Baked Buffalo Chicken Tostada

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These delicious Baked Buffalo Chicken tostadas are Crispy and golden brown tortilla shells, served with homemade spicy sauce, chicken strips, melty cheddar cheese, and drizzled with ranch dressing.

True comfort food for those who like it hot.

crispy tostadas with buffalo chicken toppings and ranch dressing close up shot

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Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
Tips
Toppings
Storing Instructions
FAQ
Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
Recipe
Comments

I love our weekly chicken dinner recipes so much, but have you tried my Vegetarian Tostadas yet? They are vegetarian but loaded with plenty of toppings and are very VERY fulfilling. Served with creamy corn and refried beans!

Serve These Chicken Tostadas with Cajun Corn on the Cob, Lime Cilantro Rice, Pico De Gallo. And Vegan Chili for a wholesome Mexican-style dinner.

Did you know you can also make a delicious MEGA CRUNCHwrap with leftover crispy tostada shells? Make your own or try this crispy Chicken Crunchwrap or a Beef Crunchwrap Supreme for a change.

Ingredients

Cilantro - can be substituted with fresh parsley if you don’t like the taste. Or you could sprinkle some dried herbs on top e.g. oregano, dried cilantro or parsley, basil.

Chicken - I prefer to use chicken breast, cut it into strips and simmer in the sauce. For a quick tostada recipe, use any leftover chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken. Just make sure to shred it or cut it into cubes before adding the sauce. The cooking time of chicken will need to be adjusted as it's pre-cooked already. You can but don’t need to simmer it in the sauce beforehand. Simply mix the precooked chicken with Buffalo sauce and place it on top of the tostada and bake with cheese.

Buffalo sauce - I used my homemade Buffalo sauce recipe but any store-bought option will work here as well. The amount is added a little, and I recommend starting with a little amount in the beginning and then adding more if needed.

Sour cream - you’ll need thick, at least 20% sour cream for the dressing. Another delicious alternative is using blue cheese sauce.

Toppings - tostadas are great because you can customize them with almost whatever you have in the fridge. Fresh herbs, veggies, shredded cheese, feta or/and cotija cheese, blue cheese cubes, crunchy tortilla chips, and so on. You'll only need a small amoutn of these.

Cheddar Cheese - sharp cheddar is what you need here, and you need plenty of it. Place a thick layer of cheese on each tortilla. I think Cheddar combined with Buffalo Sauce, in my opinion gives the best results and tastes the best. Other subs: Colby Jack or Monterey Jack cheese. EL Paso brand has plenty of these! If you're looking for extra melty cheese, use shredded Mozzarella, however the the quantity should be adjusted so it doesn’t pour out of the tortilla completely.

Equipment

Instructions

Prep. Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a small bowl mix ranch seasoning packet with sour cream. Keep in the fridge.

Baked Buffalo Chicken. Mix the chicken strips in buffalo sauce and transfer to a heated with a drizzle of vegetable oil medium skillet. Cook on high for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Reduce the heat and add water. Stir to coat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

Chicken is ready when it's internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Baked Tostadas. Place tostadas on a baking tray (lined with parchment paper for easier clean up), spray generously on both sides with vegetable oil.

Bake in a preheated oven for 3 minutes and flip them over, bake for another 2-3 minutes or until crispy and golden. Do not leave the oven, these tostadas will burn in a blink of an eye!

Tostada assembly. When tostadas are baked, add a layer of chicken in buffalo sauce on each tostada.

A generous amount of cheese and pop right back in the oven until cheese is melted.

Top with lettuce, avocados, tomatoes, drizzle with ranch dressing, and other favorite toppings of choice.

Serve these Baked Buffalo Chicken tostadas with Rice, Cajun corn on the cob, Guacamole and Pico de gallo for a proper Mexican (Mexican/American) style dinner night!

crispy tostadas with buffalo chicken toppings and ranch dressing close up shot on a blue plate

Tips

Do you like the things on the hotter side? - Going for that extra spicy kick? Marinate the raw chicken strips in buffalo sauce for at least 30 min to 1 hour and then proceed as per instructions. Extra spicy tostadas guaranteed!

Don’t leave your tortillas unattended whiel baking - they do and will burn very quickly.

Buffalo sauce - it is spicy but not that spicy as a regular Hot Sauce. But I still recommend adding little in the beginning (half of what is instructed in the recipe) and topping up more after the chicken has cooked through) .

There are different ways you can cook tostadas: grilled, pan-fried or baked. Here are the two other options depending on your preferences.

How to grill the tostadas - Oil the grates and grill the tortillas until charred, flipping each so both sides are crispy and charred. Proceed as per recipe to assemble the tostada with toppings.

How to fry tostadas - heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Add oil just enough to cover the entire mini tortilla. When oil is hot, dip each tortilla and fry until golden crispy brown, and bubbly on both sides.

Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels for the excess oil to escape to. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Proceed as per recipe to assemble the tostada with toppings.

Toppings

What is a tostada without toppings?

Black olives (pitted & sliced)
Cotija cheese or feta cheese
Sour cream or plain greek yogurt (also coconut yogurt will taste delish!)
Pickled cabbage
Marinated onions
Guacamole
Hot sauce
Jalapenos (fresh or marinated/pickled)
Diced tomatoes
Cilantro/Coriander chopped or whole leaves
Lime wedges
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Diced avocados
Pico de gallo (authentic Mexican salsa)
Chile con Queso – a cheesy dip that consists of melted cheese and chili peppers.
Avocado crema – a mix of avocado, sour cream and lime/lemon juice.

Storing Instructions

Chicken Tostadas do not freeze well. The bottom will become soggy very quickly and after reheating will not be the same. However, crispy tostadas, especially corn ones can be stored for up to a week (without toppings).

Bake a bunch of tostada shells, sprinkle some salt on top, and store them closed in an airtight container or wrapped in a plastic bag for up to a maximum of one week.

When ready to eat, top with toppings and bake or make a Crunchwrap!

FAQ

What is the difference between taco and tostada?

Tostadas are usually smaller corn tortilla shells that are cooked until crispy and golden brown. They are then served flat, filled with a variety of toppings. Tacos however are rather soft tortilla shells (either corn or any other type of tortilla), served folded and with toppings.

Is tostada a tortilla?

Tostadas are tortillas (usually corn or regular wheat or gluten-free tortillas) that are fried/baked/grilled until crispy and topped with a variety of Mexican food-inspired toppings.

What do tostadas taste like?

Tostadas are crunchy and well, messy to eat! BUT they do taste exceptionally good and better than tacos. The flavor will greatly depend on which toppings you are using. Usually made with corn tortillas that have a unique taste that can’t be explained, you must try these yourself 🙂

How to eat tostadas?

Eating a tostada is a messy process indeed, but so worth it! Eat it like a taco or cut it into 4, alternatively use a fork and a knife and enjoy like a mini pizza.

I hope you'll enjoy this Baked Buffalo Chicken tostada recipe and if you make it, please let me know down below in the comments or by tagging @theyummy_bowl under your picture on Instagram.

Thank you for reading,

Love,

Julia

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