Chicken Tostadas are oven-baked tostada shells piled high with refried beans, seasoned chicken, cheese, lettuce, homemade pico de gallo, and sour cream. Then, freshly squeezed lime juice and cilantro are added to each tostada for serving. You might also want to try my Chicken Tortilla Casserole.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Tostada Shells: Look for tostada shells to use in this recipe. They are flat, crispy corn tortilla rounds. If you have corn tortillas, you can make tostadas by frying them in hot oil for about 30 seconds per side. Place them on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. You may also want to add a little bit of salt to the tostadas.
Chicken: To make this recipe super easy, use rotisserie chicken. You can make your own to shred and cube or buy one at the store. In fact, you can sometimes find chicken already shredded and ready to go. This recipe is also great to use up any leftover chicken you may have.
Taco Seasoning: Make your own homemade taco seasoning for the most flavor.
Refried Beans: If you don’t have any on hand, make your own refried beans.
Cheese: I prefer a Mexican blend for cheese. But, it’s fun to experiment with other kinds of cheese until you find your favorite.
Pico de Gallo: Make your own pico de gallo for the freshest option. Or, use your favorite kind of salsa or pico de gallo.
Can I Make Chicken Tostadas Ahead of Time?
Chicken tostadas are best when put together right before serving. However, you can certainly get a head start on the toppings and fillings. Store them in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. As for the tostadas, if frying the tortillas ahead of time, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Just warm up the tostadas in the oven or in a skillet until warm and crispy when ready to make.
Chicken Tostada Salad
Why not make this into a salad? Crunch up the shells and add lots of extra veggies and you are good to go! If you don’t have any shells, don’t worry! You can simply swap them out for taco shells or even tortilla chips! Add as much or as little crunch as you want, or skip that part altogether!
Chicken Taco Inspired Recipes
Chicken Tostadas
Ingredients
- 8 tostada shells
- 2 cups (280 g) rotisserie chicken, shredded and cubed, divided
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans, divided
- 1 cup (113 g) Mexican blend cheese, shredded, divided
- 2 cups (94 g) iceberg lettuce, shredded, divided
- 1 cup (248 g) pico de gallo, divided
- ½ cup (115 g) sour cream, divided
- freshly squeeze lime juice
- cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spray both sides of the tostadas with cooking spray. Place in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the tostadas are warm and slightly crisp.
- In a small bowl, toss the chicken with taco seasoning. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the refried beans. Heat until hot. (You could also heat the beans in the microwave.)
- On each tostada, spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans. Top with ¼ cup of chicken, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese, ¼ cup lettuce, 1-2 tablespoons pico de gallo, a drizzle of sour cream, and a splash of lime juice.
- Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro.
Video
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