Quick Chicken Tostadas

Who celebrates Cinco de Mayo on a Tuesday anyway, right? I’m sure a number of you will go out for requisite margaritas (jalapeno for me, please!) and some guacamole, but if you’re like me, you’re saving your Cinco de Mayo celebration for pool time over the weekend, with a recipe like this one.

Okay, fine, fine. The truth is that I’m a little behind with a Cinco de Mayo recipe for you all to enjoy and by now you’re completely inundated with similar dishes so I’m trying to encourage you to make this over the weekend because chances are that a) a mom you know probably loves Mexican cuisine and would love some tostadas and b) you surely have your Tuesday meal already planned out.

And PS: you can never have enough Mexican food.

One thing that I love to buy on some weekend grocery shopping trips is a whole rotisserie chicken (lemon pepper) and then use that chicken throughout the week for different dishes. A chicken salad here, a sandwich there, and then these. ‘Cause HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

So basically you cook up some of the chicken (err heat it back up because you’ve already cut up the chicken and stored it in the fridge, right?), onions, a jalapeno pepper, garlic, and some lime juice. Then you blend up some pinto beans with spices. And then you combine it all on top of corn tortillas and then top those with cabbage, tomatoes, cheese, and of course, cilantro.

You can then drizzle with sour cream (not my thing) or guacamole (totally my thing, but let’s move on before I become sad again because I’m out of avocados) or even a nice cilantro cream sauce of sorts. Pair with a spicy margarita. ¡Arriba!

Print Recipe

Quick Chicken Tostadas

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These chicken tostadas are quick and easy with pinto beans, a handful of spices, tart lime juice, and fresh cilantro. It's perfect for any Mexican fiesta!

Ingredients:

• 4 corn tortillas
• 2 cans pinto beans and reserved juices
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 cup lime juice
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse the pinto beans, making sure to reserve the juices from the can. Add both the beans and 1 1/2 cups of the liquid to a blender. Add chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, and ground red pepper. Puree until smooth, then transfer to a pan set over low heat. Allow to heat through and continue cooking until thickened, about 15 minutes.
2. In a separate pan set over medium heat, add olive oil. Once heated, add onions and jalapeños. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are translucent. Add garlic and sauté another 3 minutes. Add chicken and lime juice, sautéing for another 10 minutes. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper.
3. To form tostadas, place corn tortillas under a 350 degree broiler for 5 minutes. Top with a spread of the pinto bean mix, then the chicken mix with onions and jalapeños.
4. Top with your choice of cheese, fresh diced tomatoes, red cabbage, and cilantro.