Chicken Nachos with Green Chili-Cheese Sauce

Description

Roasted Chicken Nachos with Green Chili-Cheese Sauce from the Wikibooks Cookbook—original source of recipe, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License

• Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed (or used canned if unavailable)
• 2 jalapeños, stemmed
• ½ medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
• kosher (coarse or margarita) salt
• ¼ cup [60ml] (½ stick) unsalted butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose [60ml] flour
• 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock, at room temperature
• 4 cups (950ml) shredded jack cheese
• 1 (1-pound) (450g) bag salted corn tortilla chips
• 1 (3-pound) whole (1350g) roasted chicken, meat finely shredded, skin and bones discarded

Quick Salsa

• 1 pint (570ml) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped
• 2 handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, hand shredded
• 2 limes, juiced
• Kosher (coarse or margarita) salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Sour cream and guacamole, for serving

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil; add the tomatillos, jalapeños, onion, and garlic.
2. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatillos are soft.
3. Drain and cool slightly, then put them in a blender.
4. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and cumin.
5. Puree for a few seconds to blend, and then pour in about a ¼ cup of water and process to a coarse puree; taste and season with a generous pinch of salt.
6. You should have about 2 cups of this green salsa (salsa verde).
7. Make a roux by melting the butter over medium-low heat in a thick-bottomed saucepan.
8. Just as the foam subsides, sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps.
9. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to remove the starchy taste from the flour; don't allow it to brown.
10. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and simmer for 8 minutes to thicken.
11. Once you have a good base, fold in 2 cups of the shredded jack cheese; mix until completely melted into a sauce.
12. Stir in the prepared salsa verde until incorporated; remove the green chili cheese sauce from the heat.

Quick Salsa

1. Make a quick salsa by combining the cherry tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice in a bowl; season with salt and pepper, tossing to combine.

Building the Nachos

1. To build these awesome nachos: preheat the oven to 350 degrees f (180c).
2. Get a very large oven-proof platter and cover it with a few handfuls of tortilla chips, follow with a portion of the shredded chicken, a coating of the cheese sauce, and a nice sprinkle of the remaining shredded jack.
3. Make 3 or 4 layers of the nachos, depending on the size of the platter.
4. Bake the nachos until they are all hot and gooey, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Putting it All Together

1. Spoon the tomato salsa over the top of the nachos and serve with the sour cream on the side.