Recipes 4 min read
Carnitas-Style Chicken Tostadas Recipe for Crispy Toppings
Authenticity alert: this isn’t traditional carnitas, but it’s incredibly tasty. I’m not here to debate culinary categories—just to tell you to make these tonight.
Carnitas are usually pork—crispy, braised, fried pork bits. This recipe offers a chicken take that delivers the same contrast of succulent interior and crisped edges. Imagine shredded, braised chicken crisped in a hot skillet, piled onto crunchy fried corn tortillas with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tangy sauce, and pickled jalapeños. It’s simple, comforting, and perfect for busy weeknights.
A quick story: after a recent evening of trick-or-treating, five grandsons returned with mountains of candy. To avoid weeks of sugar chaos, I let each child choose ten pieces and stashed the rest in a family bag for baking. A few days later I discovered my husband enjoying some of that candy in the annex (an uninsulated storage room attached to the house). He’d locked a box of treats there and I went upstairs to apologize to our son before coming back for a Heath bar. The house was buzzing with sugar energy, so we needed meals that would calm everyone down—enter these protein-packed tostadas.
Protein helps steady jittery kids (and adults). These Carnitas-Style Chicken Tostadas start with frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs braised simply in salsa, chicken broth, and whole garlic cloves until tender. You shred the chicken, reduce the cooking liquid to a thick sauce, then crisp the shredded chicken in a very hot skillet. Fry or toast corn tortillas until golden and crispy, spread them with warm refried beans, pile on the crisped chicken, drizzle with the reduced pan juices, and finish with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, a smoky chipotle sauce, and candied jalapeños if you like. Eat over a plate and plan on seconds.
Carnitas Style Chicken Tostadas
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 3 pounds individually frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or fresh thighs, adjust cooking time)
- 1 teaspoon canola, vegetable, or peanut oil, plus extra oil for crisping
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup of your favorite salsa (smoky roasted tomatillo or tomato salsa works well)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
For the Tostadas:
- About 1 inch vegetable or canola oil in a heavy pan for frying tortillas
- Corn tortillas (2–3 per person)
- Salt, to taste
- Refried beans
- Shredded or baby lettuce
- Sour cream
- Smoked paprika and chipotle sauce (optional)
- Candied jalapeños (optional)
- Shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a large, heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid (a Dutch oven is ideal) set over high heat, add the teaspoon of oil. Arrange the frozen chicken thighs so the lid will sit firmly. Add the garlic cloves, pour the salsa and chicken broth over the chicken, cover, and cook on high until steam escapes from under the lid. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until a piece of chicken shreds easily with two forks, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. (If starting with fresh chicken, cooking time will be shorter.)
- Remove the chicken to a bowl or platter, leaving the cooking juices in the pan. Let the chicken rest, loosely covered with foil, for 5 minutes. Return the pan to high heat and boil the juices until reduced by about three-quarters and thick like gravy. Set the sauce aside.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and set aside.
- In a large, heavy skillet (cast iron works well) heat about 1 inch of oil over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas one or two at a time until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes, flipping as needed. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt.
- Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet and return to high heat. When the oil shimmers, add roughly half the shredded chicken and press it into the pan with the back of a spatula so more surface area contacts the hot oil. Do not stir. When the edges are deep golden brown, lift the crisped chicken onto a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil if needed and crisp the remaining chicken.
To assemble tostadas:
- Spread hot refried beans on a crisped tortilla, top with the crisped chicken, drizzle with the reduced pan juices, sprinkle cheese, add lettuce and sour cream, finish with smoked paprika and chipotle sauce and candied jalapeños if desired.
Nutritional information is an estimate. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if needed.
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