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These Chicken Wonton Nachos are an EPIC spin on classic nachos. Crispy baked wonton chips are layered with Asian flavored ground chicken, pungent red onions, spicy jalapenos and two types of cheeses! Drizzled with a smooth, spicy peanut sauce, these nachos are easy to make, yet packed with flavor and a total crowd pleaser!
Update: This post was originally published in October 2017. I’ve updated the post below to include more information about wonton nachos. Plus, I’ve included a recipe video to show you how easy these chicken nachos are to make!
Hey there, friends!
Today we are going to play a game of make believe. And by “we” I mean me. I’m going to pretend like I am really into football this season. Why? Because, nachos!
However, in reality my team is just terrible this year and I can hardly stand to watch any games. But, this is why nachos were invented. Because, eating your feelings with an entire pan (or 3) of nachos can help you cope with all the things.
So, this year game days = averting my eyes from the TV + all the nachos in my face. End of story.
Table of Contents
About these Chicken Wonton Nachos
Also known as: crunch-tastic, fully loaded carbs that will make you weep tears of pure exultation.
Shatteringly thin and crispy baked wonton chips layered with tender crumbles of garlicky, gingery, umami-rich Asian chicken, pungent red onions, spicy jalapeños, shredded peppery pepper jack, and mild Monterey jack cheese.
Baked until bubbly and melted, then topped with creamy avocado, fresh scallions, herbaceous cilantro, piquant red pepper flakes, nutty sesame seeds and finished with a generous squeeze of tart lime juice. Generously drizzled with a creamy, silky, slight sweet, spicy peanut sauce, these nachos are East meets West in a seriously epic way!
You know Flavor Flav? Well, these nachos are the real deal, game day flavor-flav. And you absolutely, positively need these in your life.
Because, tacos may be made for Tuesdays, but nachos are made for ALL the days.
I mean, thin and crispy chips + umami packed chicken + melty cheese + silky peanut sauce = no brainer. Am I right, or am I right?
Wonton nachos: FAQ
What are wonton chips made of?
Wonton chips are simply wonton wrappers made crispy by either baking or deep-frying. Wonton wrappers are are made from flour, egg water and salt.
While wonton wrappers are traditionally used to wrap around a number of fillings, or to make appetizers like egg rolls, they also make a delicious (and addictive) snack when they are turned into a chip!
How to make wonton chips in the oven?
While wonton chips can be made by frying wonton wrappers, these crispy Asian nachos utilize homemade baked wonton chips.
Wonton chips are incredibly easy to make in the oven! To bake the wonton wrappers, simply preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and brush both sides of the wrapper with oil. Season the wontons generously with salt, arrange them in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake until golden brown and crispy, about 7-10 minutes.
Nachos with chicken: FAQ
How to layer chicken nachos?
Layering nachos is easy! The end goal for nachos is to have layered ingredients on each and every chip with no naked chips in sight. To achieve the perfect layered nachos follow these rules:
- Layer chips evenly. Start with one thin layer of chips, followed by chicken, cheese and any toppings. Repeat with chips, chicken, cheese and toppings one more time. (Note: Layering nachos like this only applies if you are using thick, sturdy chips that can hold the weight of all those toppings. If you are using wonton chips, you want two layers of chips followed by toppings.)
- Add sauces right before serving. Either drizzle or dollop baked nachos with sauce right before serving, or serve the sauce on the side.
How do you keep chicken nachos from getting soggy?
Nothing is sadder than a pile of soggy nachos! Follow the below tips to make sure your nachos reign supreme!
- Use sturdy chips. Typically nachos should be made with thicker chips that will hold up well to a plethora of toppings. Since these nachos are made with wonton chips, it is best if you layer all the chips on the bottom and then load on the chicken, cheese and additional toppings. Creating a thick base of crispy wonton chips will prevent your nachos from getting soggy. (If you watch the recipe video, I actually layer the chips and toppings in two layers. Don’t do that!)
- Eat immediately. Make sure you serve and eat nachos right out of the oven. Allowing the nachos to sit and cool down will cause the chips to get soggy.
- Hold off on the sauce. Topping your nachos with sauce, in this case peanut sauce, can cause the chips to get soggy. Either wait until you are ready to eat the nachos to drizzle on the sauce, or serve the sauce on the side.
What to put on Asian nachos?
