The Ultimate Cheesy Sriracha Nachos

I am not sure why, but I always have lots of cheese, and lots of tortilla chips at home. One lazy Sunday it occurred to me that the best way to utilize these ingredients was to make a giant plate of nachos. We called it dinner. It wasn’t the healthiest dinner, but we loved every bite.

I decided that in order to call nachos dinner, they needed in include meat, so I added some shredded chicken. I quickly boiled a chicken breast in half water and half chicken broth and shredded it up. You could use a rotisserie chicken, or just skip the meat all together. Or choose a different meat. The great thing about nachos is that you can add anything you like. Add jalapeños to increase the heat, or add sour cream to add a touch of creaminess.

What makes these nachos special is the sriracha cheddar sauce. The sauce is a simple mornay sauce (the same sauce you use when you make macaroni and cheese) with a touch of sriracha to add a kick of spice. I topped the nachos with the pulled chicken, black beans, chopped tomato, the sauce, and then a generous amount of mashed avocado. I thought I did a nice job of covering all the food groups.

You will need:
1 large Chicken Breast
1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon Butter
1 1/2 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Milk
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese (I used Cabot’s Farmhouse Reserve Cheddar)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
a dash of Pepper
1-3 teaspoons Sriracha
1 can Black Beans
1 large Tomato
1 ripe Avocado
1/2 bag of Tortilla Chips

Step 1:
Pour the chicken broth into a small pot. Add enough water to fill the pot half way. Bring to a boil. Then cut the chicken breast in half, and add it to the water. Boil for 6-8 minutes, until no longer pink in the center. Then set aside and let cool.

Step 2:
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Then whisk in the flour. Heat the flour and butter, whisking together until it browns slightly. Then whisk in the milk. Bring to a slow boil, and then add the cheese stirring frequently until it has melted.

Step 3:
Add the salt and pepper to the sauce. Stir, and then add the sriracha one teaspoon at a time until it reaches the level of spice you desire. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.

Step 4:
Drain and rinse the black beans, and then heat in a skillet or in the microwave until warm.

Step 5:
Use two forks to shred the chicken, and then add it to the sriracha cheese sauce.

Step 6:
Chop the tomato. Half the avocado, remove the pit, and then mash the avocado in a bowl.

Step 7:
Spread tortilla chips out on a platter. Top the with black beans and tomatoes. Then pour the chicken and then sriracha cheese sauce over. Then finish by adding the mashed avocado on top.

*The cheese was a gift from Cabot