BBQ Chicken Tostadas

I swear, if I don’t get a new oven sometime soon…I might lose my mind.

I was CRAVING tostadas the other day and I’ve only ever made them in the oven. Sure, you can get the pre-made tostada shells (which is what I did) but how the heck are you going to melt the cheese on top without a broiler?!

I had to get creative to melt the cheese. I first tried putting the tostada in a skillet and covering it. The cheese melted (after a long time) but the bottom of the tostada was pretty soggy. Next up: the microwave.

Success! After just 30 seconds to a minute in the microwave, the cheese came out melted and SHOCKINGLY the tostada stayed crisp! If you’re oven-less, like me, use the microwave for your tostada cravings. If I had an air fryer, I would have tried that as well. Now I’m curious to see if it would’ve worked, too.

Of course, nothing beats a supremely melted cheese tostada that is slightly browned by putting it under the broiler. But if you’re in a pinch, the microwave is a good second bet. These tostadas are a riff on the classic BBQ chicken pizza from California Pizza Chicken (a personal favorite of mine). Just top your tostada shell with a spoonful of BBQ sauce, some Italian-blend cheese, shredded cooked chicken, bacon, tomatoes and red onion.

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Tostadas

Servings: 4-6
Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: Easy
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A delicious tostada topped with chicken, bacon, barbecue sauce and red onion.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese (or shredded mozzarella)
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
8-10 tostada shells, already cooked (can find in the tortilla aisle)

Directions

Spread a spoonful of barbecue sauce on each tostada shell. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and chicken, adding more cheese on top.
To broil: place tostadas with cheese and chicken on top on a large sheet pain and broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly and browned.
To microwave: place 2 tostadas with cheese and chicken on top on a microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, or until cheese is melted.
Top cooked tostadas with bacon, onion and tomatoes.

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