The best part about making nachos at home is the ability to customize them to your own taste!
Toppings to add to chicken nachos:
- Black beans
- Pickled jalapenos
- Quick Pickled Onions
- Diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
- Shredded carrots
- Shredded cabbage
- Diced cucumber
- Sliced Avocado
- Sesame Seeds
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Sriracha
What temperature to cook chicken nachos?
Chicken nachos should be baked in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
How many calories are chicken nachos?
The exact number of calories in chicken nachos depends on the recipe. This chicken wonton nacho recipe serves 6 people and has approximately 233 calories per serving, not including the peanut sauce.
How to make Chicken Wonton Nachos in the oven?
Chicken nachos are incredibly easy to make at home! If you want to take a short cut, substitute thick cut tortilla chips for the homemade wonton chips!
- Make the peanut sauce: Add all the ingredients for the peanut sauce to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust for seasoning with honey, sriracha or vinegar. Set the peanut sauce aside until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line large baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray for easy clean up.
- For the wonton chips: Divide the wontons between the baking sheets. Spray the wontons evenly with a bit of cooking spray and season with salt. Bake until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet, or wok, over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeños and cook until soft. Add in the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir-fry until almost cooked through and starting to brown. Add in the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and honey. Cook, stirring, until the sauce coats the chicken. Remove from heat.
- Assemble the nachos: Arrange all the chips on one baking sheet. Spoon the chicken mixture over the chips. Top with both cheeses, the red onions and the sliced jalapeños.
- Bake until the cheese is melty and bubbling, about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with toppings, drizzle with peanut sauce and enjoy!
How to make chicken nachos step by step photos:
Tips for the best wonton nachos recipe
- Chicken: I typically use ground chicken for my Asian nachos. However, you can substitute ground turkey, pork or beef if you would like! Generally, I recommend using plain ground chicken (with both white and dark meat in the mixture), but I have made these nachos with lean ground chicken before and didn’t notice a huge difference.
- Wonton wrappers: You can locate these in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. Wonton wrappers and egg roll wrappers are basically the same thing – egg-noodle dough. However, they do vary in size. Wonton wrappers are significantly smaller than egg roll wrappers. If you can only find egg roll wrappers, you can substitute those, just make sure you cut the wrappers into quarters instead of in half.
- When baking your wonton wrappers, be very careful! They can go from golden brown and delicious to ick pretty quickly. I bake mine for 8 minutes (rotating the pans from the top to middle position halfway through), and they are perfect, but every oven is different!
- Peanut sauce: Definitely make this to taste! Add more honey for sweetness, vinegar for sourness, or sriracha for more spice. If you want a thinner sauce, add a bit of water. If you don’t have a food processor or blender, you can easily make the sauce in a small bowl. Just make sure you grate the garlic first and whisk everything together well.
- You can make the nacho sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator. You’ll need to whisk the sauce (and possibly add a splash of water) to loosen it before using.
- Bake ahead! You can bake the wonton wrappers a day in advance. Let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container until ready to make nachos.
- Note: Assembled and baked nachos are best served and eaten immediately.
Serving chicken wonton nachos
I know some people may argue that nachos are a complete meal. However, any type of “bar” food pairs well with nachos! Or, if you are looking to make nachos a meal, there are various side dishes to help round out your menu!
- Dip
- Chinese Wings
- Cocktail Meatballs
- Cilantro Rice
- Slaw
- Avocado Salad
Whether you are celebrating game day, the weekend, or simply making it through a work day (or making it through watching your terrible football team play), have a party for your tastebuds and made these Asian Chicken Wonton Nachos. Trust me, your face will thank you!
