Honey BBQ Loaded Tailgate Nachos

These nachos close out the printed recipe booklet in the Flavor Formation BBQ Box, our gameday lineup for football season. Set the skillet down at halftime and step back. This one doesn't make it to the third quarter.

Two products from the box do the heavy lifting. Kosmos Q Honey BBQ Wing Dust seasons the chicken with dried honey and hickory smoke before it ever hits the grill. Williamson Bros. Hot Honey BBQ Sauce shows up twice: once to coat the chopped chicken and again as a sweet heat drizzle over the melted cheese. Honey on honey, with a slow chili burn on the back end.

Watch the build

See how the layers go together and what the cheese should look like when it's ready to pull.

Why chicken thighs beat breasts for nachos

Thighs stay juicy through two rounds of heat: once on the grill, and again when the loaded skillet goes back on to melt the cheese. Breast meat that's perfect at 165°F turns dry and stringy by the time it's been reheated under a blanket of cheese. Thighs have enough fat to handle it, and they're more forgiving if your timing slips because the game went to overtime.

Cook them to 175 to 180°F, not 165°F. Thighs are safe at 165°F, but the extra temperature melts down the connective tissue so the meat chops into tender pieces instead of chewy ones. Check the thickest piece with a Grill Masters Club Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer, since thighs vary a lot in thickness and 20 to 25 minutes is a range, not a promise.

Why the chicken cooks over indirect heat

Honey BBQ Wing Dust is built as a finishing dust, so it's full of dried honey and sugar. That's exactly why it tastes so good, and exactly why it burns if it sits over open flame. At 375°F over indirect heat, the sugars caramelize into a sticky, savory crust instead of scorching into something bitter.

A light coat of oil first gives the dust something to grab onto, so it stays on the chicken instead of falling through the grates. Season generously: 2 to 3 tablespoons covers 1½ pounds of thighs. If you want to know more about why sugar-forward seasonings behave differently from a standard rub, we break it down in Pro Tip: The Finishing Dust, and Why Some Seasonings Go On After the Cook.

Coat the chicken, don't drown it

The fastest way to ruin nachos is soggy chips, and extra sauce is usually the culprit. Toss the chopped chicken with about ¼ cup of Hot Honey BBQ Sauce, just enough to gloss every piece. If sauce is pooling in the bottom of the bowl, you've gone too far. Whatever sauce doesn't cling to the chicken soaks straight into the chips underneath.

Save the other ¼ cup for the finish. A drizzle over the melted cheese right before serving gives you that glossy sweet heat on top without turning the bottom layer into mush. Williamson Bros. leads with real honey and brown sugar and lets the red pepper build slowly, so it works for the whole crowd and still gives the heat seekers something to chase. Read the backstory of the sauce in Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q: A Georgia BBQ Original.

Picking the chips and cheese

Use the sturdiest tortilla chips you can find. Thick, restaurant-style chips hold up to chicken, bacon and two cheeses. Thin chips break the second someone tries to pull one out, and they go soft faster under the heat.

The two cheeses each have a job. Sharp cheddar brings the flavor, and Monterey Jack brings the melt and the stretch. If you have a few extra minutes, shred them yourself from the block. Bagged shredded cheese is coated to keep it from clumping, and that coating keeps it from melting as smoothly.

Grill or smoker: both work

This recipe runs at 375°F over indirect heat the whole way, so any grill or smoker that holds that temperature will do it.

• Gas grill: Light the burners on one side and cook the chicken and the skillet on the other side with the lid closed.
• Charcoal grill: Bank the coals to one side for a two-zone fire. The cool side is where everything cooks.
• Pellet grill or smoker: Set it to 375°F and cook straight on the grates. You'll pick up the most smoke flavor this way. Hickory, pecan or apple all work well with honey BBQ chicken, and our guide to the best wood chips and chunks for smoking breaks down every option by meat.

Whatever you cook on, a cast iron skillet is the right pan for the final melt. It holds heat evenly, crisps the bottom layer of chips and keeps the nachos hot on the table well into the second half. Find one in the Cast Iron Collection. Melted cheese stuck to the pan afterward? Cast Iron Care 101 covers how to clean it without stripping the seasoning.

Taking it to the tailgate

Do the work at home and the parking lot part takes 15 minutes. Cook and chop the chicken, crumble the bacon, and slice the jalapeño, onion and scallions the night before. Pack everything in separate containers in the cooler, and keep the chips dry until you build.

At the tailgate, toss the cold chicken with the hot honey sauce, build the layers in your skillet, and melt it on your portable grill with the lid closed. Cold chicken takes a few extra minutes to heat through, so plan on the full 10 minutes and check that the cheese is bubbling in the center, not just around the edges.

Run the whole Flavor Formation lineup

The nachos are one of six recipes in the printed booklet that ships with every Flavor Formation box, alongside Gameday Honey BBQ Wings, Blackened Shrimp Skewers, Al Pastor Pork Tacos, Blackened Steak Bites and Al Pastor Pork Skewers. Run the wings and the nachos together and one shaker of Wing Dust covers your whole spread.

Want more? The online-only Overtime recipes keep going: the Hot Honey Blackened Chicken Sandwich, Blackened Fish Tacos with Hot Honey BBQ Crema and low-and-slow Hot Honey BBQ Burnt Ends. You'll find every recipe and product breakdown in the Flavor Formation Box Overview.

Loaded nachos FAQ

How do I keep nachos from getting soggy?

Use thick chips, sauce the chicken lightly so nothing pools, and save the wet toppings for the end. Sour cream, pickled jalapeños and the final sauce drizzle all go on after the skillet comes off the heat. Serve right away, because nachos don't wait.

Can I use leftover pulled pork or brisket?

Yes. Swap the chicken for about 1½ pounds of leftover smoked pork or chopped brisket, toss it with the Hot Honey BBQ Sauce and give it a light shake of Wing Dust. Skip the chicken cook and go straight to building the layers.

Are these nachos spicy?

Mildly. Hot Honey BBQ Sauce has a gentle warmth and the Wing Dust isn't spicy at all. Most of the heat comes from the fresh jalapeño. Leave it off for kids, or add pickled jalapeños on the side so everyone sets their own level.

Can I make these in the oven?

The build and melt step works at 375°F in the oven, but you'll lose the smoke and char from the grill. If you can, cook the chicken outside at minimum. That's where the honey BBQ crust comes from.