Redneck Nachos (Ole Red Copycat)

If you’re looking for a tasty snack that could also double as a meal that the whole group will love, give these redneck nachos a try.  It’s a fantastic party food recipe for a casual get-together.

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Redneck Nachos

@partyfoodfavorites Redneck nachos with beer cheese dip, smoked chicken, bbq sauce, pickled jalapenos and more. 🤤#nachos #snackbreak #gamedayfood #partyfood #partyfoodideas ♬ original sound – Home Cooks World

This recipe has been inspired by the redneck nachos found at Ole Red in Nashville (Blake Shelton’s bar).

Those nachos, paired with the live music, and free-flowing beverages united our group and kicked off such a fun night.

Ole Red’s menu lists redneck nachos as tortilla chips, smoked chicken, beer cheese, pickled jalapeños, avocado, sour cream, bbq sauce, Rotel™ tomatoes, and green onions.

• Tortilla chips. I did two layers, which was almost a full bag.
• Shredded “smoked” chicken. To mimic a smoked chicken, I added a few drops of liquid smoke to the chicken breasts. Pulled pork would also be a delicious protein choice here.
• Beer Cheese Dip. I have linked a delicious beer cheese sauce recipe, but you can use whatever recipe you like.
• BBQ sauce. I used Lillie’s Carolina BBQ sauce, but use whatever your favorite is.
• Sour cream. I used full-fat sour cream (14%).
• Sliced pickled jalapenos. The Old El Paso ones are the best.
• Avocado.
• Rotel tomatoes and chiles. This is a mix of decided tomatoes, green chiles, and spices.
• Green onions. Dice these up into small pieces.

So let’s recreate that.

Note: the menu seems to have changed since I was there this summer and they have a new version of redneck nachos that has potato chips instead of tortillas and different toppings. Either way, this is a tasty version.

How to Make Smoked Chicken without a Smoker

I used a precooked chicken from the deli section of the store.

It was still warm when I started making the nachos, so it was easier to pull.

Shred the chicken by pulling the chicken breasts apart using two forks (another way is to use a hand mixer).

I faked the smoked chicken by adding a few drops of Liquid Smoke to the pulled chicken and mixed it around. It worked perfectly.

Beer Cheese

To top the nachos, you will need a beer cheese sauce.

Beer cheese is typically made with a blend of cheeses, beer, and spices.

There are plenty of recipes to try, but I love this easy beer cheese recipe. I do remember Ol’ Red’s menu mentioned Velveeta so I wanted to use that in the recipe I created as well.

Barbecue Sauce

I wanted this recipe to be as easy as possible, so you go ahead and use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce.

Ole Red’s menu states that it’s made with a red bbq sauce, which means its tomato based.

I used a vinegar based bbq sauce (Lillie’s Carolina) for mine and it was delicious but it would be incredible with a smokey, bold bbq sauce as well.

Ole Red Recipe for Redneck Nachos

This is such a great recipe for game day. Whether it’s the Superbowl (nachos have to be a top football food), the Stanley cup, or Nascar nothing beats good food with good company.

How to Serve Redneck Nachos

1. Line a small sheet pan (quarter sheets) with parchment paper.
2. Start with a layer of chips, add the chicken, then pour the beer cheese sauce, and bbq sauce.
3. Repeat with another layer, saving the majority of the chicken, beer, and bbq sauce for the top.
4. If the beer cheese isn’t hot out of the skillet, heat up the nachos in a preheated oven for 3-5 minutes at 425F.
5. Top with the remaining ingredients and serve with sour cream, salsa, refried beans, or guacamole on the side.

Tip: I put the sauces in a resealable bag, cut the ends off, and used that to drizzle all the sauces over the nachos. This prevented globs and uneven sauce distribution.