This dish is super easy to throw together, and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser. Who doesn’t love Mexican food? It’s no secret that our family is a BIG fan and almost once a week we are sure to enjoy some south of the border fare like homemade refried beans, taco salad, pork carnitas, flank steak fajitas, vegetable quesadillas, homemade tortillas, or the like. And now we can add chicken and cheese tostadas to our repertoire!
Chicken and Cheese "Tostadas"
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded or diced (slow cook, roast or boil it)
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced (optional)
- 1 1/2 limes
- 8 corn tortillas, whole-grain, 5" to 6"
Recommended toppings
- sour cream
- avocado
- cilantro
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
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In a large bowl thoroughly combine the chicken, cheese, water, spices, jalapeño (if using) and juice of 1 lime.
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On a large baking sheet (lined with foil for less mess) lay the tortillas out in one even layer. Depending on the size of your baking sheet you may need to bake these in two batches.
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Evenly distribute the chicken mixture on top of the 8 tortillas (the top layer should be about 1/2" tall) and bake until cheese begins to brown, about 12 to 13 minutes.
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Squeeze the remaining 1/2 lime on top of the cooked tostadas and serve warm with sour cream, diced avocado, and cilantro leaves.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Rebecca
June 25, 2013 at 11:02 amThis looks delicious! Thank you for another great meal idea!
Christle
June 25, 2013 at 3:45 pmHi could you suggest another brand for Tortillas because thru don’t sell Food for life at my local store.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
June 29, 2013 at 7:50 pmHello Christle. I can’t really suggest another specific brand but here is the ingredient list that you can compare other to: Organic Sprouted Corn, Filtered Water, Sea Salt, Lime. The corn does not have to be sprouted corn. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Renee
January 12, 2014 at 8:28 pmI make homemade tortillas (not corn) and they are easy and delicious. Takes me about 20 min for 8 medium sized ones. I use 3 c flour (white organic or 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat mix), 1/3 c olive oil (light, but a tad bit of darker as part of it makes them even richer flavor), 1 teaspoon salt and up to 1 c water. I move regularly and find the amount of water varies daily depending on the humidity where I live. Mix all together, it will be slightly wet. make a ball on floured surface, add enough flour so dough isn’t sticky. Divide into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece flat and round. I find that the thinner the better and they taste better if they aren’t handled too much because that will make them denser. Carefully lift to heated pan like a griddle is best because can cook more than 1 at a time, but any pan will do. Flip when slightly brown on each side, it may even bubble up when cooking…will go flat after. As a dessert make smaller and add cinnamon to taste. These will be soft unlike corn tortillas, then add cooked toppings and ready (or microwave if want warmer). Kids might like playing with dough. Enjoy.
josie
June 25, 2013 at 4:23 pmI make these all the time for a simple meal in the summer – I also love to add a layer of the crockpot refried beans!
Nicky
June 25, 2013 at 8:39 pmYum! We make summer tostadas a lot with fresh, sautéed zucchini, corn, & red onion added with the chicken & cheese. Delish!
Debby
June 27, 2013 at 4:49 amThank you for sharing the recipe. They look really tasty. I will try them next time I go to the store. Thanks :-)
Amanda
June 27, 2013 at 9:23 amDoes this turn out as a fork and knife meal or a pick up in your hands/on the run event?? Love that it is GF for my celiac kiddo!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
June 30, 2013 at 8:23 pmHi Amanda. Whichever you prefer! :) ~Amy
Krista
June 27, 2013 at 9:34 amLove this idea! Thank you!
Incubationblog
June 29, 2013 at 3:57 amNice post.
I like the way you start and then conclude your thoughts.
Julia
June 29, 2013 at 6:59 amI made this last night with some leftover chicken. It was a big hit. To make it a fuller meal I served it with beans and rice and baked plantains. My guys gave it 2 thumbs up and asked to keep it in the menu rotation. Thanks!
sean
July 1, 2013 at 12:29 pm“homemade or store bought” _____? Homemade or store bought hat?
sean
July 1, 2013 at 12:42 pmahem… I meant ‘what’, not ‘hat’
Handful
July 1, 2013 at 2:48 pmPINNED! Looks so yummy. I love my Mexican inspired meals. And I always do a bunch of chicken, shred and freeze in small amounts so it is ready in a flash for recipes like this.
So it is not necessary to oil the tortilla or fry it first to be crisp?
@ Sean – I believe she was referring to the tortillas. A tortilla press is next on my list of purchases.
Anna
July 9, 2013 at 9:17 pmI made these tonight and didn’t do anything with the tortillas and they crisped up perfectly! I had to leave one pan in longer than she said to get them crispy but that may be my oven ;)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
July 1, 2013 at 10:00 pmYep, tortillas. : )
Leslie Minda
February 23, 2015 at 2:10 pmThere is a typo on the recipe. It says tortillas, then bullets down to the next line. Took me a second to figure it out as well :)
Anna
July 9, 2013 at 9:16 pmMade this tonight, it was delicious! I topped with sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes :).
Tanya
July 11, 2013 at 2:37 amThese look delicious! Being Mexican-American and making the switch to real food, and healthy eating has been tough since my family typically fries everything.
