Since Pinterest has come along, meal planning has been a lot easier around the Gunter household! I'm a visual learner, and I absolutely love connecting to various blogs through Pinterest and seeing the step by step recipe instructions with photos accompanying them. It's so nice to actually see the process and what the end result is supposed to look like. So, needless to say, I've been a little inspired to put together one of these kind of recipes on my own!
Have you ever gotten BBQ take out and wanted to do something just a little different with the leftovers the next day? The pondering of this very question is what led my husband and myself to come up with this very dish! It's got all the flavor of your typical BBQ entree with a little twist! It's what us Gunters call BBQ Kitchen Sink Nachos because it's got a little bit of every GOOD in it!
The truth is...You don't have to be much of a cook to make this. If you can heat up a few items in a pan, shred chicken, and build layers with your bare hands....Then, this is your meal! And, it's great for get togethers because it makes a pretty big portion. I think this meal would be perfect for a lazy evening, or a football party.
To get started, you'll need a little of this: Chicken (leftover BBQ chicken or a Rotisserie Chicken), bacon, sweet or red onion (I prefer to use red with this recipe, but I already had a sweet onion on hand), baked beans (already prepared), Mexican shredded cheese, BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays), tortilla chips, and queso dip. Don't forget to say hello to my "Little helper," in the background, too!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and cut 3-4 slices of bacon into 1 inch pieces and get them pan! Cook over medium high until nice, dark, and crispy.
Step 2: While your bacon is cooking go ahead and chop up that sweet or red onion!
I recently found a tutorial for chopping onions by Jamie Oliver on youtube here! It is amazing what a difference a small technique can do for your chopping and time management skills! I've used this little technique with cutting other veggies or fruits that are similar in shape.
Step 4: Now, check on your bacon and see if it's crispy enough for you. It's all preference, but I like mine nice and crispy. Like this:
Step 5: Once your bacon is cooked to your liking, set it aside and toss in your onions into the leftover bacon grease, and saute until tender and golden.
Step 6: While those onions are sweating, go ahead and prepare your baked beans if you haven't already. Now, if you have leftovers they should already be prepared. But, if you purchased a small can of Busch's Baked Beans, for instance, you'll need to dress them up a little. Nothing fancy. I just add a little ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, and a heaping tablespoon or two of light brown sugar! Mix that all together, heat for about 2-3 minutes, or until nice and bubbly, in the microwave. And, my dear, your yummy baked beans are ready! I like them sweet that's for sure. It tends to add a little extra element with all of the smoky ingredients we're using.
Step 7: If you have purchased a rotisserie chicken, this is where you'll need to shred it up. In other words, remove the chicken from the bones and chop it up. I use a Pampered Chef handheld chopper to create smaller chopped pieces. I like the texture of the smaller pieces. It's all up to what you prefer, though. If you have leftover chicken just set it aside in a bowl for the next step.
Step 8: Now, take your chicken and lather it up with some of that yummy BBQ sauce! I squirt about a tablespoon worth on my chicken. Then, take a spoon and mix it all together.
Step 8: By now, all of the ingredients that compose the layers of this dish should be ready to go! Now, all you have to do is place the chips (I used the scoops this time because it was BOGO at Publix, but I prefer the regular triangular tortilla chips) on a large cookie pan and start layering. I put the ingredients on in the following order: chips, chicken, baked beans (as much as you see fit- I don't use the whole can's worth), onions, bacon, and the whole bag of cheese!
Step 9: Then, I take my BBQ sauce and use it to decorate the top! You can add as much as you would like!
Step 10: Stick it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and everything is nice and bubbly!
It should come out looking like the picture above! Yum! Look at the Ooey Gooey Goodness!
Step 11: This is where I usually heat up a little bit of queso that I have in my frig. You know, the kind you get at the store that you heat in the microwave. However, I forgot that we used it for another meal a few days before and I was out. I HIGHLY recommend using it.
Step 12: Get out some plates and serve immediately while it's nice and hot. If you want to step it up a notch with some cool plating skills just place a serving on a plate and drizzle it with BBQ sauce in the design of your choice!
BBQ Kitchen Sink Nachos
Ingredients:
1 Rotisserie Chicken or about 1 lb of left over BBQ chicken
1 bag of tortilla chips
1/2 or 1 whole sweet or red onion (it's really up to you)
1 small can of baked beans (prepared)
3-4 slices of bacon1 bag shredded Mexican Cheese
1 small container Queso (microwavable from your local store)
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (I used original)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute bacon until crispy. While bacon is cooking, chop the onion and prepare the baked beans. After removing bacon, saute the onion until tender and golden in bacon grease or butter. Shred chicken and chop to your liking. Stir 1-2 TBSP BBQ in with the shredded chicken. Place tortilla chips on a large cookie sheet and layer the ingredients in the following order: chips, chicken, baked beans (I usually do not use the entire can, more like 1/4 to 1/2), onions, bacon, cheese, and drizzled BBQ sauce on top. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and ingredients are bubbling. Heat queso according to directions on the container. Drizzle queso on top. Serve immediately.
***If you choose to eat this for leftovers the next day, just stick it back in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake until warm and crisp.
Enjoy!
Melinda
