Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Nachos Recipe
- By Amy Dong
- Published Jun. 13, 2017
- Updated Jan. 9, 2024
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Nachos are a deliciously fun way to kick up Nachos Night. Gather your people around these boldly flavored chicken nachos for parties, game days, or a fun family meal.
It’s surreal that just a few days ago, The Littles were taking final exams, clearing out lockers, and relishing sundaes at school.
To celebrate graduating 5th graders, a glorious fire truck came roaring in and sprayed water on the entire graduating class like they were on fire. Some brave teachers ended their day with tweens high on cotton candy and fully drenched.
{I loved all my years of teaching, but can’t say I miss everything about it.}
Now that the sun’s hot and the days are longer, we’re fully diving into tropical vibes. I’m not just talking my favorite flip flops and superbly yummy Hawaiian Mai Tai’s.
When the weather heats up, it’s time for big platefuls of Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Nachos.
The secret to the amazing-ness of Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Nachos is the chicken.
This chicken is delectably island-infused: it’s marinated in a delicious pineapple based sauce and grilled to tender perfection. We routinely dish this Hawaiian BBQ Chicken up for dinner, to everyone’s woot-filled joy.
Once your chicken is nicely grilled up, all you need are the fixings for the best Hawaiian style salsa ever. It’s super fresh, ultra healthy, and deeeeelicious.
Because it’s technically nachos, we throw on some cheese for good measure.
Oh, and chips. You might want some of those, though we can see how one might forget all about the chips.
Did you make this?
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Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2-3 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs (thighs are most tender, but tenderloins can work)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 piece about 1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- ½ cup regular strength soy sauce
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 5 TB apple cider vinegar
- 1 TB Asian sesame oil
- table salt
Hawaiian Salsa:
- 1 large vine-ripened tomato, seeded and diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 can, 20 oz diced or crushed pineapple, drained
- ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 1 fresh lime, juiced
- 2 tsp pure honey
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large avocado, semi-firm, diced
Other:
- Tortilla chips, Shredded cheddar or jack cheese (about 1 cup,) and lime slices/hot sauce for garnish.
Instructions
Make the Chicken:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the onion, garlic, ginger, pineapple juice, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and Asian sesame oil. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and marinade is well incorporated.
- Use paper towels to thoroughly pat-dry the chicken pieces. Place chicken in a single layer on a cutting board, place a sheet of cling wrap over the chicken, and pound to an even thickness. Throw out cling wrap. Use a fork to pierce chicken pieces throughout. Lightly sprinkle chicken thighs on both sides with table salt. Toss chicken in bowl of marinade to coat well. Cover and chill overnight, or up to 2 nights. Be sure to turn chicken pieces over halfway through, if all pieces aren’t completely immersed in marinade.
Make the Hawaiian Salsa:
- Combine all salsa ingredients except for avocado in a bowl, toss well, and let chill until ready to use (dice and add the avocado just before using, to prevent browning.)
To Cook:
- Grease and heat outdoor or indoor grill to medium-high. Remove chicken from marinade and grill (basting with marinade as desired) just until center is no longer pink, taking care not to over-cook. Discard marinade. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then dice.
- Line 4-6 plates with tortilla chips. Top with chicken and salsa. Sprinkle on cheese and microwave in 30 second increments just to melt. Garnish as desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Party Food
