Smoked BBQ Chicken Nachos

An overview shot of a cast iron skillet filled with nachos and topped with sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, and salsa.

These Smoked BBQ Chicken Nachos are loaded with delicious toppings and so much flavor! These nachos are also quick and easy to make on your pellet grill or Traeger and will be on the table in less than 20 minutes! They are made with gluten and grain-free chips and raw grass-fed cheddar, making them a delicious primal dish.

Course Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 556kcal

Author Emilee Mason

Equipment

Traeger or Pellet Grill or oven

Ingredients

1 bag Siete tortilla chips
3 cups cooked BBQ chicken shredded or chopped
5 cups raw, grass-fed cheddar cheese shredded
⅔ cups black olives sliced
¼ cup red onion diced
⅓ cup pickled jalapenos sliced

Toppings, as desired

guacamole
salsa
sour cream
green onions
fresh cilantro

Instructions

Preheat the Traeger or pellet grill to 350F with the lid closed.
Place the chips in the bottom of a large cast iron skillet or spread on a baking pan.
Sprinkle the chips with one cup of cheese then top with the chicken, olives, onions, and jalapeños. Finish by sprinkling the nachos with the remaining cheese.
Place the cast iron or the pan directly on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove the pan from the grill.
Top the nachos with your desired toppings and enjoy!

Notes

Ingredient Notes

Siete Tortilla Chips - These are my favorite gluten-free, grain-free, and paleo compatible brand of chips.
Cooked BBQ chicken - I like using leftover boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe and tossing it with a little bit of BBQ sauce. A rotisserie chicken will work great here as well.
Raw, grass-fed cheddar cheese - Organic Valley is my favorite brand of raw cheddar to use but feel free to use a combination of your favorites. Pepper-jack cheese would be delicious here as well.
Pickled Jalapeños - You can absolutely use raw jalapeños here but I love the flavor that pickled jalapeños bring to the dish. If you can’t find pickled jalapeños in store with clean ingredients, there are many healthy recipes online where you can make them yourself and have them ready in less than 30 minutes.
Toppings - The sky is the limit with toppings for nachos! We love salsa, guacamole, jalapeños, sour cream, and fresh cilantro! These nachos are also fantastic served with this Mango Salsa and this Blender Salsa.

Oven Baked Nachos

To make these nachos in the oven, simply preheat your oven to 350F and follow all the instructions as written. The nachos will take about the same amount of time in the oven as on the grill just be sure to keep a close eye on them and pull them out when the cheese is melted to your liking.

Recipe Suggestions

To save time, you can pre-chop the chicken and veggies as well as shred the cheese. Do not layer the nachos until you are ready to cook them to prevent the chips from getting soggy.
If your pan that you are smoking or baking these on is not wide enough for a single layer of nachos (like a cast iron), you can continue layering the chips and toppings until you have used all of the ingredients. Just be sure to make cheese the final layer to hold all the goodness in!
These nachos would be great made with chopped steak or even these Paleo Pork Carnitas.

Storage & Reheating Notes

While nachos are best eaten immediately after cooking, you can definitely save and reheat these nachos. Store the nachos in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To reheat them, spread the nachos on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 275F until they are crunchy and warmed to your liking. They can also be reheat in a skillet, covered, on medium low heat until done to your liking.
- Another great option for reheating nachos is in your air fryer! Place the nachos in your air fryer basket and cook at 275F, again, until crunchy and warmed to your liking!

Serving Notes

To make it a meal, I like to serve these nachos with a large green salad or in the winter a soup. This creamy tortilla soup would be great to have alongside these nachos.
This recipe also makes a great appetizer and can be served alongside other finger foods such a these smoked deviled eggs or these smoked shrimp skewers for a delicious party or game-day spread!

Nutrition