Chicken Tikka Nachos

Chicken Tikka Nachos – an Indian spin on everyone’s favorite classic Mexican appetizer! They’re made with delicious shredded Chicken Tikka, plenty of cheese, pico de gallo, creamy cooling yogurt sauce, and a spicy red chili sauce! Perfect for your next Cinco de Mayo fiesta or gathering!

this recipe

Friends, we need to talk Nachos.

I’ve had this blog up for a while now, and it’s just occurred to me that I haven’t yet discussed the MOST important food group with you! Yup – Nachos is a food group in my books! 😉

I don’t deny it. I am a highly addicted nachoholic.

But I won’t eat just any nachos from any restaurant. You see, I have high standards and requirements when it comes to my ‘chos. They need to be a certain way in order for me to do what I do best – and that my friends, is inhaling nachos! 😉

We’re talking:

• Super cheeeesy
• Shredded tantalizing spicy chicken
• Lots of creamy sauce
• Some spicy sauce
• Pico de Gallo is a MUST always!
• Last but not least, chopped coriander for garnish. It makes things look beautiful and taste even more beautiful! 😍

Above is Exhibit A – Chicken Tikka Nachos. They rock my world, and they are about to rock yours too!

First off, I must stress that you don’t need to panic at the sight of the lengthy ingredient list. While it looks a bit long, the method for each element (chicken, yogurt sauce, and pico de gallo) that makes up these tasty nachos is pretty straightforward and easy. Like one or two steps and done. EASY. 👍

Once you’ve made the shredded Chicken Tikka, the cooling creamy yogurt sauce, and the pico de gallo, you’re all set to assemble your ‘chos!

So without further ado, let’s break down the elements of this gorgeous, saucy, piquant fusion-ish party appetizer, and make some!

SHREDDED CHICKEN TIKKA

First, we need to make the shredded Chicken Tikka. What you need to do is marinate two chicken breasts in Indian spices, seasonings, some ginger paste, garlic paste, lemon juice (freshly squeezed is ALWAYS best), Tandoori color powder (or a drop or two of red/orange food coloring), and Greek yogurt. The longer you leave the chicken in the marinade, the more tasty and tender it’ll be! (I recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight and letting the marinade work its magic. But one hour in the marinade will also work too if you’re short on time.) Then, pan-fry the chicken breasts until cooked through and shred with two forks.

BOOM. We have the main element for these Chicken Tikka Nachos ready. Simple and easy, and done in two shakes!

CREAMY COOLING YOGURT SAUCE

So while the chicken tikka breasts are marinating, you can whip up the Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce.

Remember my Cooling Cucumber & Mint Yogurt Dip? Well, this sauce is basically an adaptation of it! I told you it was super versatile! And today, it’s proving itself in the form of a sauce/topping for these Chicken Tikka Nachos!

To make it, all you need to do is combine Greek yogurt, minced cucumber, chopped mint leaves, a bit of lemon juice in a bowl or measuring cup. Then season with salt and pepper to taste, and add a pinch each of ground cayenne, ground cumin, and smoked paprika.

Mix it all up with a spoon and transfer to an easy squeeze condiment bottle. Then, store the bottle in the fridge until you need it. By the way, I use an easy squeeze condiment bottle because it makes it easier to drizzle this heavenly, cooling creamy sauce over the Chicken Tikka Nachos. But you can totally just make it in a bowl and spoon the sauce over nachos. 👌

PICO DE GALLO

Right, on to the third and VERY important element for any type of nachos if you ask me! This pico de gallo can also be made while the chicken is marinating. And it’ll be ready in a jiffy because it’s ridiculously easy to make too!

Just combine a chopped tomato (remove the seeds before you chop it), half a chopped red onion, a splash of lemon juice, chopped coriander and mint leaves in a bowl. Toss until everything is evenly combined, and then guess what?! You’ve got another simple but super tasty topping for your Chicken Tikka Nachos!

ASSEMBLING THE CHICKEN TIKKA NACHOS

Now that you’ve got the chicken, yogurt sauce, and pico de gallo ready to go, it’s time to assemble these mouthwatering Chicken Tikka Nachos!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A bag of Tortilla Chips: I like to use lightly salted tortilla chips
• Shredded Chicken Tikka: You’ll need about 2-3 cups
• Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Either freshly shredded from a block or you can try Tilamook’s FarmStyle Cut Sharp Cheddar Cheese. I like it because it melts evenly and quickly!
• Colby Jack Cheese: 6 slices – break them up into small pieces
• Coriander: Roughly chopped – just a tablespoon or two for garnish!
• Toppings galore!: Pico de Gallo, Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce, Mykonos Red Chili Sauce (or any of your favorite hot sauces!), sour cream, guacamole, salsa, olives, etc.

