Fully Loaded Chicken Tostadas

Everybody loves tacos. Tacos have one day of the week dedicated to them. There are a dozen different restaurants in Oklahoma City that serve solely tacos. People would give up everything in life just to eat tacos.

Well, I’m here today to enlist you to join Club Tostada.

I know nothing will ever topple tacos from the throne, but hear me out. Tostadas are way better.

Listen, I know they’re hard to eat. But tacos are too! I’ve got a list of reasons why tostadas are way better than tacos:

#1. You have a bigger surface area for toppings. Instead of just cramming them into a crevice, you can pile on toppings to a nice, flat, round surface. It’s maximum edible surface area versus a much smaller one.

#2. Tostadas are self-contained. Technically, you don’t need a plate to eat these. The tostada is the plate.

#3. You can make toppings “stick”. Since you’re working with a round, flat area, you can start with a smear of refried beans or a brushing of sauce. That way you can make your other ingredients stick on top.

#4. You can eat them in cool ways. My favorite is to hold a tostada like I’m a waitress holding a tray: with all five fingers on the bottom of the tostada. You could also eat them like a sandwich with both hands…or even slurp them up. Whatever floats your boat.

There’s your deep dive into why you need to give tostadas a chance. You can start with this recipe; it’s a building block of a good chicken tostada. You can top it with whatever you wish, but I found these ingredients to be the ultimate for a fully-loaded tostada. Spicy chicken chunks, refried beans, avocado, pico, lettuce and cheese. You get all the best Mexican flavors in every bite.

I also experimented with different sauces on top: salsa verde, Sriracha ranch, regular ranch. The tostada without the sauce seemed to be best, though! It wasn’t dry and it came out super flavorful with the spiced chicken and beans.

Enjoy!

Fully Loaded Chicken Tostadas

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 20 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Crispy tostadas loaded up with spicy chicken, avocado, pico de gallo, and beans.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• salt & pepper
• 1 TBS. olive oil
• 12 tostada shells
• 1 (16 oz) can refried beans
• Lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and sliced avocado, for serving

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook chicken in skillet until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
2. Heat refried beans according to can instructions.
3. Build the tostada: smear a spoonful on beans on the top of the shell. Top with chicken, lettuce pico, cheese, and avocado. Serve.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook chicken in skillet until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Heat refried beans according to can instructions.

Build the tostada: smear a spoonful on beans on the top of the shell. Top with chicken, lettuce pico, cheese, and avocado. Serve.