Easy Chicken Tostadas

I love the quirky things about being Mormon.

Like the drinks we WON'T drink (like coffee and alcohol), or the food we WILL eat (like green jello w/carrots and casseroles with Cheez-it crackers).

But the best part our being a "peculiar people" is that we TOTALLY make fun of ourselves for it. We joke more about Mormon than people who aren't Mormon joke about us being Mormon.

There are Mormon movies, and books, and magazines...and there is always this tongue-in-cheek humor about ourselves that keeps us all giggling behind our Triple Combinations.

A couple days ago I introduced you to a cookbook that celebrated "Mormon" recipes...and yeah - there's a lot of stuff to use up your endless supply of zucchini from your garden and recipes of innovative things to do with food storage, along with classic casseroles and quick meals for those busy nights with MIA, Scouts, and presidency meetings.

Well - that cookbook has a companion, also by Julie Badger Jensen, and it is called Essential Mormon Celebrations: Secret Combinations for Holidays, Homecomings, Potluck Dinners, and More. I thought I'd highlight a recipe from it tonight...it is a very simple Chicken Tostada recipe. You don't really NEED a recipe for tostadas...it's like tacos or burritos...anything that is self-assemble, really...because it is usually "anything goes". It's one reason why those Mexican favorites are also favorites at MY house because everyone has different tastes, and can make their meal however they please.

Anyway - what I DO like about this recipe is that it is easy and quick and since it is Girl Scout night...both are requirements.

This makes six servings, so depending on how many you're feeding...you may want to double. To save time tonight, I'm replacing the chicken tenders with CostCo's pre-cooked canned chicken...a yummy substitute. Another alteration is that I'm switching the flour tortillas for corn...because that's what's in my fridge.

I'm also playing with her salsa recipe, adding onion, tomatillos and cilantro, and switching the vegetable oil originally called for in the salsa for extra virgin olive oil (just a personal taste thing). Our sides will be a yellow saffron rice, black beans, and chips and salsa!!
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Chicken Tostadas

2 TBS vegetable oil, plus more for cooking tortillas
2 pounds chicken tenders (or 2-3 cans CostCo cooked chicken)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1/2 cup sour cream
6 (6-inch) flour tortillas (we used about 12 corn tortillas)
1/2 small head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack or cheddar cheese
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 recipe Avocado Salsa (see below)

1. In a 3-qt. saucepan, heat 2 TBS vegetable oil over medium heat. Add chicken tenders and cook for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 to 60 seconds. Add green chilies and sour cream, stir well. Cook over low heat until hot. Cover and set aside.

2. Generously brush tortillas with vegetable oil on both sides. (Here's another deviation...we just pour oil in the pan, heat it up, and drop them in...but whichever way is fine). Place a well-greased 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Fry flour tortillas, one at a time, for about 30 seconds on each side or until lightly browned and blistered. Remove from skillet and stack. (I personally blot tortillas a bit to remove excess oil).

3. Arrange lettuce on each tortilla. Top with chicken mixture; sprinkle with cheese and tomato. Spoon Avocado Salsa on top of tostadas and serve immediately.

Avocado Salsa

3 TBS olive oil
2 TBS lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tomatillos, chopped
1 small or half a medium/large sweet onion, diced 2-3 TBS finely chopped cilantro

1. In a small bowl, combine all salsa ingredients and stir together.

2. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
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(Keeping it real...a laid-back quick family meal at our house...some things I don't even take out of the pans they were cooked in...)

courtesy The Essential Mormon Celebrations: Secret Combinations for Holidays, Homecomings, Potluck Dinners and More by Julie Badger Jensen