However, my husband and I make tostadas similar to this all the time. Instead we toast the tortillas in the toaster oven (since there are only two of us). We then spread your “refried” beans on the bottom. Sometimes I like to add a thin layer of sourcream before the beans. Then we add seasoned grilled chicken, smashed avocados w/lemon (guacamole), lettuce, tomatoes, freshly shredded cheese and salsa. It is the most delicious meal and tastes pretty darn close to what my mom would make growing up =)
I love your recipe for the beans, they really do come out just as good as the refried beans I had growing up! I love eating them on tostadas and making bean and cheese burritos with them. Thanks for all of your great recipes!
Lindy
July 19, 2013 at 6:43 pmMade these with leftover pork carnita recipe (your recipe) and topped with leftover tomatillo salsa (your recipe) and sour cream. Delish!!
Mandy
July 25, 2013 at 9:15 pmDelish! After years of indigestion, I’ve been a fully committed Real Foodie for three whole days now, I definitely feel better, and I swear my palate is already changing — is that even possible?! At any rate, I made this great dinner for my family tonight with some leftover chicken. It was a huge hit, even with the picky 6 year old. Thanks for this great website.
Mandy
July 25, 2013 at 9:16 pmForgot to mention that we didn’t have sour cream, so I substituted plain, whole, Greek yogurt, and it was perfection.
Justyna
August 18, 2013 at 8:00 pmThis was one of those rare meals that everyone (there are six of us) scarfed down! Not to mention the fact that it’s sooooo easy. This one is going into our family favorites book. Thanks!
HealthyEater
January 12, 2014 at 12:22 pmI love your blog and made this recipe last night. It was delicious and easy to make. Thank you for sharing!
Jenn
January 28, 2014 at 12:21 pmI thought this recipe wasn’t going to go very far (3 cups of chicken for 8 tortillas!!), but I was wrong. My husband, who is a big eater, didn’t even eat 2 before he was full and satisfied.
We topped them with homemade green tomato salsa, homemade yoghurt, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, and made homemade corn tortillas, too. Delicious!
Also, we doubled the spices and the jalapenos (for the adult ones). We found it was lacking flavour when we followed the recipe exactly.
I will make this again!
Meaghan Ogle
February 19, 2014 at 2:15 pmWe just had this for lunch and they were delicious! And very easy to make. We will definitely be adding this recipe into our rotation!
Kathryn Gabbert
February 23, 2014 at 8:10 pmthese are soooo good! great to have another quick and easy meal in the line-up. they were a hit with my two girls, ages 2 and 5. we used leftover grilled chicken.
Alicia
March 10, 2014 at 5:59 pmWe loved these! I grilled the chicken using Montreal chicken and steak seasoning. SOOO good and will be going in my rotation. :)
Augustine
March 16, 2014 at 1:23 amDelicious! I made these tonight and they were a huge hit! Even my boys, ages 6 & 10, were impressed!
michelle
April 15, 2014 at 10:27 ammaking this tonight!!!
Courtney
May 3, 2014 at 10:09 amIf I’m going to use chicken breasts, about how many would give me 3 cups? I’m guessing 3 or 4 but I’d really like to make this it sounds yummy! I get the corn tortillas at Trader Joes.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
May 5, 2014 at 1:51 pmHi. They will obviously vary in size but I would say that is about right. ~Amy
mandy
May 16, 2014 at 1:39 pmgood stuff!
Jess
May 29, 2014 at 4:16 pmI just made these and they were delicious. Will definitely make again.
Katie
June 3, 2014 at 9:14 pmSo yummy! My whole family loves these. I did not have leftover chicken tonight, but in the summer I try to cook chicken in batches to avoid the heat. With pre-cooked chicken and rice, this meal would be a breeze to toast up!
Erin
June 4, 2014 at 6:12 pmDelicious!
Maria and Sal
July 15, 2014 at 8:28 pmSimply amazing, my husband and loved this very simple recipe. Two nights prior I made the whole chicken in the crockpot that fed six of us (kids and grand kids), and tonight my husband and I finished the rest of the chicken… Lisa your recipes are AMAZING !!! Thank you for all them.
molly
August 2, 2014 at 4:28 amYum! These were so good! My kids loved these. Served with your refried bean recipie, mixed green salad and some fresh fruit. This recipe will be going into our dinner rotation. Thank you.
Beverly
August 30, 2014 at 6:57 pmI made this tonight and it was a huge hit! Of all the real food recipes I’ve tried so far, my husband and I like yours the best! I’m adding this to the rotation!
I do have a question. Will these freeze OK? Of course, I’d have to get the leftovers to the freezer before my husband eats them all! LOL!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
September 2, 2014 at 1:08 pmHi there. These are really best served fresh. You could probably freeze them in parts but we’ve not tried. ~Amy
Julie
September 17, 2014 at 10:38 amHas anyone ever made this recipe with ground grass fed beef instead of chicken?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
September 19, 2014 at 5:10 pmHi Julie. No, but I’m sure it would work.
Samantha
February 18, 2015 at 10:17 pmMade these yesterday! Huge hit! I loved them and my husband did too! He is picky and I have been trying to cook delish/clean food that he will enjoy and this dish did it:) Thank you! Next up your short ribs recipe!
Molly
March 19, 2015 at 2:07 pmThink about using plain Greek yogurt rather than Sour Creme – our family has started that and we can’t tell the difference – plus, it’s so much better for us/you :). Looks great though!
Tricia Schwartz
June 1, 2015 at 12:46 pmHi – I can’t figure out how to flag recipes. I have read the section about how to do it, but I can’t find the flags. Help, please!