Slow Cooker Chicken Tostadas

Published February 18, 2013. Updated January 3, 2019

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Slow Cooker Chicken Tostadas – layered with a crisp tortilla, refried beans, slow cooker spiced chicken, shredded cheese, veggies and sour cream. So much deliciousness piled high into a delicious Mexican dish!

slow cooker chicken tostadas

Simply put good Mexican food is highly addictive. The flavors, spices, freshness and even aromas constantly having me coming back for more day after day, week after week. I could happily eat it 3 meals a day and be completely satisfied.

One of the best breakfast I’ve ever had was on a trip to Mexico, these women made breakfast burritos with everything made from scratch, yes I still dream about those and the tamales they made with a masa prepared with fresh corn. Good Mexican food is loaded with fresh flavor and when made right, it’s never bland.

slow cooker chicken tostadas

With Mexican dishes such as these tostadas I can sometimes get a little carried away. I like to get a little crazy with the toppings I pile on. Lets just say I pile mine high.

There’s the perfectly crisp tostada shell, topped with beans, often followed by mexican rice, then a generous amount of the chicken (or other meat such as shredded beef), then I add the cheese over the warm chicken (so it will melt a bit), followed by the lettuce, green or red onions, tomatoes, cilantro lime ranch, sour cream, Mexican hot sauce (and as always, plenty of it), sometimes fresh salsa, and basically whatever else I see in the fridge or in my produce basket =).

It sounds like an overload but somehow it all blends so incredibly well together. Of course you don’t need to add that much to it when you prepare these, just add the toppings you like. Enjoy!

slow cooker chicken tostadas

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Tostadas with Slow Cooker Chicken

Layered with a crisp tortilla, refried beans, slow cooker spiced chicken, shredded cheese, veggies and sour cream. So much deliciousness piled high into a delicious Mexican dish!
Servings: 8
Prep20 minutes
Cook6 hours
Ready in: 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Optional Toppings

  • Chopped red or green onions , cilantro and fresh limes for juicing or cilantro lime ranch dressing, hot sauce

Instructions

  • Prepare chicken according to directions listed here.
  • To prepare tostada shells, heat 1/4 - inch of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot (you can tell by adding the tip of a shell and if the oil sizzles around it, it's ready), add one tortilla and fry until golden on bottom, then using metal tongs, rotate tortilla to opposite side and cook opposite side until golden and crisp. 
  • Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and repeat process with remaining tortillas, adding additional oil to pan as needed and preheating oil before frying tortillas. If baking tortillas preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Using about 2 Tbsp oil total, brush both sides of tortillas with oil then align in a single layer on 2 cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven 8 - 10 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking, until crisp and lightly golden.
  • Spread warm shell with beans, followed by prepared and shredded chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados and other toppings desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • *For homemade refried beans I like to use this recipe.
  • If using canned refried, pinto or black canned beans I like to heat them in a saucepan, and add a few dashes of chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper as well as a few tbsp of salsa. Also, if using canned refried beans I would recommend adding a few tbsp of water to thin.
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Tostadas with Slow Cooker Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 471 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 119mg40%
Sodium 1289mg56%
Potassium 955mg27%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 43g86%
Vitamin A 3731IU75%
Vitamin C 11mg13%
Calcium 216mg22%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.