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Chicken Tikka Nachos

Overhead view of cast iron skillet of Chicken Tikka Nachos with Creamy Cooling Yogurt Sauce and Red Chili sauce drizzled over the top. Garnished with freshly chopped coriander.
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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!

Ingredients

Scale

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.

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

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/chicken-tikka-nachos/