Black Bean Chicken Nachos: These aren’t the nachos from your local watering-hole. Our version loaded with black bean and sweet potato chili making for a hearty, nacho you’ll actually feel good about eating for dinner, top toasted flour tortillas with melted cheddar cheese, cilantro, and sliced radishes for a fresh, peppery-crunch.
History of Nachos
Nachos first appeared in 1943 in Piedras Negras, a small Mexican city very close to the U.S. military base Fort Duncan, in Texas. A group of about a dozen U.S. military wives had spent a day shopping in Eagle Pass when they decided to stop for some dinner. All nearby restaurants were closed.
The maître d’hôtel at the old Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya felt sorry for the women. He decided to create a new snack for them. With what little he had available in the kitchen, tortillas and cheese. Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles, fried them, added shredded cheddar cheese. Added sliced pickled jalapeño peppers and put the concoction in the oven for a couple of minutes.
He then served the inventive snack to the ladies, naming it after himself—Ignacio, or rather the nickname Nacho. Hence, ‘Nachos Especiales. As word of the dish traveled, the apostrophe was lost, and Nacho’s “specials” became “special nachos”
Ignacio Anaya died in 1975. In his honor, a bronze plaque was erected in Piedras Negras, and October 21 was declared the International Day of the Nacho.
TIPS FOR COOKING CHICKEN
Chicken breasts should not be thicker than 1-inch, max. If your chicken breasts are thick, use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken to a smaller and even thickness BEFORE cooking.RELATED RECIPE: Hoisin Chicken Recipe with Buttery Soy Noodles
DO NOT stir or move the chicken breasts around while cooking. Let cook for 5 minutes or until you can easily flip them over. If there’s any resistance when trying to flip them, give it another minute before trying again.
Wine Pairing
Moscato wine is low in alcohol, sweet and a little bit fizzy. It is filled with aromas like vanilla, peach, jasmine and caramel. Some people consider Moscato as a dessert wine, I like to serve it with the main course. Because of its sweet, mild flavors, pairing Moscato with a Mexican or spicy dish.
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Black Bean Chicken Nachos
Equipment
- rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 ¼ oz Tam-pico de gallo spice blend
- 1 can black beans
- 4 6-inch flour tortillas
- 2 large radishes
- ¼ oz fresh cilantro
- 1 oz sour cream
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Preheat oven 400°F with a rack in the upper third. Peel sweet potatoes, then cut into ½-inch cubes. Halve onion, then peel and finely chop. Coarsely grate cheddar using the large holes of a box grater.
- Start chili: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sweet potatoes and onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots and starting to soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Add all of the Tam-pico de gallo spice blend and cook 1 minute more.
- Simmer chili: Add beans and their liquid and 1½ cups water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium and cook until sweet potatoes are completely soft and chili is thickened, 10-12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Bake tortillas: While chili is simmering, stack tortillas and cut into 8 wedges. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tortillas with 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds pepper. Spread into an even layer. Bake in the upper third of oven until chips are golden brown and crisp, 7-10 minutes (watch closely).
- Prep garnish: While tortillas bake, trim ends from radishes, then thinly slice into half moons. Roughly chop cilantro leaves and stems. In a small bowl, thin sour cream by adding 1 teaspoon of water at a time, to make a spoonable sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Bake nachos & serve: Using a large spoon, evenly distribute chili over chips, trying to cover them as much as possible. Top with grated cheddar. Return to oven, and bake just until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven, then drizzle with sour cream and garnish with radishes and cilantro. Enjoy!
