Forget doing the dishes with these deliciously fun Chicken Nacho Foil Packets. Loaded with melted cheese, tender, seasoned chicken, black beans, corn and tomatoes, these no-mess, easy nachos are the perfect Tex Mex recipe for cookouts, camping, game night or any ol’ time a nacho craving hits!
It’s no secret that I love nachos. Anything on a chip sounds good to me. But make it chicken seasoned just right, loaded with gooey, melted cheese, a chile kick, bright tomatoes and a squeeze of lime, and I’m there on the double.
These easy foil packet nachos have the added bonus of corn and beans, plus smooth and creamy avocado to create a loaded restaurant-style meal or party snack that’s impossible to pass up! Not to mention the simple clean up afterwards that foil packet meals are known for.
Ingredients & Toppings for the Best Chicken Nachos
- shredded or pulled chicken
- diced green chiles
- Monterrey Jack cheese
- whole kernel corn
- black beans
- grape tomatoes
- green onions
- cilantro
- sour cream
- avocado
- ground cumin & chili powder
How to Make Chicken Nacho Foil Packets
Prep. Preheat oven, grill or light that campfire! Tear off 8 approx. 12 inch- 14 inch squares of aluminum foil. Spray only 4 of the foil squares with cooking spray and set aside.
Seasoned Chicken & Cheese. In a large bowl, mix together chicken, chiles, 1 C of the Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, cumin, ground chile & the juice squeezed from ½ lime.
Make the Nachos. Add 1- 1.5 handfuls of tortilla chips to each of the sprayed foil squares. Generously top the chips with your chicken & cheese. Pile on the corn, black beans, diced tomatoes and green onions. Finish off with sprinkles of the remaining cheese.
Make the Packet. Place the unused foil squares over the 4 foil squares piled with nachos. Fold/ crimp edges of the tops, bottoms & sides of foils together to create a sealed pouch. Place all packets on a cookie sheet(s) to cook in oven. If cooking on grill or campfire, simply place packets on grill.
Cook & Enjoy! Cook until cheese is melted (approx. 5-6 minutes). Remove from oven and serve in foil. Let family and friends top with extra cilantro, sour cream, diced avocados and a squeeze of lime juice.
How to Make Sturdy Foil Packets
Foil packets are a great way to whip up delicious dishes and minimize clean up afterwards. Always use heavy duty aluminum foil to make sturdy foil pouches that won’t fall apart or tear easily under the weight of your goodies.
Pre-cut, pop up foil sheets are the most handy way to make foil packets. These pre-cut foil squares just pull right out of the box and are ready to use with no cutting or tearing.
When using pre-cut sheets, I use 2 foil sheets to create my foil packets following the method described above (and in the recipe card). But if for some reason I don’t have any pre-cut sheets, I simply use regular aluminum foil on a roll.
Just pull the foil out to the desired width of your packet and tear. Spray the top half of the foil piece with cooking spray and load up the sprayed area with your ingredients. Fold the bottom half up to meet the top and crimp the tops and sides to make a pouch!
I love serving these nachos right in the foil off the grill or out of the oven. When the last chip has been eaten, just crumple up your packet and throw it in the trash. Clean up’s done!
What To Serve with Chicken Nacho Foil Packets
These packets are so much fun to serve nacho bar style! Set up extra toppings, salsa, sour cream, peppers- all your favorites- and let family & friends finish their nachos off just the way they like it!
Shortcuts & Tips To Make the Best Chicken Nachos
To get a jump on the fun and make these nachos even easier, the seasoned chicken and cheese mixture can be made at least 1 day ahead of time, covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. The same goes for the rest of the prep work, like dicing tomatoes, slicing green onions, any rinsing or draining. When you’re ready to fiesta, just pull out your prepped ingredients and party!
Don’t have a local BBQ place that sells smoked chicken? Use a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store. You’ll have to shred it, but you’ll still save time by not having to cook your own chicken.
If You Like Nachos, You’ll Love These Tex Mex Recipes
- Simply Tex Mex Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
- Taco Pasta Salad with Avocado Dressing
- Layered Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
More Easy Foil Packet Recipes to Make
- Spicy Creole Shrimp Foil Packets
- Mexican Street Corn Foil Packets
- Cheesy BBQ Bacon Potato Foil Packets
If You Make This Recipe, I Can’t Wait To Hear About It!
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No-Mess Chicken Nachos Foil Packets
Equipment
- heavy duty aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 3 C shredded or pulled chicken
- 4 oz diced green chiles, undrained
- 2 C grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ¼ C chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- ½ lime
- 20 oz bag of corn tortilla chips
- 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
- 15 oz black beans, drained & rinsed
- 10 oz grape tomatoes, diced
- 4 green onions, sliced
Toppings
- chopped cilantro
- sour cream
- diced avocado
- squeeze of lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit. While oven preheats, tear off 8 approx. 12 inch x 12 inch squares of aluminum foil. Spray only 4 of the foil squares with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together chicken, chiles, 1 C of the Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, cumin, ground chile & the juice squeezed from ½ lime. Set aside.
- Add 1- 1.5 handfuls of tortilla chips on each of the sprayed foil squares. Generously top the chips with chicken mixture. Evenly add 1-2 tablespoon of each: whole kernel corn, black beans, diced tomatoes and green onions. Top each packet equally with remaining cheese.
- Tent the remaining unsprayed foil squares over the 4 foil squares piled with nachos. Fold/ crimp edges of the tops, bottoms & sides of foil together to create a sealed pouch. Place all packets on a cookie sheet(s) to cook in oven. If cooking on grill, simply place packets on grill.
- Cook until cheese is melted (approx. 5-6 minutes). Remove from oven and serve in foil. Let guests top with extra cilantro, sour cream, diced avocados and a squeeze of lime juice.
These Chicken Nacho Foil Packets are another great meal that was just made for sharing with friends and creating memorable moments with your family! Creating easy, fun favorites like these that everyone enjoys makes those special food memories that tie us all together. There’s nothing better than hearing, “You know those… we make? I love those!”
More Memory Creating Meals
OMG. These look great! What a clever idea!!! Where have you been all my life??!!
Ha! It’s hard to beat a good nacho that you don’t have to clean up after!