I’ve been getting so much mileage from these Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas recently!
You can make a big batch of the Chicken Chile Verde and then whip up these Tostadas for quick meals over the coming days.
It’s a great way to have tasty meals on standby for rushed weeknights. Sound good?
How To Make Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas
Keep in mind that these Tostadas are flexible, so feel free to load them up with your preferred fixings!
But I always try to get people to start with a combo like this:
a thin layer of refried beans
a few tablespoons of Chicken Chile Verde
cheese
cilantro
a squeeze of lime
This simple combo is already delicious! Sure, you can load them up beyond that, but there’s a good chance you won’t want to 🙂
Okay, here’s how to make the Chicken Chile Verde…
I’m still in the habit of brining when shredded chicken is called for, but feel free to cook the chicken as you see fit (or even use rotisserie chicken).
To brine the chicken, start by adding 1/2 cup Kosher or sea salt to a large mixing bowl along with 2 quarts of cold water. Stir to dissolve the salt and then add the chicken.
I used 3 boneless chicken breasts for this batch. That came out to about 2 lbs. worth.
Cover and let brine in the fridge for an hour or so. And yes, you can pull it out sooner if you’re in a rush. I think even a half hour brine makes a difference, but there are people who get mad when I say that!
Once brined, the chicken will need about 20 minutes to cook in the oven (400F).
I usually put it on a baking sheet along with the tomatillos and Poblanos.
You’ll need:
8-10 tomatillos (approx. 1 lb.)
2 smaller Poblanos (or 1 large one)
The Poblanos typically need a half hour or so to roast, so I usually pull the chicken out after about 20 minutes, and then give the Poblanos and tomatillos a few more minutes.
Once those are roasted you can de-seed the Poblanos and add them to a blender along with the tomatillos and:
1-3 Jalapenos
1/2 onion
4 peeled garlic cloves
15-20 sprigs cilantro
Give it a whirl and taste for heat.
For a milder batch, start with only a single Jalapeno. For more heat, simply add additional slivers of Jalapeno and re-blend. You can sub Serranos if that’s what you have available.
Simmer the blender mixture over medium heat and add:
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
freshly cracked black pepper
Add the shredded chicken to the Chile Verde sauce and combine well, taking a final taste for seasoning.
Note: if you brined the chicken you may not need to add additional salt at this stage.
Bring this up to temp and then it’s ready to serve!
For this batch I started with home-baked tostada shells and added a thin layer of these refried beans:
I always have some of those refried beans in the fridge, but don’t worry about making them specifically for this meal as the flavor of the beans isn’t crucial for this recipe.
Then top with:
a few tablespoons of the Chicken Chile Verde
cheese (I used crumbled Queso Fresco)
freshly chopped cilantro
a final squeeze of lime
And they were dee-licious 🙂
Feel free to get creative with your Tostadas!
But don’t sleep on this simple bean-n-cheese combo. The Chicken Chile Verde is exploding with flavor so you really don’t need much beyond that.
Okay, I hope you try out these Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas. I think they max out the full potential of Tostadas, and I hope you’ll agree!
Related posts:
How To Bake Your Own Tostada Shells
Are Poblanos Spicy?
Jalapeno vs Serrano: What’s the Difference?
Want to see the latest post? It’s this Roasted Jalapeno Soup: