Pumpkin sheet pan nachos are the perfect appetizer for the fall season. They taste delicious and are a great way to sneak in extra vegetables and nutrition.
Peel the pumpkin. I use a regular vegetable peeler, and peel a pumpkin just like I would a butternut squash, apple or potato.
Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.
Dice half of the pumpkin into small bite size pieces. (I boiled the other half of my pumpkin on the stove and then pureed it. Now I can throw it in my sourdough pancakes, pumpkin soup, or feed it to my baby.)
Sauté the diced pumpkin and the 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large skillet (I prefer to use cast iron.) over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until almost soft. The pumpkin will be cooking a little more with the nachos in the oven, so don't overcook them. You want the diced pieces to retain their shape and not turn into mush.
For the chicken
You can use a whole chicken, chicken breasts, legs, thighs, pretty much any part of the chicken!
If the chicken you are using is completely unseasoned, sprinkle it with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
I made mine a few hours before in the pressure cooker, with only water, so it definitely needed some seasoning. I used a whole chicken, and set the rest of the meat aside for a future meal. Never a bad thing in our large (and hungry!) family.
Assemble the nachos
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spread 9 ounces of organic tortilla chips into a large sheet pan.
Top the chips with the cooked chicken, shredded cheese, diced red onion, sliced jalapeño and the sautéd pumpkin.
Bake the nachos for 15 minutes.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow the nachos to cool for a few minutes. Sprinkle on the feta cheese and fresh cilantro.
Finish the nachos off with the juice from one lime.
Notes
You can use a whole chicken, chicken breasts, legs, thighs, pretty much any part of the chicken!