Chile Chicken Tostadas

Tostadas have never tasted better or been easier to prepare! These one-pot chile chicken tostadas deliver fantastic flavor with minimal effort. Top the tender chicken with fresh kale slaw, creamy avocado, and pickled onions for one satisfying meal.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless thighs provide rich flavor and stay tender through the braising process. Their higher fat content compared to breasts helps them remain juicy and develop deeper flavor while simmering in the sauce.
• Beer: The alcohol helps tenderize the meat. As it reduces, beer creates depth in the sauce that water or plain stock can't match. Different beer styles (amber, blonde, IPA) will contribute slightly different flavor profiles.
• Fire-roasted tomatoes: These add both acidity and natural sweetness, with a distinctive smoky char flavor.
• Diced green peppers: These mild peppers add freshness, subtle sweetness, and a touch of earthiness.
• Chipotle: These canned chilies provide heat, smokiness, and acidity from the adobo sauce.
• Kale: A hearty green component that stands up to the warm chicken mixture without wilting completely. The brief massage with lime juice and olive oil softens the texture while maintaining some crunch, adding freshness, and balancing the heavier elements.
• Pickled onions: These bright, tangy onions cut through the richness of the braised chicken and add crucial acidity to each bite.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: Try this recipe with a chuck roast or pork shoulder, adjusting the time accordingly.
• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour and ensure that the beer is also gluten-free.
• Toppings: You can pile on the toppings with these tostadas, including chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, salsa verde, or roasted jalapenos.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Chile Chicken Tostadas

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Braised chicken

• 3 pounds chicken thighs skinless, boneless
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• 12 ounces amber beer, blonde ale, or IPA
• 14 ounces canned fire roasted tomatoes
• 4 ounces canned diced green peppers
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 canned chipotle plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauces
• 1 teaspoons oregano dried

Toppings

• 6 tostada shells
• 2 cups shredded kale
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• pickled onions
• 2 avocados sliced
• ¼ cup crumbled cotija

Instructions

• Prepare the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Coat both sides with flour, shaking off the excess.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven or braising pot over medium heat. Sear the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside. You may have to brown the chicken in batches.
• In the same pot, add the sliced onion and garlic and saute until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add back the chicken along with the beer, canned tomatoes, canned diced green peppers, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, cumin, chipotle and adobo sauces, and oregano. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is done.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to simmer the braising liquid for 10-15 minutes or until reduced by half.
• Shred the chicken and throw it back into the reduced braising liquid. Season once more with salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, prepare the toppings. Toss the shredded kale with juice of ½ a lime, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pile the shredded chicken on the tostadas and top with shredded kale, pickled onions, sliced avocado, and cotija. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can use bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, adjusting the cooking time accordingly.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Prepare chicken

What's great about braising chicken is that, unlike red meat, it's ready in a pinch. That means that you can make these chile chicken tostadas for dinner without slaving away. You can even make the chicken the night before and assemble the tostadas right before serving.

To make the chicken, first season it with salt and pepper. I used chicken thighs because chicken breasts can easily become dry even when braised. You can use bone-in chicken, but make sure to adjust the cooking time as necessary.

Dredge the chicken in flour and brown it in a braising pot. We're going to finish cooking the chicken later, so right now it's just to get some color.

Step 2: Braise

Remove the browned chicken, and in the same pot, saute the onion and garlic until softened. Then, add back the chicken along with the remaining ingredients. If you're not a fan of beer, substitute with chicken stock.

Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer the chicken until tender, about 20 minutes. You want the heat to barely be bubbling to slowly cook the chicken.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the sauce and shred the meat. Increase the heat for the braising liquid and keep simmering the juices until they're reduced by half. We want to concentrate those delicious flavors in the braising liquid to add back to the chicken.

Step 3: Assemble

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the toppings. For a quick pickled onion recipe, check out this roasted potato salad.

Shred the kale and toss it with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lime juice. Slice the avocados, crumble the cotija, and you're ready to assemble the chile chicken tostadas.

Spoon some of that delicious reduced braising liquid on the shredded chicken, tossing it to coat. Then, pile that chicken on top of tostada shells, followed by the kale, avocado, pickled onions, and a sprinkle of cotija.

I was a little worried if my husband was going to enjoy these chile chicken tostadas, but thankfully, he did! I mean, who am I kidding? There's no reason not to like these!

With every bite, you get a little creamy, spicy, tangy, and salty from each of the toppings. If you're like my husband, I urge you to give these tostadas a try! You might just turn into a tostada fan, too.

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: Feel free to cook the chicken ahead of time and reheat it before serving. The braised chicken actually tastes even better the next day.
• Store: Refrigerate the chicken for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Store the kale salad for up to 1 day in the refrigerator.

Frequently asked questions

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