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When you have had one too many tacos, a tostado is the answer. Although, I’m not actually sure how you can have too many tacos. That seems silly. But the tostada hits all the taco notes, can be eaten sitting down at the table with actual utensils like a proper civilized human being, can be customized with your favorite toppings and meats, and gives that final crunch at the end. And it’s pretty.
We made Chicken Tostadas for dinner one summer evening when we had a fabulous box of goodies to play with and some Mexican-type ingredients to use. Actually, I should say that Dave made them. I just get to write up the recipe and post the pretty pictures.
Ingredients
1 cup rice
can of peeled tomatoes, chopped, reserve the liquid
2 chicken breasts
olive or other cooking oil
mexican-type seasoning, like this one
cabbage
yellow bell pepper
queso blanco (or any mexican cheese)
can of black beans, drained and rinsed
corn tortillas
Directions
Cook rice with to your preferred method. We like to use a rice cooker. Instead of adding water though, add the can of tomatoes and the liquid. Add about a teaspoon of the seasoning and stir. If using the cooker, turn on and wait until it’s done. If using the stove, you’re on your own. Make sure the liquid fully covers the rice. If it doesn’t, add enough water until the rice is fully submerged. It will not cook all the way if you don’t.
Cut up the chicken breasts into small, bite size pieces. Get your pan sizzling hot and add about a teaspoon of cooking oil to the pan. Add the chicken pieces and the mexican-seasoning. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until cooked all the way through, turning for even cooking. Remove from the pan and let cool slightly while you’re prepping the rest of the ingredients. {Summer cooking note – you can also cook these on the grill. Don’t cut the chicken beforehand in that case. Season first, cook the whole breasts on the grill, then cut up afterward}.
Chop up all the accoutrements while you’re waiting for the rice to finish cooking. Chop the cabbage into long strings. Chop the bell peppers into long strips. Rinse and drain the black beans.
For the tortillas, you can toast them in your oven until crispy, hold them over an open flame (like a burner), or put them on the grill. We like our extra crispy crunchy with tostadas.
Assemble your tostada layers:
- rice
- black beans
- chicken
- cheese
- cabbage
- bell pepper
We added an extra garnish of cilantro and a side of spicy pickled carrots and jalapeno. If you’re lucky, I’ll convince Dave to write up his recipe for those sometime. They’re quick pickling and super delicious. We actually give them as gifts a lot.
Happy eating!
xoxo,