By the way, that gorgeous orange hot sauce on top of these Chicken Tikka Nachos is none other than Mykonos Red Chili Sauce. It’s tantalizing, tangy, and spicy, and a real party on your tongue! I discovered it at the Taste of Hong Kong food festival last month and fell immediately in love with it! They also have a Green Chili Sauce, which is slightly tangier and milder if that’s your thing. But I like the red chili sauce much better because it’s hotter and more vibrant, and ultimately more flavorful in my opinion.

They’re currently only selling and shipping within Hong Kong, so if you live here, GET IN! If you don’t live here, no worries. Just use any of your favorite hot sauces!

(By the way, this is not a sponsored post. I just want to share the hot sauce love like I always do when I discover and fall in love with a new one! 😉)

Back to making these dee-lish bomb diggity Chicken Tikka Nachos!

First: Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and grab a large deep 10-inch or 12-inch ovenproof skillet. I adore my Lodge Cast Iron 12-inch Skillet for this because it’s super nonstick thanks to being pre-seasoned already. More importantly, it’s deep enough to hold the mountain of nachos we are about to make! If you don’t have a deep ovenproof skillet, feel free to make this in a large round cake pan, a 9×13 baking dish, or directly on a baking sheet pan. If using the latter, I suggest lining the sheet pan with foil or nonstick baking paper. You’ll be grateful you did since it’ll be easier to dispose of the foil/nonstick baking paper and just wash a practically clean sheet pan. 😉

Second: Spread half a bag of tortilla chips in the skillet. Top with half of the shredded Chicken Tikka, half of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and half of the broken up pieces of Colby Jack cheese. Repeat with the remainder tortilla chips, Chicken Tikka, and both cheeses.

Third: Bake until the cheese has melted. This took about 10-12 minutes for me. But different ovens may require more or less time. So just keep an eye on the nachos while they are in the oven, and remove them once the cheese has melted and looks divine!

Fourth: Drizzle the Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce and Mykonos Red Chili Sauce (if using, or your favorite hot sauce) over the Chicken Tikka Nachos. Spoon the Pico de Gallo evenly on top and garnish with the chopped coriander. (Feel free to add any other of your favorite nachos toppings!)

THAT’S IT my friends!

Now eat. Inhale (if you are a nachoholic like me). Make lots of oomphs and ahh noises with your friends and family at the party!

Go quickly now. Grab all the ingredients, and unleash your Chicken Tikka Nachos spirit animal tonight! 🤗

CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN?

Of course! You can make panner tikka using the same marinade instead of chicken tikka to make this vegetarian. All you need to do is gently mix approximately 400g cubed paneer in the same marinade, and then pan-fry it carefully (as paneer tends to crumble if you overcook it). Then just assemble the nachos as per instructions with the panner tikka cubes instead of the chicken!

CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD?

You can make the Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce and Pico de Gallo a day in advance. For the Chicken Tikka, I recommend marinating it 2 days in advance, and then cooking/shredding it 1 day in advance of serving. This way, all there’s left to do on the day of serving is assembling the Chicken Tikka Nachos and baking it!

STORING & LEFTOVERS

You will most likely have leftover Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce and Pico de Gallo. Store in the refrigerator and consume within 1-2 days. If you have leftover shredded Chicken Tikka, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 days. You can use it in sandwiches, wraps tacos, salads, etc. Or use it to make this super delicious Chicken Tikka Naanza (Naan Pizza!) – which we can’t get enough of around here!

MORE PARTY SNACKS & APPETIZERS

• Oven Grilled Chicken Tikka Drumettes
• Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes
• Thai Sweet Basil Roasted Tomato Salsa
• Spicy Grilled Asian-Cajun Chicken Skewers
• Chili Chicken Lettuce Cups
• Easy Spicy Thai Shrimp Cakes

Chicken Tikka Nachos

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This Chicken Tikka Nachos is an Indian spin on the classic Mexican party snack! They’re loaded with delicious shredded Chicken Tikka, cheese, Pico de Gallo, and topped with a Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce and a spicy red chili sauce!

