"Matchos" with Shredded Chicken

Every Passover, we try to shake up the tired old menu a little. This has yielded some pretty great results in the past, with scotch eggs being the most enduring favorite. Last year, we tried making a "matzo pizza." It was okay, but with all the wet sauce on the matzos, it ended up a little too soft. That gave me the idea to try making matzo nachos, which I'm calling "matchos." The result was pretty delicious, and I'd recommend giving this a try for something a little different at the end of Passover.

The topping for the matchos is a shredded chicken similar to what we put in the kolaches back in December. For a Jewish twist, I sautéed in schmaltz (I made a big batch at the beginning of the week), but you can certainly use olive oil or vegetable oil. The sauce is thickened with potato starch to keep things "KFP." If you really want to go nuts, use some leftover brisket as the topping, but I went with a more traditionally nacho flavor profile. The matchos only use about half of the chicken. It freezes well, so it can be saved for tacos or regular nachos once Passover is done.

For the cheese, I used cheddar, but almost anything that melts well will work. I would probably use a little more next time, but this is what I had. We rounded out the topping with sour cream, guacamole, and diced onions, but those are all just suggestions. I made my own guacamole, but if you have some from the store and make the chicken ahead, the dish comes together pretty quickly. If nothing else, I'm inspired to make nachos with actual chips sometime soon.

Ingredients

Shredded chicken

• 1 3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (5-6 thighs; bone-in are also fine)
• 1 1/2 Tbs. schmaltz or olive oil
• 6 oz. diced onion (about 1/2 large onion)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. paprika
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 4 oz. can diced mild green chilies
• 1 Tbs. sherry vinegar (can substitute apple cider vinegar)
• 1 cup chicken stock (can use leftover matzo ball soup)
• 2 tsp. potato starch
• Salt and pepper to taste

Matchos

• 6 pieces matzo
• 4 oz. cheese, grated (or more to taste)
• Guacamole
• Sour cream
• Diced onion
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Shredded chicken

Melt schmaltz over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or similar vessel. Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt. Brown the chicken on one side and set aside, working in batches if needed. 

Turn the heat down to medium. Sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and cumin. Stir together and cook another minute. Add the tomatoes, green chilies, vinegar, and stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for about one hour.

Remove the chicken to a bowl. Turn the heat up to high and reduce by about half. Mix the potato starch into a slurry with a little water. Add the slurry to the sauce as it reduces.

 

Use two forks to shred the chicken. Turn the heat off and return the shredded chicken. Stir together and let stand for at least 30 more minutes. 

Chicken can be made ahead and frozen, if desired. Heat before adding to the matchos.

Matchos

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper. Break the matzos into chip-sized pieces and spread out on the sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Transfer to the oven and cook about 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese all over and cook 2 more minutes. 

Transfer the matzo pieces to a platter and spoon over about half the chicken. Garnish with guacamole, sour cream, and diced onion.