken pizza, you’ll get savory, smoky, delicious flavor in every bite! The salty, crunchy tortilla chips, melty cheese, savory BBQ chicken, and fresh toppings put the flavor over the top!

Happy cooking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

This easy recipe is always a huge hit with my whole family, and I LOVE how fast it is to pull together. Part of the speed is because of the simple ingredient list! Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:

Your Favorite Tortilla Chips. I love to use sturdy tortilla chips for these sheet pan BBQ chicken nachos, so they hold up to the BBQ sauce.
Monterey Jack Cheese. Next up, we’ll use grated Monterey Jack cheese. You can absolutely use cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, or pepper jack cheese, if you prefer, but I love the flavor of Monterey Jack with the BBQ sauce.
Cooked, Shredded Chicken. This is a great recipe for using store-bought rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken from another night. The tender chicken pairs beautifully with…
Your Favorite BBQ Sauce. I often use Stubb’s Sticky Sweet sauce, since it’s got a nice balance of smoky, savory, and sweet flavors. You can also use homemade BBQ sauce, if you want!
Pickled Jalapeños. I buy mild ones, since they still have some warmth without being too spicy for my kids to eat. Sliced jalapeños have a bigger impact, but you can also finely dice them to sprinkle them around if you want a more distributed flavor.
Red Onions. Finely minced red onions look great, but they also add delicious flavor without overpowering the dish. Feel free to use sliced green onions or omit them, if you prefer.
Fresh Cilantro & Black Pepper. To finish the BBQ nachos, I like a little fresh cilantro and some cracked black pepper. It looks beautiful and really adds a lot of flavor!

How To Make BBQ Chicken Nachos, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

PREHEAT OVEN & PREP YOUR PAN. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up. Thicker, crispy tortilla chips work better than ultra thin chips here.
PRE-TOAST CHIPS. Spread tortilla chips into a single layer on your baking sheet, trying to make sure all the little gaps are filled in the best you can. (That way the toppings end up on the chips not the pan!) Sprinkle ½ cup grated cheese on top of the chips (just a light layer!) and bake 5-8 minutes, or until toasted and the cheese is melted.
WHILE CHIPS TOAST, PREP CHICKEN. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken with ½ cup BBQ sauce. Toss gently with a fork until the chicken is evenly coated.
BUILD NACHOS & BAKE. When the chips are toasted, top chips with chicken, then top chicken with remaining cheese (1 ½ cups). Add pickled jalapeño slices, if desired, then bake another 5-8 min, or until the cheese if fully melted and bubbly.
GARNISH & SERVE. When the nachos are done, sprinkle the top of the nachos with cilantro and red onion, as desired, along with a sprinkle of black pepper. Drizzle with an extra 2-3 TBSP BBQ Sauce & serve.

How to Avoid Soggy Nachos

Pre-toasting the chips, using sturdy, thicker tortilla chips, and adding that little ½ cup protective layer of cheese are all tricks that help keep your nachos from getting soggy. The other trick is to stick to the amount of BBQ sauce on the chicken. You might be tempted to add more sauce to the chicken, but it’s better to drizzle it on at the end so the chips stay crispy!

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best BBQ Chicken Nachos

MORE TOPPINGS TO TRY. Feel free to add your favorite toppings to these easy chicken nachos, just keep in mind that less is more so they don’t get soggy. You can use well drained black beans, fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded fresh tomatoes or pico de gallo, a dollop of whipped cream, or a drizzle of queso (or queso blanco!).

USE FRESHLY GRATED CHEESE. If possible, use grate your own cheese rather than using pre-shredded cheese. Bagged grated cheese is usually coated in an anti-caking agent which prevents the cheese from sticking together, but it also makes it trickier for the cheese to melt well.

MAKE SECTIONS. It’s easy to make these sheet pan nachos more custom. Leave jalapeño slices off half the nachos, make ¼ of the chicken plain with no BBQ sauce, etc. Just divide the pan into sections & customize them to taste!

MAKE USE OF YOUR SIDES. These BBQ chicken nachos are surprisingly higher in protein than you might expect, but you can round this meal out even more by serving it with fresh veggies + dip (especially something like hummus or yogurt ranch) or some fruit + yogurt based fruit dip to level up the protein even more.

More Easy Dinners For Movie Night

homemade gluten-fre pizza next to jars of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Turkey BLT sandwich next to a jar of basil mayonnaise

Turkey BLTs with Basil Mayo

Gluten-Free Stromboli

gluten-free baked chicken tostadas with melted cheese

Gluten-Free Chicken Tostadas

Did You Make This Recipe?

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BBQ Chicken Nachos

These barbecue chicken nachos are one of our favorite movie night dinners! It's a great way to use leftover chicken & they're done in about 20 minutes!

Print Pin Rate

Servings: -6 servings

Calories: 438kcal

Ingredients

For The Nachos Base:

2-3 oz. Tortilla Chips (I like thicker chips for this!)
8 oz. Cooked, Shredded Chicken
½ cup BBQ Sauce
2 cups Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
¼ cup Mild Pickled Jalapeño Slices optional

For Garnish:

2-3 Tablespoons Additional BBQ Sauce for drizzling.
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro minced
2-3 Tablespoons Finely Minced Red Onion
Black Pepper

Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN & PREP YOUR PAN. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up.
PRE-TOAST CHIPS. Spread tortilla chips into a single layer on your baking sheet, trying to make sure all the little gaps are filled in the best you can. (That way the toppings end up on the chips not the pan!) Sprinkle chips with ½ cup grated cheese (just a light layer!) and bake 5-8 minutes, or until toasted and the cheese is melted.
WHILE CHIPS TOAST, PREP CHICKEN. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken with ½ cup BBQ sauce. Toss gently with a fork until the chicken is evenly coated.
BUILD NACHOS & BAKE. When the chips are toasted, top chips with chicken, then top chicken with remaining 1 ½ cups cheese. Add pickled jalapeño slices, if desired, then bake another 5-8 min, or until the cheese if fully melted and bubbly.
GARNISH & SERVE. When the nachos are done, sprinkle them with cilantro and red onion, as desired, along with a sprinkle of black pepper. Drizzle with an extra 2-3 TBSP BBQ Sauce & serve.

Notes

MAKE SECTIONS. It’s easy to make these nachos more custom. Leave jalapeño slices off half the nachos, make ¼ of the chicken plain with no BBQ sauce, etc. Just divide the pan into sections & customize them to taste!
MAKE USE OF YOUR SIDES. These nachos are surprisingly higher in protein than you might expect, but you can round this meal out by serving it with fresh veggies + dip (especially something like hummus or yogurt ranch) or some fruit + yogurt based fruit dip to level up the protein even more.
AVOID SOGGY NACHOS. Pre-toasting the chips, using sturdy, thicker tortilla chips, and adding that little ½ cup protective layer of cheese are all tricks that help keep your nachos from getting soggy. The other trick is to stick to the amount of BBQ sauce on the chicken. You might be tempted to add more sauce to the chicken, but it’s better to drizzle it on at the end so the chips stay crispy!