I’ve been making salsa verde chicken (throw some chicken breast or thighs in the slow cooker with a few spices and jar of salsa verde and a few hours later it’s done!) for years now and using it in burritos/tacos/quesadillas but this is the first time I’ve made tostadas and it was a big hit! And I love the simple refried bean recipe I found to top the tostadas. We can’t unanimously agree on a brand of canned refried beans but we all liked these! (This recipe uses canned pinto beans cooked with some garlic, olive oil, and a few spices to make your own and it’s quick and easy.) I bought the tostada shells but you can certainly make your own- I provided a link to a recipe below.

Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas

INGREDIENTS

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs)
1 12 oz. jar salsa verde (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. Mexican oregano
pinch cayenne
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tostadas:
tostada shells (I used Guerrero brand, here is a recipe to make your own)
refried beans (canned or see recipe below)
grated cheese (Cheddar, Pepper/Colby Jack, Mexican blend, etc.)
shredded lettuce
guacamole or sliced avocado
diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
sliced green onion
sour cream
chopped cilantro (optional)
pickled jalapeno (optional)
lime wedges, for serving

Refried Beans:
2 (16 oz.) cans pinto beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper (~1/2 tsp. each or to taste)
pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

Slow-Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken:

1. Season chicken with garlic powder, cumin, oregano, a pinch of cayenne and salt and pepper and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with salsa verde, cover and cook HIGH 2 hours.
2. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred with 2 forks. Remove 2/3 cup of liquid from the slow cooker, and discard. Place shredded chicken back into the crock pot with remaining salsa, adjust seasoning to taste if needed and keep warm.

Refried Beans:

1. While chicken is cooking, make the refried beans. Place two tablespoons of olive oil into a saucepan over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, be careful to not burn garlic. Add two cans of pinto beans, undrained (I drained and rinsed my beans and then added about 1/2 cup water back in), to the garlic mixture. Add chili powder, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to the beans. Mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Adjust seasonings to taste.
2. Using a potato masher, smash the beans until fairly smooth. (I used an immersion blender and blended until smooth, adding some more water to thin them.) The beans will continue to thicken as they cool. Remove beans from heat, place in a bowl or keep warm until ready to serve.

Tostadas:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place tostada shells on a baking sheet. When the oven is hot, spread some refried beans on top of each tostada shell, top with salsa verde chicken and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the shells are crisp, about 4 minutes.
3. Remove tostadas from the oven and top with lettuce, guacamole/avocado, tomatoes/pico, green onion, sour cream, cilantro, pickled jalapeno, etc. and serve with a squeeze of lime.

Serves 6.

Adapted from Skinnytaste and A Bountiful Kitchen