Mexico · 60 min · Meat · Main course · For beginners
Tostadas de Pollo
In German: Tostadas mit Hähnchen · In English: Chicken Tostadas
For 6 servings · US units
Crisp corn tortillas piled with chicken, refried beans, queso fresco and avocado
Tostadas de pollo crunch with every bite: a crisp corn tortilla carries creamy refried beans, juicy shredded chicken, salty queso fresco, avocado and fresh cilantro. A squeeze of lime at the end brightens the whole thing, which is exactly why they're a summer meal for us. Put everything out on the table and let everyone build their own.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbchicken breastboneless, skinless; cooked and shredded or finely diced
- 14crisp corn tortillas, store-bought or home-baked; warm before toppingFlat corn tortillas, baked or fried until crisp, and topped like an edible plate.Substitute: The best option is to make them from corn tortillas, brushed lightly with oil and baked at about 200 °C until hard and golden, or fried flat in hot oil; the result is the real thing. Flour tortillas turn flaky and lack the corn flavour, and tortilla chips only work as small bites.Read more
- 1¼ lbwarmed, spread thinly as the base layerCooked beans, usually pinto or black, mashed and fried in lard or oil into a creamy, savoury purée.Substitute: Homemade from drained canned pinto, black or kidney beans, fried in lard or oil and mashed, they come very close to the original. Lard gives a rounder, more typical flavour than oil.Read more
- 7 ozcheesecrumbled; alternatively cotija, Jack or manchego
- 1 bunchfreshly chopped, for toppingThe fresh leaves of the coriander plant, with a bright, citrusy and slightly peppery taste.Substitute: There is no true substitute. Flat-leaf parsley, perhaps with a little lime zest, adds colour and green freshness but not cilantro's distinctive citrusy note.Read more
- 2avocadodiced or blended into an avocado salsa
- 2limecut into wedges, for squeezing over
- 1onionfor the sauce or the chicken, or red and diced raw as topping
- 3 clovesgarlicpeeled, for the sauce
- 1 tspOreganodried, for the sauce or chicken
- 2 tbspoilfor frying
- saltto taste
- black pepperfreshly ground, to taste
- 2 cupsfor cooking or coating the chicken; jarred or made from roasted tomatillos, poblano and jalapeño (optional)Green Mexican sauce of tomatillos, green chillies, onion, coriander and salt, blended raw or cooked; tart, fresh and more or less hot.Substitute: The best option is to make it yourself from tinned tomatillos, drained and blended with chilli, onion and coriander, which comes very close to the original. Without tomatillos, unripe green tomatoes with a little lime juice can be used; the sauce turns more watery and more sharply sour and lacks the gently fruity, almost citrus-like depth of tomatillos, so it is an approximation rather than a substitute. A red tomato salsa is not equivalent, as it tastes sweeter and changes the dish noticeably.Read more
- ⅔ cupcreamas a dollop on top or stirred into the chipotle sauce (optional)
- 4for a creamy, spicy sauce (optional)Smoked, dried jalapeños packed in a dark, sweet-sour sauce of tomato, vinegar and spices, smoky and properly hot.Substitute: Dried chipotles, soaked and blended with a little tomato paste and a splash of vinegar, come closest; at a pinch, smoked paprika and a little cayenne with tomato paste give smoke and heat, but not the fleshy texture or the sweet-sour depth of the sauce.Read more
- 2tomatoesdiced, or cherry tomatoes, as topping (optional)
- 3½ ozlettucethinly shredded, as topping (optional)
Method
- Cook the chickenStart by cooking the chicken breast, whichever way fits your day. Slow-cook it covered in salsa verde for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Or brine it for 30 to 60 minutes, pat it dry and roast it at 390 °F (400 °F) for about 20 minutes, until it reaches 160 °F (160 °F) in the center. For the quickest route, dice the chicken and fry it in oil until golden all over.
- Shred and season the chickenShred the cooked chicken with two forks or chop it finely, then season it well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Make the sauce, add chickenNow make the sauce: soften the onion and garlic in oil until translucent, then stir in the Mexican oregano. From there, either pour in the salsa verde or, for a creamy chipotle sauce, stir in chopped chipotles in adobo and the cream or Mexican crema and let it simmer briefly. Add the chicken to the sauce and warm it through over medium heat for a few minutes, until it's nicely coated.
- Warm the refried beansMeanwhile, warm the refried beans in a small pan, stirring, until they're soft and easy to spread.
- Crisp up the tostada shellsWarm the tostada shells briefly in the oven or in a dry skillet; this makes them extra crisp and brings out that toasted corn smell.
- Prep the toppingsGet the toppings ready: crumble the queso fresco, chop the cilantro and dice the avocado or blend it into an avocado salsa. If you like, also dice the tomatoes and shred the lettuce thinly.
- Spread and top the tostadasSpread each tostada shell with a thin layer of refried beans, then top with chicken, queso fresco, cilantro and avocado, and add tomato, lettuce or a dollop of crema as you like.
- Add lime and serveFinish with a squeeze of lime juice and serve right away, while the shells are still crisp.
Tips and variations
The least work is letting the chicken simmer in store-bought salsa verde in the slow cooker. If you have time, make your own salsa verde: roast tomatillos and poblano in the oven, then blend them with jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano and cumin. For a fast version, dice the chicken, season it with chili powder and fry it with onion, and serve it with an avocado salsa of avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and a splash of water. Leftover cooked chicken works beautifully too. You can also bake your own tostada shells: lightly oil thin corn tortillas on both sides and bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for 4 to 5 minutes per side. To serve, set out all the toppings in little bowls along with lime wedges, crema and hot sauce, and you've got an easygoing summer evening.
Allergens
Contains: Milk (including lactose)
Not every ingredient in this recipe has been checked, so nothing is promised as free from.
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
