These crispy Mexican chicken tostadas feature a charred street corn salsa, quick pickled red onions, fresh cotija, crema and cilantro.
In honor of today being our one year anniversary, I wanted to post a new favorite recipe of my husbands! I can’t believe it has been a year already, and yet somehow I can’t believe it has only been a year! It is funny how when you’re in this thing called life, time can feel like it’s moving so rapidly and yet so slowly at the same time. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it’s definitely bizarre to feel that way sometimes.
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In the last year we have accomplished so much. We sold my condo and paid off a portion of my student loans. We both worked our asses off at our jobs. We have taken some amazing trips, first with our unforgettable honeymoon to the Eastern Mediterranean, and most recently a jam-packed 48 hour trip to Disney World! (We seriously did that, no joke.)
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And yet we have so many things to look forward to still. We have truly been blessed with wonderful family, friends, and puppies, of course! I cannot wait for the adventures that the next 365 days and beyond will bring us!
Which brings me to today’s recipe: one thing that my husband and I agree on completely in the realm of food is the dominance of Mexican cuisine. We could eat it every night of the week, and almost every Thursday is Mexican Night in our house! It’s filled with tacos, and enchiladas, and most recently, these tasty chicken tostadas! This is the perfect summer meal because you can just throw the chicken in your crockpot with all those good flavors and let it do it’s thang!
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What makes these chicken tostadas special is the toppings. Oh, it is all about the toppings, people! Stay with me here, okay? On top of this crispy tortilla topped with delicious chicken that’s been simmering away for the past four hours, we first have pickled red onions. These are one of my favorite go-to toppings for tacos, because a quick pickle really only takes you about 30 minutes to complete, including cooling it down in the refrigerator (or the freezer for a real quick chill!).
Next, we’ve got this street corn salsa. I mean, ohmigosh. There is something so beautifully simple about the combination of roasted corn with lime juice that I will never get tired of, ever. Next up we of course have some fresh home-made crema (crema kicks plain old regular sour cream’s butt – I promise you that!), crumbled Cotija, and fresh chopped cilantro. And if you’re looking for some more heat, go grab your favorite hot sauces for an extra punch of flavor. I don’t mind, I promise!
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Now it’s your turn: what is your favorite Mexican summertime dish? Share with me by commenting below – I would love to find some new tasty recipes to add to our Mexican Night repertoire!
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 canned chipotle chilis in adobo, minced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 large red onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 3 ears corn, shucked
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2-4 cups canola oil
- 4 small to medium sized flour tortillas
- 1 shredded Cotija
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- In a slow cooker, whisk together chicken broth, tomatoes, taco seasoning, brown sugar, garlic powder, and chipotle chilis until combined. Add chicken breasts and turn to coat. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on high for 4 hours.
- While chicken is cooking, prepare toppings. To make pickled red onions, add red onion to a pint-sized mason jar. In a medium saucepan, combine water, vinegar, salt, sugar, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Pour hot liquid over the red onion and cover jar with lid. Allow mixture to cool in the refrigerator before serving. (Keeps for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.)
- To make crema, whisk together sour cream, heavy cream, and kosher salt in a small mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature while the chicken cooks. Optional: Transfer crema to a squeeze bottle. (Keeps for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)
- When the chicken is almost finished cooking, heat about 1/4 inch of canola oil in a cast iron skillet to about medium/medium-high heat.
- Wrap each corn ear in tin foil. Grill corn over medium-high heat on the grill until charred. Alternatively (and what I did!) is to grill them over the open flame of the stove. Turn your stove burner on to high and set the wrapped corn ears over the flame. Use tongs to periodically rotate the corn so that it is charred on all sides.
- When corn is charred, allow to cool slightly before unwrapping and cutting the corn from the cob. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine corn, lime juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Using two forks, shred chicken breast meat in crockpot and stir to combine.
- To test if the oil is ready, dip the edge of a tortilla into the hot oil. If it starts to bubble, the oil is ready. Fry the tortillas for about 10-15 seconds per side. This time may be shorter or longer depending on your stove and your oil, so be sure to watch it. The tortillas should be golden brown on both sides. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel.
- To assemble, add one fried tortilla to each plate. Top with a heaping pile of chicken, a spoonful of street corn, pickled red onions, Cotija, cilantro, and crema. Enjoy!
Sarah is a food blogger from Metro Detroit who believes that gourmet food should be accessible to all home cooks. 
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