Easy Air Fryer Chicken Nachos is a cheesy flavorful comfort food treat that cooks in less than 5 minutes, making it the perfect meal or snack for your busy family.
Suitable for Gluten Free diets.
Southwestern food lovers, these Air Fryer Nachos are going to become one of your favorite meals. They are made using pantry staples (including leftovers), require minimal prep, and cook in less than 5 minutes.
Plus, there are all sorts of different toppings that can be added which means it is easily adaptable for picky kids, spice-loving adults and everyone in between. You can make this for dinner tonight for the whole family.
It is one of my favorite recipes just like this Chicken Fajita Casserole, delicious crispy Air Fryer Egg Rolls and really easy Chicken Fajita Foil Packs.
Pull out these Air Fryer Chicken Nachos for an easy weeknight dinner, for movie nights, Game Day, Cinco De Mayo, party food or an anytime snack to share with friends and family.
Why Make This Recipe
- Budget friendly – made with affordable ingredients you already own.
- Easy prep – Air Fryer loaded nachos are really simple to prepare and are ready to eat in under 10 minutes.
- Adaptable – Immensely adaptable with different veggies and meats to make a different delicious meal every time.
- Dietary – suitable for gluten free diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – We’re using cooked chicken thats leftover. #soeasy
- Tortilla chips – We used gluten free corn tortillas but you can use whichever kind you have. Use restaurant-style chips as these are thicker and yield the best results when cooking.
- Black beans – Use cooked black beans. I prefer leftover black beans that I cook myself, but you can use your favorite store-bought seasoned black beans.
- Bell peppers – Use jarred bell peppers or finely diced fresh peppers if you want some extra crunch.
- Cheese – Use your favorite cheese blend mix. A mix of Mexican cheese, Monterey jack, and cheddar cheese works very well. The melted cheese makes these so good.
- Salsa – Use your favorite jarred salsa.
- Guacamole – Use store-bought guacamole or homemade guacamole.
- Optional – Grab some extra juicy tomatoes for topping as you wish.
How To Make Air Fryer Nachos
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Place tortilla chips to about two-thirds of the way full in the air fryer basket.
- Top with chicken, peppers, cooked black beans, and cheese.
- Air Fry at 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Remove from air fryer, top with tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, and serve.
Air fryer temperatures will vary depending on the type and model, so use the cook time as a guide only and adjust as needed.
Make These In The Oven
For more cooking methods check this out below.
- Pre heat the oven to 400F /200C / gas 6.
- Layer tortilla chips, chicken, beans, peppers and shredded cheese on a rimmed sheet pan.
- Cook nachos in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes or until the chips are nicely toasted and the cheese is melted.
- Top with salsa, guacamole and tomatoes and serve hot.
Tips For Success
- Add the salsa and guacamole just before serving so the Air Fryer Chicken Nachos don’t get soggy.
- Nachos will cook super fast in the Air Fryer, so watch these closely during air frying to make sure they don’t burn.
- Make sure to only fill the air fryer basket two-thirds of the way.
- To make it easy to remove nachos, line the air fryer basket with aluminum foil before adding ingredients.
- For even more flavor, cook your leftover chicken with taco seasoning before adding to the nachos.
- You can double the recipe but you will need to cook these in a few batches.
Nacho Topping Ideas
You can top with whatever you like and some of my favorite toppings are
- Olives
- Jalapeno peppers
- Refried beans
- Cooked ground beef
- Cooked ground turkey
- Cojita cheese
- Pico de Gallo
- Lime crema
- Sour cream
- Green onions
- Chipotle sauce
- Green chilis
- Grilled corn
Budget Friendly Tips
- Use leftover chicken – use any leftover chicken you have on hand. You can make this with ground beef too.
- Freeze leftover chicken – throw all leftover chicken into a freezer bag and keep adding to it until you have enough to make this.
- Reduce the chicken – feel free to reduce chicken and bulk it out with more veggies to make it even more budget-friendly.
- Stock up on chips – grab tortilla corn chips when on sale and stock up.
Reheat
- Reheat – preheat the air fryer to 350F / 180C and reheat nachos for about 2-4 minutes until warmed through and starting to crisp up again.
FAQs
You need a great melty cheese for the perfect Chicken Nachos. A Mexican cheese works well here but of course you can use whichever melty cheese is your favorite.
You sure can. If you have an oven style air fryer with a couple of shelves then you can easily double the recipe by putting it in 2 trays. If you have a basket air fryer then it would be best to do it in 2 batches.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes You Might Like
For more air fryer snacks and more delicious recipes check out these below.
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta. Make for dinner tonight.
- Chicken Fajita Foil Packs. Great with Pico de Gallo.
- 5 Ingredient Fajita Casserole. Easy dump and start recipe.
- Instant Pot Fajita Rice. The whole family love this.
- Mexican Deviled Eggs. A great snack
More Mexican Recipes
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Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu
Get The Easy Air Fryer Chicken Nachos Recipe:
Air Fryer Nachos
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Fill the air fryer basket with tortilla chips to about two-thirds of the way full.
- Top with chicken, peppers, black beans, and cheese.
- Air Fry at 350F / 180C for 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Remove nachos from the air fryer and top with diced tomatoe, salsa, guacamole and serve.
Notes
Tips For Success
- Add the salsa and guacamole just before serving so the Air Fryer Chicken Nachos don’t get soggy.
- Nachos will cook super fast in the Air Fryer, so watch these closely to make sure they don’t burn.
- Make sure to only fill the air fryer basket two-thirds of the way.
- To make it easy to remove the nachos, line the air fryer basket with foil before adding ingredients.
- For evern more flavor, cook your leftover chicken with taco seasoning before adding to the nachos.
Nacho Topping Ideas
- Olives
- Jalapeños
- Refried beans
- Cooked ground beef
- Cojita cheese
- Pico de Gallo
- Lime crema
- Chipotle sauce
- Green chiles
- Grilled corn
Budget Friendly Tips
- Use leftover chicken – use any leftover chicken you have on hand.
- Freeze leftover chicken – throw all leftover chicken into a freezer bag and keep adding to it until you have enough to make this.
- Reduce the chicken – feel free to reduce chicken and bulk it out with more veggies to make it even more budget-friendly.
- Stock up on chips – grab tortilla corn chips when on sale and stock up.
Jill
I’ve made so many things in my air fryer, but not nachos. These look amazing! Must try them.
Michelle
These air fryer nachos looks so good! Can’t wait to try these for the next game day!
Shalini
I love air fryer recipes and this looks yum! Never tried Nachos on air fryer before. So, this is new!
Lima Ekram
OMG that cheese pull shot! Must try this asap!
Michelle Boule
oh wow, I did not realize that nachos can be made in the air fryer. This is a game changer!