NOTHING MORE AMERICAN:

Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 20 minutesYield: Serves 4 to 6

If you want, you can make the cheese sauce ahead of time and reheat it in the microwave when ready to make the nachos. Just pour it into a pyrex or ceramic bowl, cover and chill to save.

Ingredients

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 teaspon salt

14 ounces blue corn tortilla chips

1 pound pepper jack or monterey jack (or a mix), shredded

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method

1 Poach the chicken breast: Place chicken breast(s) in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water. Add the salt. Cover. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Let sit covered for 10 minutes in the hot salted water to gently poach. Drain. Remove from pan.

2 Preheat oven to 350°F.

3 Make the cheese sauce: If you have a double boiler, use it. Otherwise put an inch of water in a small pot and place a medium metal bowl on top of it to create a double boiler effect.

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Put the shredded cheese in the bowl and toss to coat with the cornstarch. Pour in the heavy cream and milk.

Turn on the heat and bring the water in the pot to a boil. Slowly heat up the milk cream cheese mixture until eventually the cheese melts, stirring occasionally until smooth.

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4 Heat tortilla chips in oven: While the cheese is heating, spread the tortilla chips out in a large baking sheet and put in the oven at 350°F. Heat for 5 minutes. Then remove from the oven.

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5 Cut the cooked chicken into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes.

6 Top tortilla chips with cheese sauce, chicken, and salsa: When the cheese sauce is melty and smooth, put the heated tortilla chips on a platter and pour the cheese sauce over it. Top with cooked chicken and pico de gallo tomato salsa.

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