Bar Food feat. Kee-Style Chicken and Black Bean Nachos

Last Saturday night I didn't feel like making a "real" dinner, we were too tired to go out, and we'd had enough pizza and Chinese takeout for the week. We love a good happy hour, so I decided to put together a little bar food in lieu of a real dinner.

I made SG's Potato Skins using the recipe from a blog that I really enjoy for both the recipes and the food photography!

I also made Chicken and Black Bean Nachos, my own recipe (so I guess we'll call them "Kee Style"). The great thing about nachos is that you can just throw in whatever you have and whatever you like. Here's how I do it at my house:

INGREDIENTS

2 c. (2 handfuls) of shredded romaine lettuce
2 c. of shredded cheese (we use a Mexican blend of cheddar and monterrey jack)
tortilla chips (say, um... four handfuls)
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 T. taco seasoning
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, washed, dried, and pounded to a 1/4" thickness
1-2 fresh jalapenos, chopped (seeded if you want to cut back on the heat)
1 tomato, chopped

1. Turn the oven to broil. Cover the bottom of a small baking dish (8"x12") with tortilla chips.
1. Rub the chicken on both sides with the taco seasoning. Add 1 t. vegetable oil to a hot skillet and cook the chicken on medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove the chicken from the pan. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. Saute the jalapenos in the same pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the cooked chicken to the pan with the jalapenos. Add the black beans and cook over medium heat until warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread the hot chicken and black bean mixture over the tortilla chips. Top with the cheese.
5. Broil for 3-5 minutes, but keep an eye on it! Remove from the oven when the edges are brown and all cheese is melted.
6. Top with lettuce and tomatoes and dig in!

Now, of course there are variations on this recipe. Maybe you want more or less cheese. Perhaps you have some leftover cooked chicken or some chili that you'd use instead of the chicken. Maybe you want to add onions or sour cream. Go to town! I make ours this way because we agree that this works for us. Kinda reminds us of a crunchy burrito.

Serve these hot, crispy appetizers with your favorite drink and you're good to go. I wish it was the weekend again...