Seasoned ground chicken, chopped onions, black beans, chipotle sauce, and salsa verde cooked together and piled onto crispy tostada shells with mashed avocado. This recipe makes two servings or four tostadas.
These quick weeknight dinners have been easier and more fun to develop lately. This chicken tostada recipe has a Tex-Mex flair, with smoky chipotle sauce and salsa verde mixed into ground chicken and black beans. I have to say, it’s so good. I typically work with ground turkey, which you can absolutely do in place of chicken in this recipe, but ground chicken has a little more fat content (and flavor).
As a small batch recipe developer, I typically make recipes that make 2-3 servings. This makes about two heaping cups of the ground chicken and black bean mixture, which I find is perfect for dividing between four crispy tostada shells. To make these easier to eat (and more flavorful), I spread mashed avocado across the top of the tostada shells before piling on the ground chicken mixture. This helps the chicken and black beans adhere to the shell without spilling all over the sides as you’re trying to eat it.
For toppings, I love salty feta cheese (or cotija cheese), and chopped green onions. Feel free to play around with additional toppings or use whatever you have on hand. All in all, this recipe comes together in about 20 minutes, and makes four tostadas. You are welcome to multiply it if needed!
Ingredients
For the Chicken + Black Bean Mixture:
- 1 tbsp. Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Onion (yellow or white)
- 8 oz. Ground Chicken
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 cup canned Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp. Chipotle Sauce
- 3 tbsp. Salsa Verde
For the Mashed Avocado:
- 1 large, ripe Avocado, pit removed
- 2 tsp. fresh Lime Juice
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- pinch of Salt
For the Toppings:
- 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese (or Cotija Cheese)
- 1/4 cup chopped Green Onions
- 4 Tostada Shells
Ingredient Notes and FAQs
Ground Chicken
I like ground chicken for the super neutral flavor and higher fat (flavor) content it provides in these tostadas. I mention it below, but you can definitely use ground turkey or ground beef in place of chicken; adjust the cooking times so your preference is cooked through.
Seasonings
You can use one tablespoon of chicken taco seasoning in place of the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and cumin in this recipe. You will need more salt for the onions and the mashed avocado though.
Canned Black Beans
I used unseasoned black beans for this recipe. Because this recipe only uses half a can, you can use the other half on top of salads, in this recipe, or you can use the whole can for this recipe! It will make enough to make another tostada, too! (You may have to stretch the mashed avocado a little further though.)
Chipotle Sauce
I’ve recently started using chipotle sauce rather than chipotles in adobo, as I find it easier to mix into recipes. This is the exact can I use, and I divide the remaining can into the wells of an ice cube tray and freeze them. Once they’re frozen, you can pop them out of the tray and transfer them to a freezer safe bag to store for a few months and use them when you need them!
Salsa Verde
I feel lucky to have a Trader Joe’s nearby, and always recommend their jarred Salsa Verde. Other great options are Herdez or La Victoria are great! Whole Foods has a great Roasted Verde Salsa too, or honestly whatever you can find. And if you can’t find salsa verde specifically, just use your favorite red salsa!
Hopefully some of the following tips and tricks can help you make these bowls successfully, but if you have any other questions, feel free to email me anytime! 🙂
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Swap the Chicken: Ground turkey or lean ground beef will absolutely work in this recipe instead of ground chicken. Cooking times shouldn’t vary much, just be mindful of your swap and cook accordingly.
- Use Rotisserie Chicken: Rather than adding the seasoning in this recipe with the chicken, stir it into the onions with the first step. Then add two cups of shredded rotisserie chicken to the pan along with the black beans, chipotle sauce, and salsa verde.
- Make it Spicy: For extra heat, add sliced jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce to the bell peppers and onions.
- Use Homemade Tostada Shells: Check out my post for these Black Bean Tostadas with step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make oven-baked tostadas with corn tortillas.
- Make these Vegetarian: Omit the chicken, and use the entire can of black beans instead.
