Winter break is here, and with it comes the never-ending quest to find things to do with my kids.  The weather does not help with outings, the terrible two’s do not help with outings – which can only last an approximate of one hour or two (if lucky) per day…so we are limited to certain activities: mostly eating, movie-watching, reading, and drawing.  Luckily, my daughter is a big fan of the Tasty YouTube page, and this past Saturday morning as we lay lazily in bed, we looked through a bunch of recipes that we could work on during the break.  This delicious casserole of goodness was our first one, and, boy, was it good!

To make it acceptable for lunch, we chose to make it a bit more substantial and less of a snack, so we substituted the traditional nacho-favorite tortillas chips for the healthier homemade potato chips.  I suppose this turned it into a loaded potato casserole of sorts, but we’ll stick with the idea of nachos, just for the sake of it.

For the Potato Chips

• 4 potatoes, sliced
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 2 teaspoons of paprika

Slice the potatoes into approximately 1/8″ slices and place in a large bowl.  Toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Lay the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 450°F (230°C) for 20 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  Set oven to 350°F (180°C).

For the Nachos

• 2 chicken breasts, finely diced
• 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon of paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce
• 2 cups of shredded cheese
• 1/2 red onion, finely sliced
• 8 bacon strips, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 1 avocado, diced

Heat a medium-sized skillet and cook the bacon pieces.  Remove and set aside.  In the hot skillet with bacon oil, cook the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Add the barbecue sauce and cook until the sauce has reduced significantly.  Remove from heat.

In a large over-safe skillet or casserole dish, spread out the potato chips.  Layer with half of the barbecue chicken, followed by half the grated cheese, onions, bacon, and parsley.  Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Bake for 15 minutes.  When done, drizzle with sour cream and sprinkle the avocado on top.