Nacho Chicken Sandwich

The picture above may look like a fast food ad, a meal that’s definitely not healthy or even a lighter option…

And I would probably think the same if I hadn’t made it, haha 🙂

This nacho chicken sandwich tastes just like your favorite fast food meal without the high-calorie ingredients… Baking the chicken instead of frying it really knocks off quite a bit of fat as well!

And what sandwich would be complete without a special sauce? In this case, I made a greek yogurt sauce which is way healthier than the mayo-based sauces you typically find on takeout sandwiches.

This nacho chicken sandwich has so many delicious flavors that work so well together and really make you feel like you’re indulging… From the crunchy spiced tortilla breading on a juicy chicken breast with a creamy spicy sauce, all piled on a low-calorie bun with all the toppings of any good nacho plate!

With the exception of cheese and guacamole, all the toppings on this sandwich you can pile high and not worry about the added calories. For example: lettuce, tomato, red onion, cilantro, jalapeños… Just to name few!

Nacho Chicken Sandwich Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and pounded into 1/2 inch thickness (about 4 chicken breasts, 4 oz a piece)
1/4 cup cornstarch (or all-purpose flour)
2 ounces (56g) of yellow corn tortilla chips, crushed finely (I used Target’s Simply Balanced brand)
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup of jalapeño juice (from a can of pickled jalapeños)
cooking spray
salt and pepper

Optional Ingredients:

sandwich buns
cheese (I used Cotija cheese, because it’s the best)
guacamole
spicy sauce
red onion
lettuce
jalapeño
tomatoes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Once chicken is trimmed and pounded out evenly, season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Set up an assembly line of three bowls. In the first bowl add cornstarch, second bowl beat together egg and jalapeño juice, and in the third bowl whisk together tortilla chip crumbs, panko breadcrumbs, chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, garlic powder and pepper until fully incorporated.
3. At the end set up a baking sheet lined with foil and spray with cooking spray. Take one piece of chicken and dip first in the cornstarch, then the egg mixture and lastly the tortilla breading, make sure to coat throughly. Place onto baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
4. Spray tops of coated chicken with cooking spray and plan into the oven for 22-25 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Once chicken is cooked you can start to build your nacho chicken sandwich with all your preferred toppings on-top of a bun or even got bun-less and do a lettuce wrap.

Nutritional Information:

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 prepared chicken breast (about 4 oz.)

Calories: 236
Fat: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 19 g
Sugar: 0 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 200 mg (w/o added salt)
Protein: 28 g