• Author: Lavina
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 1x
• Category: Appetizers & Party Snacks
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Fusion (Indian/Mexican)

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Chicken Tikka:

• 2 Chicken Breasts (about 400g), boneless, skinless
• 1 TBLS freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 TSP Kosher Salt
• ¾ TSP ground Cayenne
• 1 TSP Garam Masala (store-bought is fine, but homemade Garam Masala always tastes much better!)
• 1 TSP ground Cumin
• 1 TSP Coriander powder
• 1 TSP Turmeric powder
• ½ TSP Tandoori color powder (or 1–2 drops red/orange food color)
• 2 TSP Ginger Paste
• 2 TSP Garlic Paste
• 4 TBLS Greek Style Yogurt (or plain whole milk yogurt)
• 1 TBLS Unsalted Butter
• 1 TBLS Olive Oil

For the Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup Greek Style Yogurt (or plain whole milk yogurt)
• 1 TBLS minced Cucumber
• 1 TBLS finely chopped Mint Leaves
• ¼ TSP ground Cayenne
• ¼ TSP ground Cumin
• ¼ TSP Smoked Paprika
• 1 TSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
• ¼ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
• 1/8 – ¼ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste

For the Pico de Gallo:

• 1 medium Tomato – seeds removed, chopped small
• ½ medium Red Onion – small chopped
• 1 TBLS freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 TBLS Coriander – roughly chopped
• 1 TBLS Mint Leaves – roughly chopped

For Assembling the Chicken Tikka Nachos:

• 1 bag (200-230g) of Tortilla Chips (I use lightly salted)
• 2–3 cups shredded Chicken Tikka
• 2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (either shredded from a block, or try a bag of Tilamook’s FarmStyle Cut Sharp Cheddar Cheese – I like it because it melts evenly and quickly!)
• 6 slices Colby Jack Cheese – broken up into pieces (I use Sara Lee’s custom slices and used 12 x half slices in total)
• 1 TBLS Coriander – roughly chopped
• Optional Toppings: Pico de Gallo, Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce (recipes included below), 3-4 TBLS Mykonos Red Chili Sauce (or any of your favorite hot sauces!), sour cream, guacamole, salsa, olives, etc.

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Instructions

For the Chicken Tikka:

• Combine all the ingredients except the unsalted butter and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix and make sure the chicken breasts are fully submerged in the marinade. Cover with cling wrap and allow for the chicken to marinate for 1 hour, or overnight in the refrigerator for best results.
• When ready to cook, heat the unsalted butter and Olive Oil in a medium sized sauté/fry pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the marinated Chicken Tikka breasts and the remaining marinade in the bowl to the pan. Cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until the chicken has cooked through and longer pink on the inside. Transfer the Chicken Tikka breasts and shred with two forks. Set aside.

For the Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl (or measuring cup) and mix to combine. Transfer to an easy squeeze condiment bottle and store in the refrigerator until needed.

For the Pico de Gallo:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and toss until combined.

For Assembling the Chicken Tikka Nachos:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Spread half of the tortilla chips evenly in a large cast iron skillet, round cake pan, 9×13 baking dish, or directly on a baking tray/sheet pan. Top evenly with half of the shredded Chicken Tikka, half of the shredded cheddar cheese, and half of the Colby Jack cheese pieces. Repeat with the remainder tortilla chips, Chicken Tikka, shredded cheddar cheese, and Colby Jack cheese pieces.
3. Bake until the cheese has melted – about 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the Creamy Cooling Cucumber Sauce and Mykonos Red Chili Sauce (if using) or your favorite hot sauce! Spoon the Pico de Gallo evenly on top and garnish with the chopped coriander. Serve immediately!

Notes

1. Make Ahead: You can make the Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce and Pico de Gallo a day in advance. For the Chicken Tikka, I recommend marinating it 2 days in advance, and then cooking/shredding it a day in advance of serving. This way, all there’s left to do on the day of serving is assemble the Chicken Tikka Nachos and bake it!
2. Storing: You will most likely have leftover Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce and Pico de Gallo. Store in the refrigerator and consume within 1-2 days. If you have leftover shredded Chicken Tikka, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 days. You can use it in sandwiches, wraps tacos, salads, etc. Or use it to make this super delicious Chicken Tikka Naanza (coming soon!) – we can’t get enough of around it around here!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 410
• Sugar: 3.3g
• Sodium: 732.5mg
• Fat: 23.6g
• Saturated Fat: 9.9g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10.5g
• Trans Fat: 0.3g
• Carbohydrates: 22.9g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 26.3g
• Cholesterol: 80.5mg

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