Keto Nachos

These Keto Nachos (a.k.a Low Carb Loaded Chicken Nachos) are made with crispy chicken strips, cheese, bacon, avocado, and pico de gallo. They have only 4 g of net carbs per serving and make the perfect snack or appetizer for games or casual entertaining-- like a Friday night with friends!

What would you say if I told you that Keto Nachos make the perfect keto snack or appetizer for the weekends or for watching sports games? Well, they are! 

These loaded chicken nachos recipe is keto or low carb, high protein, and loaded with flavor. Moreover, they are rich, satisfying, and quick to prepare, making the perfect treat for games and casual entertaining, too.

I'm telling ya... If you love watching sports, no matter which sport or what team you root for, these keto nachos without tortilla chips are game on!

What are Nachos?

Nachos are a Tex-Mex appetizer or snack made of fried tortilla chips covered with cheese or cheese sauce as well as a variety of toppings such as meats, veggies, salsa, or sour cream. Some modern versions are so substantial that can be served as a main dish!

The dish was created by Ignacio Anaya in 1941 in Coahuila, Mexico.

Keto Nachos

There are several ways to make keto nachos. Unlike the traditional nachos that use corn tortilla chips, just use as their base grilled or crispy chicken strips, pork rinds, cooked cauliflower florets, quartered bell peppers, jicama fries, or even keto chips. 

Top with some meat such as bacon, ground beef, or chorizo.

Of course, use a melting shredded cheese and serve with toppings such as pico de gallo, guacamole, and more.

You can easily customize our keto-friendly nacho recipe to make your own with the ingredients you already have in your pantry! 

It is easy peasy!

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make these keto nachos without tortilla chips, you’ll need the following low carb ingredients:

• Crispy Chicken Strips – It is the base for our low-carb nachos. But if you prefer, use grilled chicken strips instead or make your own crispy chicken strips by breading them with almond flour. Of course, you are welcome to adapt this keto nachos recipe to use cooked cauliflower florets, pork rinds, or keto chips (tortilla chips made with my almond flour tortillas) instead of chicken or as an add-on. The low-carb tortillas can be homemade or store-bought! 
• Cheddar cheese – You may replace it with pepper jack cheese, any other melting cheese of choice, or any combination of shredded cheeses.
• Bacon strips – we used the pre-cooked type! But you may replace it with 85% lean ground beef, especially if you are adding keto chips to this recipe. If swapping bacon with ground beef, make sure to season it with a combination of chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper. Moreover, do not forget to sweat some fresh garlic and onion before browning the seasoned ground beef. 
• Black beans (optional) – Although we used a very small amount, you can skip it if you are on a strict keto diet.
• Jalapeno -- It will give this dish a kick! 
• Pico de gallo (optional) – Made with chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, and cilantro, it will boost the flavor of these keto nachos while adding some fresh touch, making a great topping!
• Avocado -- Use the rest of the lime to squeeze over the sliced avocado; otherwise, it'll brown quickly! You may replace it with guacamole!
• Green onions – you may use any other fresh herb of choice such as cilantro.
• Lime – To add some tanginess to this dish.

How to Make Keto Nachos

• To make this keto nachos recipe, preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).
• Place chicken strips in a single layer in a large cast-iron skillet or baking sheet. Heat for 12-14 minutes (PICS.1 & 2).

• Then, remove from the oven and top with cheese, bacon, beans (optional), and jalapenos (PIC. 3).
• Bake for about 6-8 minutes more, making sure cheese fully melts.
• Remove from the oven and add pico de gallo, avocado, and green onion on top. Squeeze lime on top. Serve low-carb nachos hot and enjoy! (PIC. 4)

Crispy Chicken Strips for Making Keto Loaded Chicken Nachos

Unlike the traditional loaded chicken nachos recipe, our keto chicken nachos without tortilla chips have crispy chicken strips as their base.

We used Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips that are 100% all-natural chicken -- that means no artificial ingredients and minimally processed chicken with no antibiotics and no added hormones or steroids.

They come fully cooked and ready-to-eat, containing 13 grams of protein per serving and 0 grams of trans fat per serving. And yes, they are low carb too!

But you can adapt our recipe to make your keto nachos using grilled chicken strips, pork rinds, or keto tortilla chips. It is up to you!

Awesome, right?!

Tips for Keto Nachos Recipe

• Make sure to bake the crispy chicken strips in one single layer according to the instructions on the package. 
• You may replace parchment paper by greasing the cast-iron skillet with oil or no-stick cooking spray.
• If you want, replace the chicken strips with some homemade almond flour tortilla chips,  fathead keto chips (grain-free), or store-bought Quest low-carb chips. You may prefer to buy keto tortillas, cut them into triangles, and bake/fry until crispy.
• You can buy your cheese already shredded, but it'd be better to shred your own cheese at home because most store-bought shredded cheeses contain additives and preservatives that increase the carbs!
• If you are replacing pre-cooked bacon with ground beef, make sure to drain the excess fat after cooking especially if you are adding tortilla chips to this recipe. Otherwise,  your chips will become soggy while baking.
• Use other toppings of choice such as sour cream, chopped red onions, or this Mexican pickled red onions, sliced radishes, or olives. 

Nachos Topping Suggestions

When it comes to toppings for this low-carb nachos recipe, there are many options! Here are a few:

• Avocado or guacamole (or this creamy avocado dip)
• Diced red onion or Mexican pickled red onions
• Jalapeño slices
• Chopped green onion
• Pico de gallo
• Lime wedges
• Sour cream
• Sliced radishes
• Sliced green or black olives
• Crumbled cheese

Variations

Here are a few variations for these ketogenic nachos:

• Buffalo Chicken Nachos- Top your crispy chicken strips with buffalo sauce, blue cheese crumbles, celery, and ranch dressing for a fun twist on our keto nachos.
• BBQ Chicken Nachos- Use crispy chicken strips, topped with a keto BBQ sauce and avocado as your toppings. 
• Chicken Fajita Nachos -- After baking the crispy chicken strips, slice them like fajitas and tops them with a blend of cooked sliced onions and bell pepper. Use guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo as toppings!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I Have Corn Chips On Keto?

Corn tortilla chips are gluten-free! However, they are not keto-friendly. To have an idea, 10 chips contain about 11 grams of net carbs!

Are Nachos Keto Friendly?

Well, it depends on the ingredients! Traditional nachos contain corn tortilla chips which are not low carb. 

On the other hand, our keto nacho recipe is keto-friendly because it uses chicken strips as its base. 

Storage

• Store any loaded nachos leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (without avocado).
• Reheat well before eating (without pico de gallo and avocado)!
• Do not freeze!

Other Keto Chicken Recipes

• Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip (Easy)
• Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff
• Grilled Chicken Legs with Bacon
• Air Fryer Chicken Thighs (Bone-in and Boneless)
• How to Bake Chicken Thighs (and How Long)
• How to Bake Chicken Breast (and How Long)
• Healthy Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe

PIN & ENJOY!

This was once a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson® Crispy Chicken Strips and first published on October 21, 2019.