Chicken and Black Bean Nacho Dip

All the flavor of regular nachos, but easier to make (and eat)

Nachos! What could be better?

Well, how about easier-to-make nachos that don’t fall apart on the way to your mouth?

Enter this nacho dip. All the traditional nacho yum in a dip that stays put on tortilla chips.

Your washing machine will thank you.

Recipe: Chicken and Black Bean Nacho Dip

We make this dish with Slow-Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken (that’s the same recipe we used for Taco Soup with Chicken). But you could use any style of cooked chicken (including supermarket rotisserie chicken — see Notes).

To make this dip, you combine all the ingredients you’d normally layer on top of nachos, then heat them. Scoop it all up with tortilla chips.

For a party, you could serve this dip in a large baking dish. In our era of social distancing, though, using individual ramekins or the like might be more appropriate. Besides, that way there’s no problem if someone is a double dipper.

Prep and cooking time for this recipe is 10 to 15 minutes. Leftovers keep for a day or two if refrigerated in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• ~1 cup shredded chicken (or more to taste; we use about 1½ cups)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans (can substitute another bean of your choice; see Notes)
• 1 chipotle pepper (or more to taste; we use canned chipotles, along with some of the adobo sauce they’re packed in)
• ~1 cup salsa (or more to taste)
• ~8 ounces shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• jalapeño pepper slices for garnish (optional)
• tortilla chips for dipping

Procedure

1. Shred the chicken into small pieces (½ inch or less), then place the pieces in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat.
2. Drain the canned black beans in a strainer and rinse off the gunk they’re stored in. Place about half the black beans in a mini food processor. Add the other half to the chicken pieces in the frying pan.
3. Add one canned chipotle pepper to the mini food processor, along with about one tablespoon of the adobo sauce it’s packed in. Whirl the food processor until the pepper is puréed and the black beans are broken up (they don’t need to be pulverized). Add the contents of the food processor to the chicken in the frying pan.
4. Add the salsa to the chicken. Stir everything together and cook until the liquid from the salsa has evaporated (about 5 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, shred the cheese. 
6. Wash and dry a jalapeño pepper (if using), then slice it into thin rounds.
7. When the chicken mixture is finished cooking, pack it into a large microwave-safe baking dish, or into smaller individual baking dishes (we use ramekins that hold 6 to 8 ounces). Top with the shredded cheese, then microwave until the cheese is melted (a minute, maybe two).
8. Remove the baking dish(es) from the microwave. Garnish with jalapeño slices, if you wish. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Notes

• If you don’t have a microwave, just run the baking dish(es) under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese. (Use dishes that are oven-safe.)
• We sometimes garnish this dish with sour cream. (Just add a few dollops as topping after you remove the dip from the microwave.)
• We also like to add a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro to the chicken mixture for extra flavor (we add it in Step 4). Or you could sprinkle some on as garnish at the end.
• Don’t have leftover Slow-Cooker Mexican Chicken on hand? No problem. You can use any leftover chicken (or even supermarket rotisserie chicken). Just shred it, add it to the frying pan, and season it (we suggest using 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon oregano, and 1 to 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder). Cook the shredded chicken for a few minutes before you add the other ingredients.
• Or you could substitute ground beef in this recipe. Use about ½ pound. Brown it in the frying pan, pour off the grease, then stir in the seasonings and cook for a few minutes. You could probably substitute pork, too. Or turkey.
• This recipe is only mildly spicy (unless you get a bite of the jalapeño). If you want more spice, add two chipotle peppers. Or sprinkle on some hot sauce. 
• We like to use black beans in Mexican dishes, but refried beans are more traditional in nachos. If you want to go this route, use a can of them. No need to add half the can to the food processor – just scoop the beans directly into the frying pan with the chicken.
• BTW, the reason we add half the can of black beans to the food processor is just to make a smoother dip. If you like chunky dip, just skip that step and add all the beans directly to the chicken.
• Want more cheese in this dish? You could add more as a topping. But it would be even better to stir some cheese into the chicken mixture right before you add it to the baking dish(es).
• Originally, nachos were pretty simple and austere. They were just tortillas that had been cut into wedges and fried, then covered with thin slices of cheddar cheese (and a garnish of jalapeño). Cooks would place the nachos on a baking tray and heat them in the oven until the cheese melted.
• Over time, people began adding more goodies to their nachos. We love all the additions, of course. But the more elaborate nachos become, the messier they are to make and eat. So we now prefer to make this dip instead.

All Cheese All the Time

“Dippity do da!” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. “Regular nachos are good, but this dip is even better.”

“Nacho-ly,” I said. “Glad I didn’t chicken out on making this.”

“That was a cheesy line,” said Mrs K R.

“I’m nacho sure about that,” I said.

“We need to mix some Margaritas before this goes any further,” said Mrs K R. “Beam me to Monterey, Jack.”

Sure. I’m always ready to shake things up.

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Classic Margarita Cocktail
Taco Soup with Chicken
Slow-Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip
Velveeta Tex-Mex Dip
Frito Pie with Chili
Jalapeño Black Bean Dip
Jalapeño Pimento Cheese Canapés
Pimento Cheese
Mediterranean White Bean Dip
Artichoke Dip with Cheddar Cheese
Crab Rangoon Dip
Or check out the index for more