How To Make Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas
These Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas define the perfect combo of filling beans and tender chicken, with tasty taco fixings and a tangy lime-cilantro crema.
Serves:
Ingredients
For Chicken:
- 2chicken breasts,(¾ to 1 lb total) boneless, skinless
- 1tspkosher salt
- ½tspfreshly ground pepper
For Flavoring Poaching Liquid (Optional):
- whole peppercorns
- fresh thyme sprigs,or oregano
- bay leaves
- whole garlic cloves,or halved shallots
- lemon slices
For Chipotle Dressing:
- 3tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- 1tbsplime juice,(from about 1 lime)
- 1tspchipotles in adobo sauce,pureed, optional
- 1tbspshallots,minced
For Cilantro Crema:
- 1tsplime juice
- ½cupsour cream
- 2tbspcilantro leaves,minced
For Tostadas:
- vegetable oil,or canola, for pan frying
- 4corn tortillas,(6-inches), or flour-corn tortillas
- 1tspgarlic,minced
- 15ozblack beans,(1 can), drained, rinsed
- ½tspcumin
- 1romaine heart,(about 4 cups), thinly sliced crosswise into slivers
- ½cupplum tomato,diced
- 1avocado,ripe, peeled, cubed
- ½cupcheddar cheese,or Mexican blend, shredded, or crumbled cotija cheese
Instructions
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Place the chicken breasts, salt, pepper, and any optional flavoring extras in a small pot. Add water to cover by 1 inch and place over medium-high heat.
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Cover the pot and bring the chicken to simmer for 8 to 12 minutes until it is cooked through and registers at least 165 degrees F with a digital thermometer. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts.
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Remove the chicken from the heat and remove the chicken from the liquid. Scoop out ½ cup of the cooking liquid and set to the side.
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When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Chipotle Dressing:
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In a small bowl or container with a lid, combine the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, the pureed chipotle in adobo, and shallot.
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Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cilantro Crema:
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In another small bowl or container, combine the sour cream, 1 teaspoon of lime juice, and the cilantro.
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Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until a tiny flick of water into the pan sizzles on contact.
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Pan-fry the tortillas one at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned and fairly crisp. Add a bit more oil if needed during the frying process. Transfer the tortillas to paper towels as they finish cooking.
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Pour off any excess oil from the skillet, leaving a thin film on the bottom of the pan. Return to medium heat.
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Stir in the garlic and cumin and sauté for 30 seconds until the seasonings and the garlic starts to turn golden and are fragrant. Add the beans and stir well, then add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a simmer.
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Simmer for about 5 minutes until the beans are hot and the liquid reduces to a glaze on the beans—if it starts to look dry, add a bit more of the reserved liquid.
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Place each of the tortillas on a plate and pile 1 cup of lettuce onto each.
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Divide the warm beans equally over the lettuce, then repeat the same process with the chicken, tomatoes, and avocados.
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Finally, top the tostadas with cheese and cilantro. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the tostadas and finish with a dollop of crema.
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Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
If there’s no time to fry the tortillas, it’s okay to crack open a hard corn taco shell and place the 2 halves on the plate as a base, then build the tostada from there.
Nutrition
- Calories: 943.21kcal
- Fat: 45.22g
- Saturated Fat: 12.26g
- Trans Fat: 0.33g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 22.96g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.33g
- Carbohydrates: 90.37g
- Fiber: 24.45g
- Sugar: 5.27g
- Protein: 49.85g
- Cholesterol: 87.46mg
- Sodium: 681.69mg
- Calcium: 377.43mg
- Potassium: 2399.57mg
- Iron: 9.06mg
- Vitamin A: 419.16µg
- Vitamin C: 21.15mg
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