Loaded Slow Cooker Chicken Nachos

I can’t even imagine how many people call into work sick on those days. I’m guessing the number is exceedingly high because I may or may not have done at a few times :) SHHHH don’t tell my former employers!! The first few days or March Madness usually consist of hanging out with a few friends and eating myself into a food coma. Because there are so many games on you can literally drift in and out of sleep and you don’t have to worry about missing games since there are so many on during the 2-day span. On second thought, I may actually like the food more than all the basketball games.

When it comes to making nachos, the more things piled up on top, the better! That doesn’t mean that I like 25 ingredients, it just means I like a lot of whatever those ingredients are so when I get down to the bottom of the pile of chips there are still toppings left. Yes, you can get crazy with all the different flavor combos and end up with quite a few ingredients and the beauty is that it’s totally up to you. I really like trying different themes when making nachos or poutine for that matter. There, of course, is the traditional nachos, similar to what I did in this recipe, and then you can try things like BBQ pulled pork nachos, Greek gyro nachos, cheeseburger nachos, literally the possibilities are endless.

I tweaked a few things in this more traditional nacho recipe like making my own pico de gallo instead of popping a jar, I added a few different beans and slow cooked the chicken instead of chopping it up after cooking. Not drastic changes, but it was enough to show that I took some time to make these extra tasty.

The one thing that I thought about doing but ended up not was making some sort of nacho cheese sauce. I LOVE nacho cheese sauce, but more often than not it really makes the chips soggy and if I plan on grazing all day long I’m not looking to eat mush. However, if you want a cheesy sauce and plan on tearing these up in one sitting, then all you really need to do is to thicken some whole milk with a roux over medium-high heat and stir in a ton of shredded American or cheddar cheese and then pour it over top.

Another way to spice up your nachos game while watching all the games is to have them represent cities from schools that are playing. For instance, you can make Philly Cheesesteak nachos for Villanova, or perhaps make Cuban Pork nachos for Miami, or maybe try doing Turkey Avocado Club Nachos for UCLA. The whole point is to have fun doing it and have an even better time eating great food, watching great basketball and spending time with friends and family!