Chicken Tostadas with Black Beans and Cilantro-Lime Cream

Serves 4

by Jeanne Kelley
from Fine Cooking
Issue 115
Last Edit Date: 1/30/2012 4:02:08 PM

These fresh, crunchy, colorful tostadas are the perfect showcase for shredded leftover white meat from Citrus-Marinated Roasted Chicken, which is gently and briefly reheated with a bit of the pan juice from the recipe. Didn’t make the roast chicken this past weekend? No problem. A store-bought rotisserie chicken will do; just sub in a lower-salt chicken broth for the pan juice.

more about:

8 6-inch corn tortillas
1 Tbs. olive oil; more for the tortillas
Kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 Tbs. minced canned chipotle chile (about half a medium chile)
1/4 cup reserved pan juice from Citrus-Marinated Roasted Chicken or lower-salt chicken broth
4 cups shredded leftover white meat chicken from Citrus-Marinated Roasted Chicken (from about 2 breasts)
2 small bunches radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 cup finely sliced romaine lettuce or green cabbage
Crumbled queso cotija or feta cheese

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.

Lightly brush both sides of the tortillas with oil and arrange them in a single layer on two large heavy-duty baking sheets. Lightly season the tortillas with salt and bake, swapping and rotating the pans halfway through, until golden-brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until the onion is tender and golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Add the beans and chile and stir until heated through. Stir in 2 Tbs. of the reserved pan juice and 1/4 cup water; bring to a simmer. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the bean mixture and then season to taste with salt.

Combine the chicken and the remaining 2 Tbs. pan juice in another 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the chicken is hot, about 2 minutes.

Arrange 2 tortillas on each of 4 large plates. Spread the bean mixture over the tortillas. Top with the chicken, and then the radishes and lettuce. Spoon some of the cream over the tostadas, sprinkle each with cheese, and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with your favorite salsa.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 710; Fat (g): 34; Fat Calories (kcal): 300; Saturated Fat (g): 9; Protein (g): 49; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 15; Carbohydrates (g): 50; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 6; Sodium (mg): 570; Cholesterol (mg): 140; Fiber (g): 8;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by Magic70, 2/5/2013We really enjoyed these, but did alter it somewhat. Used some left over home cooked pinto beans, took advice from one of the comments & used only 1 pan. Also layered homemade fresh tomato salsa with onion, cilantro & lime on top of chicken/bean mixture, so just used plain sour cream globs topped with the cheese. Radishes really make a difference!

by Bquart, 11/11/2012I thought these were very tasty but very messy to eat! Definitely not date night food! A great tasting way to cook beans, and all the components were good but I think I will eat the rest on less crispy tortillas.

by TheMomChef, 2/7/2012These are darn good. Way delicious. Outstandingly flavorful. The author of this recipe did a perfect job of balancing the ingredients. The chipotle gave the perfect amount of heat. The lime provided a just-right amount of zing. You can read my full review at: http://bit.ly/wu8n25

by Digigirltx, 2/6/2012Delicious and easy to make. I reduced the chicken to 3 cups, and next time would probably drop to 2. Also, no need to dirty a second pan for the chicken - just mix it into the bean mixture until hot. Once you put it all on the tostada and cover it with lettuce, it's going to look the same anyway. Although the sour cream sauce was good, I think this dish would be just as good without it. I probably won't bother with that extra step next time.

by natagirl, 2/1/2012Great way to use the chicken from the Citrus Roast Chicken. I used ground cumin instead of seeds, green onion instead of yellow and added diced tomatoes to the black bean mix. The whole family loved it, including the 16 month old.

by kmwhitley, 2/1/2012Very good! Would back off of lime juice in sour cream mixture (maybe 1 lime rather than 2). Also, I might double black bean portion next time, but we love black beans! Like other reviews, our tortillas were crisp in fewer than 15 min. Served w/ sliced avocado and chopped tomatoes. Delicious and will definitely make again!

by Annakatherine, 1/25/2012I cheated by purchasing store bought tostadas--one less step during the week. I love the combo of black beans and radishes.

by cookslots, 1/9/2012Tasty dinner, but tortillas were crispy brown in under 7 minutes. Served with avocado.