Wow the crowd with this ultimate Football Nacho Board! Delicious BBQ chicken nachos surrounded by an amazing selection of green garnishes to top them with. It will have everyone digging in for the win on game day!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…football season! Our weekends in the fall revolve around football, friends and, of course, great food!
Snack and meal boards are our favorites on game day and I’m so excited to share my latest football-themed board creation with you, this Football Nacho Board! It’s sure to be a game day hit!
BBQ chicken nachos are piled high with chips, beans, cheese and chicken in the shape of a football and surrounded by an epic selection of green garnishes for each person to top their own with. So much fun and yum with this one!
Watch the video below to see how to make this ultimate Football Nacho Board:
The key to creating this board so that the nachos are warm when you’re ready to serve it, is to place the green toppings on the board while the nachos are baking and then just slide the nachos onto the center of the board when they’re ready to enjoy. Let me show you how it’s done…
Start by cutting out two football shapes from parchment paper. One for the board and one for the baking sheet. I use this handy football-shaped serving platter or you could use a large oval-shaped plate to help get the football shape just right.
You’ll make the BBQ chicken by simmering chicken tenders in BBQ sauce and then shredding it before putting it on the nachos. See instructions in the recipe below.
While the chicken is cooking, start spreading each round chip with some refried beans and place each one on the football-shaped parchment paper on the baking sheet so that the chips cover it and create the football shape. Sprinkle the bean-covered chips with a layer of shredded cheese. Repeat this process with another layer of chips, beans and cheese. If you have a small crowd, one layer might be enough.
Once you have two layers of chips on the baking sheet in a football shape, bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese starts to turn golden brown.
Remove the nachos from the oven and cover with the shredded BBQ chicken then bake for an additional 5 minutes.
While the nachos are baking, start building the board so that when the nachos are ready you can just place them on the board and dig in. To do this, place the second piece of football-shaped parchment paper in the middle of a 20” x 14” wood board. Line the outside of the football-shaped parchment paper with all the green garnishes so it looks like a football field.
Some green garnish options are: cilantro, pickled jalapeños, fresh jalapeños, guacamole, limes wedges, shredded lettuce, sliced green olives, sliced green onions, avocados chunks, and salsa verde. Feel free to use whichever green garnishes your crowd would enjoy most. You don’t have to use all of them.
Once you have all of the green garnishes placed on the board, it’s time to add the baked football-shaped nachos. Carefully slide the nachos from the baking sheet onto the open space you have lined with parchment paper on the board.
Then you’ll use sour cream to create football laces on the nachos. Either use the sour cream that comes in a squirt container from the store or put the sour cream in a sealed baggie and cut the corner off so you can easily squeeze it to draw the laces…
There you have it! Such a festive way to serve nachos at your football watch party. Everyone will go crazy over how cute it is and how fun it is to reach in and top their nacho just they way they like it with several green garnishes to choose from.
Serve, dig in and may the best team win!
xoxo,
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 (32 ounce) bag round tortilla chips
- 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
- 1 (12 ounce) bag shredded cheese
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1-1/2 cups cilantro
- ½ cup drained pickled jalapeños
- 3 medium fresh jalapenos, sliced thin
- 4 limes, sliced into sixths
- 1-1/2 cups shredded lettuce
- ½ cup sliced green olives
- 1-1/2 cups sliced green onions
- 2 avocados, diced into chunks
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat then add 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken tenders and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add ½ cup barbecue sauce, toss to coat the chicken completely then cover the pan and cook 5-7 minutes or until chicken is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Next cut out two football shapes from parchment paper. Place one on the board and one on a baking sheet.
- Spread each round chip with some refried beans and place them on the football-shaped parchment paper on the baking sheet so that the chips cover it and create the football shape.
- Sprinkle the bean-covered chips with a layer of shredded cheese. Repeat this process with another layer of chips, beans and cheese.
- Once you have two layers of chips on the baking sheet in a football shape, bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese starts to turn golden brown in spots, then cover with the shredded BBQ chicken and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- While the nachos are baking, start building the board so that when the nachos are ready you can just place them on the board and dig in. Do this by placing the second piece of football-shaped parchment paper in the middle of a 20”x14” wood board.
- Place the guacamole and salsa verde in small serving bowls in two corners of the board. Surround the outside of the football-shaped parchment sheet with all the green garnishes so it looks like a football field. See images for suggested placement and feel free to use whichever green garnishes your crowd would enjoy most. You don't have to use all of them.
- Once you have all of the green garnishes placed on the board, it's time to add the baked football-shaped nachos. Carefully slide the nachos from the baking sheet onto the open space you have lined with parchment paper on the board.
- Use the sour cream to create football laces on the nachos. Either use the sour cream that comes in a squirt container from the store or put the sour cream in a sealed baggie and cut the corner off so you can easily squeeze it to draw the laces.
- Serve and enjoy!
Can’t wait to try this on Super Bowl Sunday!