Nacho, Nacho Man.

Would you ever eat 10 tortilla wraps in one sitting? No. Probably because you physically couldn’t. But cut them into 6, fry them and serve them with salsa then you’re likely dealing with a bottomless pit. It’s one of life’s glorious little mysteries.

Nachos are my one of my absolute favourite foods. I can't resist the combination of crunchy tortilla chips, melted cheese, and the myriad of topping options. Whether I'm enjoying them as a snack or a meal, I always find myself going back for more. (Having a gastric sleeve slightly ruined my intake but it was for the best.) The versatility of nachos also makes them a great dish for any occasion, from movie nights at home to parties with friends. I could honestly eat nachos every day and never get tired of them.

My ultimate nacho is smothered in chicken in a jalapeño cream cheese sauce. There’s a place in South Queensferry called The Boathouse where we had something similar once. My nachos are as good as theirs, but my view is not. The Forth Bridge is arguably top 3 bridges on earth. I just really like bridges.

I do some cooking on my instagram and the stories about these nachos got the most comments of anything i’ve ever posted ever. They’re delicious and you can make then as spicy (or not) as you like. Top with salsa, guac, sour cream, pico de gallo, anything you fancy.

To make these you’ll need cooked chicken. I boil the chicken as I like to shred it and boiling makes it shreddy. But it’s dealers choice - cook the chicken however you fancy! The recipe below will make enough for about 4 people, but Paul and I have managed it between us on more than 1 occasion.

Baked Nachos in a Jalapeño Cream Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

• about 500g of chicken (I use thigh as I prefer it but dealers choice), cooked, allowed to cool slightly and chopped up/shredded

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 onion, thinly sliced

• about a quarter of a jar of jalapeños (or a couple of fresh but they’re a ballache to get in the UK)

• a half teaspoon of chilli powder

• a half teaspoon of cumin

• parsley (a tablespoon if dried, a small handful chopped if fresh)

• chicken stock/oxo cube

• 100g cream cheese

• 100g sour cream (plus extra for when you’re eating)

• about 500g of cheese, whatever you like (I usually use a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar and red Leicester)

• a 230g bag of lightly salted Doritos

Method

1. Stick the oven on at 180 to preheat.

2. In a decent sized pan fry off the onion and garlic in a drizzle of oil for a couple of minutes. Add a decent pinch of salt.

3. Fish out some jalapeños from the jar. I usually use about 15 of the wee slices. It makes it a bit nippy but not really spicy. Chop them up and add to the pan with the onions and garlic and let warm through for a minute. Add more/less at your own discretion. Don’t come crying to me if you make it too spicy.

4. Add in the shredded chicken, chilli powder and cumin then stir through and let everything get to know each other for a couple of minutes.

5. Crumble in the stock/oxo cube and then add enough water to just cover the chicken. Stir it all then bring to a boil and let the water reduce down to almost nothing. It’ll take about 5 minutes.

6. While that’s doing it’s thing pour about 2 thirds of the doritos into an oven safe dish, cover with about half of the cheese.

7. Once the liquid is almost reduced switched the heat off from under the pan. Add in the cream cheese and mix through, then add in the sour cream and combine. Finish with the parsley and mix it up. Have a wee taste and add salt/pepper to your own liking.

8. Pour 2 thirds of the chicken and sauce over the doritos and cheese. Top with more cheese then the rest of the doritos, the rest of the chicken and sauce and the last of the cheese.

9. Move into an oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until your cheese has melted and is bubbling and generally quite glorious.

10. Enjoy with whatever additional topping you desire!