Puffy and slightly crispy corn chips topped with shredded chicken then drizzled with a creamy cheese sauce.
Cliff Notes:
– Make masa dough and let rest 30 minute before pressing or rolling into rounds and cutting into “chips”, deep fry at 375° until they puff up, drain and sprinkle with salt.
– Cook chicken with spices and seasonings, shred, and add some of the cooking liquid to flavor.
– Heat evaporated milk, add in grated cheese tossed with corn starch, and jalapenos.
– Assemble nachos.
Make It Your Own:
– Vary the toppings – use seasoned taco meat, fajita meat, chorizo, etc.
– Use Monterrey jack cheese with peppers instead of cheddar
– Add extra toppings such as sour cream, sliced jalapenos, black olives, tomatoes, green onions, and/or salsa
– Instead of cutting the dough into chips, leave whole and make puffy taco shells.
– Don’t plan on leftovers … neither the cheese sauce nor the chips reheat well.
Simplify It:
– Instead of making the cheese sauce, simply top with grated cheese and melt under the broiler
– Use packaged seasoning or sauce mix for cooking the chicken
In every family, there are iconic foods – meals that are guaranteed to evoke cheers and cause all family members to show up for dinner if there is any glimmer of hope the food will be on the menu. Our family’s iconic foods include chicken fried steak, pork schnitzel, homemade pizza, and these puffy nachos.
I was first introduced to this glorious food when my husband and I were dating and he took me to Caro’s on Bluebonnet Circle in Fort Worth. Instead of the requisite basket of boring tortilla chips that all Mexican restaurants serve, Caro’s brought out baskets of steaming, crispy-on-the-outside & soft-in-the-middle tostada chips. I was immediately hooked. A couple of visits later, I discovered they used these same chips to make nachos, and my life was never the same.
I tried many times to replicate the pillow-y goodness of these at home. The bad news was that I had a lot of failures; the good news was that even the failures were delicious! But luckily, on our final visit to Caro’s before we moved up to Washington state (and before they closed their doors), they graciously took us back to the kitchen and showed us their secret for making them – fresh masa and hot oil that gets spooned over the tops of the chips as they fry. A few months later, when the Caro’s craving hit, I took a deep breath and tried again. Success!!! I was able to recreate them almost perfectly, in spite of the fact that I couldn’t find fresh masa.
While I always encourage everyone to create your own deliciousness, for me, the magic formula is shredded chicken, refried beans, cheese sauce, sour cream, and a pickled jalapeno.
After making each component, build the nachos:
– Single layer of puffy tostada chips (don’t stack them on top of each other)
– Shredded chicken
– Cheese Sauce
– Additional toppings
Puffy Tostada Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup Masa Harina
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons Warm Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Peanut or Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix masa harina, water, and salt in a mixing bowl – use your hands as it will form a stiff dough. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the masa harina to hydrate.
- In a deep pan, heat 2″-3″ oil to 375°.
- Using either a tortilla press or a rolling pin, flatten a golf-ball-sized piece of dough into a flat round, about 1/4″ thick. Cut the dough round into 6 triangles, like a pizza. Repeat with all the dough.
- Carefully drop 10-12 dough triangles into the hot oil. They will initially since, then rise to the top. Once they have started floating on top, use a large, long-handled spoon to carefully spoon hot oil over the top of the chips which will cause them to puff up. Continue cooking, flipping occasionally, until both sides are lightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oil onto paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt.
Notes
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Deep fried tostada chips are a great alternative to a bag of tortilla chips – either in nachos, or just as a snack with salsa or guacamole.
Shredded Tex-Mex Chicken (Instant Pot version)
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken Breast
- 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, plus 2 Tablespoons of the Adobo Sauce (this is two peppers from the can, NOT 2 cans of chipotle peppers!)
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
Instructions
- Chop the chipotle peppers into very small pieces and mix in a small bowl with the adobo sauce, chicken broth, salt, oregano, and cumin.
- Place chicken in the Instant Pot, pour chipotle mixture over the top, secure lid, and set to cook for 13 minutes at high pressure. When finished, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the vent.
- Remove chicken from pot and shred using two forks. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid to the shredded chicken for flavor and moisture.
Nacho Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz can Evaporated Milk
- 8 oz Cheese, grated (use at least 4 oz medium cheddar, but you can add Monterrey jack, pepper jack, or sharp cheddar to change the flavor if you like)
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoon chopped Jalapeno peppers (from a jar or fresh)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheeses and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, heat evaporated milk, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt until you see whisps of steam rising from the mixture.
- Add the grated cheese/cornstarch mixture a handful at a time, stirring between additions until the cheese is melted. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is thick and bubbly.
- Stir in chopped jalapenos.
- Keep warm until ready to serve.