Hellooooo first football Sunday of the year!!
This is the kind of thing where, if I had my shit together, I would have posted this nacho beauty last weekend so you could make it for the first football Sunday of the year. But since last weekend I was busy wedding dress shopping (!!!) and making cookies, I hope you’ll forgive me. Besides, we have an entire glorious five months of football Sundays to look forward to, so I think we’re still cool.
Besides, eating an entire tray of BBQ chicken bacon nachos was not my least favorite way to spend the first football Sunday of the year. In fact, one might say it was THE BEST WAY EVER to spend the first football Sunday of the year. One might definitely say that.
These BBQ chicken bacon nachos represent my favorite part of watching football: the food, obviously! I mean, what’s not to like – football Sunday is an excuse to cozy up all day with beer and pizza and nachos and wings and all other things fried, spicy, cheesy, and/or boozy. This year (after begging for a team in Brad’s leagues and getting turned down for years and years) I finally have my first fantasy team, and I could not be more excited about it. I’m already obsessively watching Yahoo fantasy and being a total drama queen about it all. Brad is THRILLED! It’s the best.
OK, back to these nachos, because they really deserve all the attention here. These are hands-down the best homemade nachos I’ve ever had, guys. I mean, these nachos contain 3 holy B’s of football food: beer, bacon, and bbq sauce. They are totally loaded with flavor and texture and are just SO GOOD. We top tortilla chips with melty white cheddar cheese, lots of my new favorite crockpot BBQ beer chicken, crumbly bacon, and fresh tomatoes and cilantro. I also used the necessary double-layering technique to ensure that there’s not a mound of dry chips at the bottom (WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS) so we make sure we get ALL the good stuff in every bite. This decadent nacho concoction is serious creamy-crunchy-salty football food perfection, and I can’t help but think it might become a bit of a Sunday tradition around here. Weekly nacho party, anyone? I think yes.
P.S. You didn’t think I would do a football post without a shameless plug, did you? GO STEELERS!!!
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 8 ounces amber beer
- 24 ounces BBQ sauce (look for one on the thinner side)
- Tortilla Chips
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups BBQ chicken
- 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 roma tomato, diced
- Large handful cilantro, roughly chopped
- To make the BBQ chicken: Add the chicken to the bottom of a slow cooker and sprinkle evenly with all spices. Pour the beer and BBQ sauce over the chicken and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, stirring occasionally if necessary.
- When the chicken is done, shred it in the crockpot with 2 forks. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes, to allow the chicken to absorb all the sauce. If it’s looking a bit low on sauce, add a bit more BBQ sauce (mine did not need this). Serve immediately or refrigerate/freeze for later. (NOTE: this makes way more chicken than you need for the nachos.)
- To make the nachos: Preheat your broiler. Spread an even layer of chips in the bottom of a small baking sheet. Top with half the cheese and half the chicken. Next, add a second layer of chips and top with the rest of the cheese and the rest of the chicken. Put the baking sheet under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is heated through. Remove from the oven and top with bacon, tomato, and cilantro. Serve immediately!
- The BBQ chicken recipe makes a lot more than you need for the nachos. Reserve 1 ½ cups for nachos and then make BBQ chicken sandwiches, salads, enchiladas, etc.! Or freeze the rest for future nacho endeavors.
Crockpot bbq chicken adapted from How Sweet It Is.
Looking for more football food inspiration?
Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar Pigs in a Blanket
