Barbecue Chicken Tostada Recipe

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BBQ Chicken Tostadas are a quick and easy dinner recipe that is sure to be a family favorite. Especially on busy nights, with only 4 basic ingredients you can have dinner in less than 20 minutes. Shredded chicken, your favorite barbecue sauce, and cheese piled on corn tortillas plus a few minutes of prep time – what’s not to love?! Plus, they are gluten free!

Originally published on Oct 20, 2016

Guys, you know I always keep it real with you, and today is no exception.

As a food blogger, it’s pretty much impossible for me to look at a recipe from a cookbook or another website or blog and just make it as-is. The creative juices are always flowing, and somehow it is beyond me to leave well-enough alone.

So my food blogger tendencies make me a pretty crappy cookbook reviewer. But I have to tell you about the The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook written by my friend Mary of Barefeet in the Kitchen.

However, before I tell you about the cookbook, let’s talk about her BBQ chicken tostada recipe…

Barbecue Chicken Tostadas Recipe

This recipe has been pinned hundreds of thousands of times. With reviews and photos everywhere on social media, you know this barbecue chicken tostada recipe is a winner. It’s one of the fastest easy dinner recipes you’ll ever make, and the entire family will love it.

Just grab your favorite barbecue sauce, cheese, and tortillas or tostada shells for a meal that comes together in minutes.

Anything that combines barbecue sauce, chicken, and cheese is going to be a winner. This dish was no exception. First, though, you need some chicken…

• Make extra baked or grilled chicken breasts.
• If you are preparing roast chicken or slow cooker roast chicken, you can always make two.
• It’s a great recipe using rotisserie chicken, so grab one from the store.
• Mary suggests cooking a big bunch of boneless, skinless chicken in your slow cooker to use all week.

Here is a brief overview so you can see just how easy it is to make. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full quantities and details.
But don’t skip my PRO TIPS below!

Ingredients

• Tostada shells or corn tortillas – see the hack below if you don’t have crispy tostada shells.
• Chicken – cooked and shredded.
• Barbecue sauce – use your favorite. I like Original Stubb’s BBQ Sauce.
• Shredded cheese – the original recipe calls for mozzarella, but cheddar, Monterey jack, and pepper jack are great too.
• Optional sliced scallions, salsa, sour cream, or other toppings or garnished

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats

1. Toss the shredded chicken in your favorite barbecue sauce.
2. Pile the barbecue chicken on the tostada shells.
3. Cover with cheese and bake.
4. Before serving, drizzle on some more barbecue sauce.

It’s as simple as that. And let me tell you, they will be eaten just as quickly as they were made!

Brianne’s pro recipe tips

Substitute for tostada shells

You can get store-bought tostada shells. But if you have corn tortillas, you can brush them lightly with little oil and bake for three or four minutes on each side. Works perfectly!

Variations

• You can make them with mozzarella, as per Mary’s original recipe. But they are equally delicious using sharp cheddar, monterey jack, or pepper Jack cheese.
• The recipe in the cookbook calls for green onions on top after baking. I skipped them because my boys don’t like them.

Make it a meal

Toppings

• Some people have enjoyed topping them with Mango Salsa.
• They would also be great drizzled with Greek Yogurt Ranch.
• Also, try Kid-Friendly Guacamole.

Side dishes

• Bacon Barbecue Ranch Salad would pair perfectly with its blend of sweet and spice.
• Barbecue and coleslaw go hand-in-hand, so try these with this Healthy Hawaiian Coleslaw or Maple Dijon Cole Slaw.
• For more cheesy deliciousness, Cauliflower Tots are always a good idea.
• The adults can sip on a Skinny Grapefruit Margarita and maybe the kids would enjoy Mango Lava Flow Smoothies.

Get The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook

This cookbook is perfect for those crazy weeknights when you want to make a delicious and nutritious dinner for the family. But you have to work with the time you’ve got before heading out the door or tackling homework.

The chapters are broken down into how long it takes to prepare each recipe. There’s even a chapter for recipes that only require a few minutes of hands-on time, and then they are left alone to bake, simmer, or slow cook.

Plus it has sides, staples, and simple sweets. One extra bonus with all of the recipes in the book as well as on Mary’s site is that she gives gluten free options for everything, including flour substitutions in the baked goods!

Mary’s gluten free substitutions are so spot-on that I actually used the ratios in this Chocolate Chip Pound Cake recipe to convert another recipe I found into this Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Cake.

For my little fish lovers, I made the Sweet and Spicy Salmon with Broccoli. And that Chocolate Chip Pound Cake is to-die-for!

Cookbooks by Mary Younkin

• If you like this recipe, pick up your copy of The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook.
• When you need quick sweet treats like Monster Cookie Bars, then you’ll need The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook.
• The Weekday Breakfasts & Lunches Cookbook makes morning and mid-day a breeze, like these Breakfast Tostada Stacks.

More kid-friendly chicken dinner recipes

• Mediterranean Chicken Pinwheels
• Cheesy Chicken Foil Packs
• Orange Chicken Broccoli Rice Bowls
• Chicken Enchilada Skillet
• Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken
• Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner from The Little Kitchen
• Sweet Chipotle Chicken Bites from Noble Pig

4.6 from 44 votes

Easy BBQ Chicken Tostadas

Pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store, use up leftovers, or even make a new batch in your slow cooker to make this easy dinner recipe the family will love. With your favorite barbecue sauce and cheese, what's not to love?!

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 8 mins

Total: 18 mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

• 8 tostada shells or 8 corn tortillas, brushed lightly with olive oil and baked for 3-5 minutes per side, until crispy
• 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce, divided
• 2 cups shredded cheese (Mary uses mozzarella in the cookbook, but I have also used cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a blend)
• 3 green onions, very thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lay out the tostada shells (or baked tortillas) on two rimmed baking sheets.
• Combine the chicken and 1 cup of the barbecue sauce in a small bowl, and stir to coat.
• Divide the chicken between the tostada shells and top with the cheese (about ¼ cup on each).
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.
• Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining ½ cup barbecue sauce. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Easy BBQ Chicken Tostadas

Amount Per Serving (2 tostadas)

Calories 693 Calories from Fat 297

% Daily Value*

Fat 33g51%

Saturated Fat 13g65%

Cholesterol 107mg36%

Sodium 1730mg72%

Potassium 554mg16%

Carbohydrates 66g22%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 36g40%

Protein 31g62%

Vitamin A 825IU17%

Vitamin C 3.7mg4%

Calcium 359mg36%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keywords: bbq chicken tostadas

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Enjoy!