After visiting Cozumel Mexico last week, we've been craving more of the authentic tastes we enjoyed while visiting. The chicken was inspired by a delicious, tasty lunch we had on the beach. Dang, these were really good. We used corn tortillas but this recipe doesn't have to be a tostada - it can be changed up to suit what you like best, whether that's flour tortillas, salad, etc.
Chicken Fajitas & Refried Black Beans Tostadas:
3 chicken breasts, sliced into long, thin strips
2 bell peppers (I used one red & one yellow), sliced into thin strips
1 red onion, sliced into thin strips
2 green chilis, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can of black beans
8-10 oz water or stock
Adobo, Cumin, Paprika, Chili powder, Cayenne
1 package small corn tortillas, fried or baked
Toppings of your choice (cheese, hot sauce, cilantro, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, etc.)
Start out by chopping up your vegetables. Take a pinch of the onion and mince it. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 2 minutes and add a pinch of both the minced garlic and green chili and cook for an additional minute, stirring. Add the black beans and season well with adobo, pepper and a light sprinkle of the cumin, chili powder, paprika & pinch of cayenne. Add a little less than half a can of water or stock and turn the heat to low and simmer. Once the beans have cooked down some (about 10 minutes) mash with a potato masher or fork (I like to leave some texture in mine). Set aside.
Heat a decent amount of olive oil a different skillet over medium heat and add chicken strips - season with S&P. Let chicken brown for a few minutes and sprinkle (to your taste) equal amounts of cumin, paprika, chili powder and just a touch of cayenne. Continue to cook until chicken is just done. Remove from skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet the chicken was cooked in, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add peppers and onions and season well with S&P. I like using a lid on the skillet in between stirring because the steam helps cook the peppers and onions. Once they have lost their crispness and are getting tender, add the remaining green chili and garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add a few splashes of water or stock to get off any goodness that's stuck to the pan and to give the fajitas a little bit of wetness. Reduce heat to warm, add the chicken back to the skillet, stir and cover until ready to serve.
To serve, first spread the black beans on the cooked tostada and put the chicken mixture on top. I put a few drops of hot sauce, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro. Hubby did the same thing but had cheese on his.
*Serves 4
