Buffalo Chicken Nachos

I’m pretty sure I married one of the most patient men on the planet. Not that I’m hard to live with, by any means (at least, I don’t think I am!). But I do like to try lots of new recipes, many of them a bit...experimental, and many of them things that make my meat-and-potatoes husband raise his eyebrows doubtfully. He doesn’t always enjoy everything that I try, but he always eats it. So I thought it was high time I tried a new recipe that I knew he’d love. Enter these buffalo chicken nachos.

This is definitely one of the most indulgent dishes I’ve ever made. There’s nothing at all healthy about these nachos – except maybe for the sprinkling of celery on top, which hardly counts. It’s cheese on top of buffalo chicken on top of Cool Ranch Doritos. So, basically, these nachos are not the least bit nutritious, is what I’m saying. But they sure are delicious, and they were definitely a husband-pleaser. And I bet if you took these to a tail-gate or over to a friends’ house to watch some football, you’d be a rock star. These nachos are irresistible.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos
slightly adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

8 cups Cool Ranch Doritos
4 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups Frank's Buffalo Wing sauce
1/2 cup water
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped celery
Sour cream
Ranch dressing

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Spread tortilla chips on a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow dish.

2. Bring wing sauce and water to a simmer. Add shredded cooked chicken; heat through. Strain the chicken (reserving the sauce) and spread over ranch-flavored tortilla chips. Top with shredded cheddar.

3. Bake in the upper third portion of the oven until cheese is melted for about 5 to 7 minutes. After nachos are baked, top with chopped celery and the reserved wing sauce.4. Mix together equal parts sour cream and ranch dressing. Serve with nachos.