Until next week, friends, cheers! To turning game day food up a nacho. 😉
Cheyanne
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The best Asian Chicken Wonton Nachos 👇
Asian Chicken Wonton Nachos
Equipment
- baking sheet
- skillet
Ingredients
- 1 TBS Vegetable Oil (Plus Cooking Spray)
- 6 ounces Small Wonton Wrappers – cut in half diagonally (about 24 wrappers) (SEE NOTES)
- 2 Jalapenos - 1 finely diced and 1 thinly sliced (SEE NOTES)
- 3-4 Cloves Garlic – minced
- 2 tsp Ginger – peeled and grated
- 1 pound Ground Chicken (can substitute pork or beef) (SEE NOTES)
- 2 ½ TBS Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 TBS Fish Sauce
- 2 TBS Rice Vinegar
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Honey
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 heaping Cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 heaping Cup Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese Or Colby Jack
- ¼ Red Onion – thinly sliced
Spicy Peanut Sauce:
- 2 TBS Peanut Butter (creamy or smooth is best, but chunky will work)
- 1-2 tsp Sriracha - to taste
- 2 tsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 ½ TBS Lime Juice
- 1 TBS Honey
- 1 clove Garlic - peeled and minced
Optional Garnish: Thinly Sliced Scallions, Chopped Cilantro, Sliced Avocado, Shredded Red Cabbage, Lime Wedges, Sliced Red Chile, Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Make the peanut sauce: Add all the ingredients for the peanut sauce to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust for seasoning with honey, sriracha or vinegar. If you like a thinner consistency, add a bit of water. Set the peanut sauce aside until ready to use. (SEE NOTES)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two sheet large rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Spray aluminum with non-stick cooking spray.
- For the wonton chips: Divide the cut wontons between the baking sheets, making sure to arrange the wontons in a single layer. Spray the wontons evenly with a bit of cooking spray. Season generously with salt. Bake (on the upper 1/3rd and middle shelves of the oven) until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes, rotating the pans from top to middle half way through cooking. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, or wok, over medium-high heat. Add the minced jalapeno and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the chicken and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, using a spoon to break it up into smaller pieces, and stir-fry until almost cooked through and starting to brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add in the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and honey. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is reduced and coats the chicken, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Assemble the nachos: Arrange all the chips on one baking sheet. Spoon the chicken mixture over the chips. Top with both cheeses, the red onions and the sliced jalapenos.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with desired toppings, drizzle with peanut sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you don't like a lot of heat, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapenos.
- While I used ground chicken for my nachos, you can absolutely substitute ground turkey, pork or beef if you would like!
- Wonton wrappers can be found in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. Wonton wrappers and egg roll wrappers are basically the same the same thing (both are an egg-noodle dough), however they vary in size. Wonton wrappers are significantly smaller than egg roll wrappers. If you can only find egg roll wrappers, you can substitute those, just make sure you cut the wrappers into quarters instead of in half.
- When baking your wonton wrappers, be very careful! They can go from golden brown and delicious to dark and burnt pretty quickly. I baked mine for 8 minutes (rotating the pans from the top to middle position halfway through), and they were perfect, but every oven is different!
- If you want to save time, you can make these chicken nachos with regular, thick tortilla chips. If using tortilla chips, arrange the nachos in TWO layers like so - chips, half the chicken, half the cheeses, half the red onions, half the jalapenos and REPEAT. Bake time will be the same.
- Like anything you are cooking, make sure you adjust the peanut sauce for taste and consistency to your own liking! Add more honey for sweetness, vinegar for sourness, or sriracha for more spice. If you want a thinner sauce, add a bit of water until the desired consistency is achieved. If you don’t have a food processor or blender, you can easily make the sauce in a small bowl. Just make sure you finely dice the garlic first and whisk everything together well.
- You can make the peanut sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator. However, the sauce will become thick! Simply whisk in a bit of water to loosen it up.
- The plain wonton wrappers can be baked a day in advanced if needed. Let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container. However, the assembled and baked nachos are best served and eaten immediately.
Nutrition
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Monica
You’ve really nailed it with these nachos! Love the flavors and the wonton chips are so cool!
Anne
I’d put that peanut sauce on my sneaker and eat it….happily! SO GOOD!
Kathryn
These are epic indeed! Wontons for nachos… Asian flare… ground chicken (totally my style) and wow, anything with a peanut sauce is a big YES! YUMMMY!
Lisa
Hi Cheyanne! I never thought about using wontons to make nachos and of course, I love the fact that you baked the wontons, and the avocados and jalapeños… these Nachos were perfect for me.
Danielle
I saw this photo on Instagram and had to come check it out. I’m a pretty big fan of eating my feelings, so these sound perfect! I get so bored with regular nachos, so these are just absolutely awesome. These are my kind of flavors. And that creamy peanut sauce? YUM. I most certainly would not serve these at a football party though. I’d make them alone so I could eat the whole tray by myself with no guilt while binge watching Grey’s Anatomy….