Chicken Chile Verde Tostadas

Step 1

You are welcome to cook the chicken as you see fit (or even use rotisserie chicken!) but for this batch I brined and baked it. To brine the chicken, add 1/2 cup Kosher or sea salt to 2 quarts of cold water in a mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt and add the chicken breasts. I used 2 lbs. worth of chicken, or three boneless breasts. Cover and let brine in the fridge for an hour or so. Once brined, pat dry the chicken breasts and add them to a baking sheet.

Step 2

Pull off the husks of the tomatillos and give them a good rinse. I usually de-stem them as well. Add the tomatillos to the baking sheet along with the rinsed Poblanos (and the chicken) and roast everything in the oven at 400F.  Cook the chicken until it registers 160F on the inside -- this usually takes 20 minutes but sometimes it will take a few extra minutes if there was an extensive brine.   Remove the chicken once cooked and let the Poblanos and tomatillos roast for an additional 10 minutes or so.  I usually cover the cooked chicken breasts with foil until I need them.

Step 3

Once roasted, you can remove the Poblanos and tomatillos from the oven. Let the Poblanos cool down for a couple minutes, then de-stem and de-seed them. Add the Poblanos and tomatillos to a blender along with: 1/2 onion, 4 peeled garlic cloves, 15-20 sprigs of rinsed cilantro, and 1-4 rinsed, de-stemmed Jalapenos. For a milder batch start with just a single Jalapeno. To increase the heat, simply add additional slivers of Jalapeno, re-blend, and taste test.

Step 4

Heat up a large skillet over medium heat. Add a glug of oil and then add the Chile Verde sauce from the blender along with: 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional), and some freshly cracked black pepper.  Taste for seasoning.  Note:  if you brine the chicken you probably won't need to add any additional salt.

Step 5

Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts and then add it to the Chile Verde sauce.  Take a final taste for seasoning. Bring everything up to a uniform temp and serve immediately.

Step 6

I usually bake my own tostada shells, but you are welcome to use store-bought tostadas. To bake your own, simply spread a thin layer of oil on both sides of corn tortillas and bake each side in the oven for 4-5 minutes (400F). I usually just drizzle a small amount of oil across the tortillas and then spread it around with my fingers. Keep in mind that this technique will always work best with thin corn tortillas. For more detailed instructions see How To Bake Your Own Tostada Shells.

Step 7

You can optionally warm up the refried beans in a skillet over medium heat. And if using store-bought tostada shells be sure to warm those up before serving.

Step 8

Each warm tostada shell gets a thin layer of refried beans, a few tablespoons of Chicken Chile Verde, cheese, freshly chopped cilantro, and a final squeeze of lime. Yum!!