Chicken Tostadas with Slow Cooker Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 recipe slow cooker shredded chicken, recipe found below
• 8 flour or corn tortillas
• Oil for frying or baking tortillas
• Tostada toppings:
• 3 1/2 cups prepared refried, pinto or black beans, if using canned from 2 – 15 oz cans
• 2 cups shredded cheese, such as Cheddar and Monterey Jack, cotija is also good
• 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 avocados, diced
• 3 – 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• Sour cream
• Optional toppings:
• Chopped red or green onions, cilantro and fresh limes for juicing or cilantro lime ranch dressing, hot sauce

Directions

1. Make the chicken as directed in the linked recipe. For fried tostada shells, pour 1/4-inch of oil into a non-stick skillet and warm it over medium-high heat. When a tiny edge of tortilla makes the oil bubble right away, the oil is ready. Add one tortilla and cook until the underside turns golden, then flip it with metal tongs and fry the second side until it is crisp and golden too.
2. Move the fried shell to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the tortillas, pouring in more oil as needed and letting it heat again before adding the next tortilla.
3. For baked shells, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Use about 2 Tbsp oil total to coat both sides of the tortillas, then arrange them in one layer on 2 cookie sheets. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, turning them once midway through, until they are crisp and lightly golden.
4. Top each warm shell with beans, then add the prepared shredded chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados and any other toppings you want. Serve right away.
5. For homemade refried beans, use the referenced recipe and choose the smaller amount of water it gives. If you are starting with canned refried, pinto or black beans, warm them in a saucepan and season with a few dashes of chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, plus a few tbsp of salsa. For canned refried beans, stir in a few tbsp of water if they need loosening.