Directions
How to Make Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas
Step One: Cook the Onions. Heat oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are softened.
Step Two: Cook the Chicken with the Onions. Add the ground chicken, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and salt to the pan with the onions. Cook, crumbling the chicken into small pieces as it cooks, for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Step Three: Add Black Beans, Chipotle Sauce, Salsa Verde. Stir in the black beans, chipotle sauce, and salsa verde. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauces have thickened and absorbed into the ground chicken, then turn off the heat from beneath the pan.
Step Four: Mash the Avocado. Mash the avocado with lime juice, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt together in a medium bowl.
Step Five: Build the Tostadas. Divide the mashed avocado between four tostada shells, spreading it out to cover most of the surface of each shell, then spread a heaping 1/2 cup of the chicken and black bean mixture over the mashed avocado. Top with crumbled feta cheese, chopped green onions, or toppings of your choice, and serve warm!
Make this Chicken Tostada Recipe Yours!
Ways to Customize these Tostadas: Rather than mashed avocado, you can increase the protein in these tostadas by using Refried Beans as a base instead. You can also add whatever toppings you love. Here’s a few that would be pretty awesome:
Additional Topping Ideas:
- Use a Different Cheese: Pepper Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Queso Fresco, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican Blend are all great substitutes!
- Pico de Gallo
- Roasted Corn
- chopped Cilantro
- quartered Cherry Tomatoes
- shredded Lettuce (like romaine or iceberg lettuce)
- Sour Cream
- Use a different Cheese: Pepper Jack
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Storing: You can keep the ground chicken and black bean mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about three days. The mashed avocado should be made immediately before serving, as it won’t keep well once it is made.
Reheating: Reheat the leftover chicken mixture in a nonstick pan over low heat until warmed through.
More Small Batch Tostada Recipes
- Creamy Black Bean Avocado Tostadas
- White Fish and Avocado Tostadas with Cilantro Sauce
- Shredded Chicken Tostada Stacks with Refried Black Beans
What to Serve with these Tostadas
Margarita Pairings
Want to make more than four tostadas? Increase the amount you want to make in the recipe card; there is a little slider bar near the “servings” section on the recipe card if you’re on a desktop, or if you’re on your phone, touch the number of servings on the recipe card (it will be a number, and colored dark red). You can adjust the slider bar that way instead of doing the calculations on your own! 🙂
If you make this Chicken Tostada recipe and love it, please leave a comment and / or star rating below! You can also share it on Instagram and tag me, or use the hashtag #aflavorjournal so I can see it! If you have any questions about the ingredients or how to make it, send me an email so I can help out.
xx Sara
Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas with Mashed Avocado
Ingredients
For the Chicken + Black Bean Mixture:
- 1 tbsp. Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Onion yellow or white
- 8 oz. Ground Chicken
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 cup canned Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp. Chipotle Sauce
- 3 tbsp. Salsa Verde
For the Mashed Avocado:
- 1 large ripe Avocado peeled, pit removed
- 2 tsp. fresh Lime Juice
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- pinch of Salt
For the Toppings:
- 1/2 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped Green Onions
- 4 Tostada Shells
Instructions
- Cook the Onions. Heat oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are softened.
- Cook the Chicken with the Onions. Add the ground chicken, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and salt to the pan with the onions. Cook, crumbling the chicken into small pieces as it cooks, for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add Black Beans, Chipotle Sauce, Salsa Verde. Stir in the black beans, chipotle sauce, and salsa verde. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauces have thickened and absorbed into the ground chicken, then turn off the heat from beneath the pan.
- Mash the Avocado. Mash the avocado with lime juice, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt together in a medium bowl.
- Build the Tostadas. Divide the mashed avocado between four tostada shells, spreading it out to cover most of the surface of each shell, then spread a heaping 1/2 cup of the chicken and black bean mixture over the mashed avocado. Top with crumbled feta cheese, chopped green onions, or toppings of your choice, and serve warm!
Nutrition
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