Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas with Lime Cilantro Crema
on Feb 26, 2026
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These Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas with Lime Cilantro Crema are everything you want on taco night, just a little crunchier and more fun. Crisp corn tortillas are piled with tender shredded chicken, warmly seasoned black beans, crunchy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and creamy avocado, then finished with a bright lime-cilantro sour cream and an optional chipotle-lime dressing.
If you love tacos but want something crunchier and a little more fun, chicken and black bean tostadas are the answer. This version layers crisp corn tortillas with tender shredded chicken, warmly seasoned black beans, crunchy romaine, juicy tomatoes, and creamy avocado. A lime-cilantro sour cream and an optional chipotle-lime dressing pull everything together, so every bite is crispy, creamy, savory, and bright.
These tostadas feel a little special, but they’re still easy enough to get on the table on a busy weeknight.
What's In This Post?
What Is a Tostada?
A tostada can refer to a fried tortilla, but more often it means the Mexican dish built on that crunchy tortilla base. Think of a tostada as an open-faced, extra-crispy taco: a fried or baked tortilla topped with beans or meat (or both), some salad-ish components like lettuce and tomato, and the toppings you’d expect to see on tacos — cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado.
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In these chicken and black bean tostadas, we’re using both chicken and beans for extra protein and staying power, plus plenty of fresh veggies. The flavors get a boost from a lime-and-cilantro sour cream and a zippy chipotle-lime dressing that you can dial up or down, depending on how much heat your crew likes.
This recipe is a mix of hot and cool: the black beans are warm from the pan, while the lettuce, tomato, avocado, and toppings are at room temperature or chilled. You can absolutely serve everything at room temp if that’s easier, especially if you’re setting this up for a party.
Katie’s Chicken Tostada Tips
- Boost the poached chicken flavor:
If you want more flavorful chicken for your tostadas, add seasonings to the poaching liquid — whole peppercorns, fresh thyme or oregano, bay leaves, whole garlic cloves or halved shallots, and even lemon slices. You can tweak the seasonings based on the flavor profile of the recipe you’re using the chicken in. - Don’t toss that cooking liquid:
The liquid from poaching the chicken won’t be quite rich enough to be the base of a soup on its own, but once strained, it’s great for cooking rice or grains and adding gentle, brothy flavor. You can also freeze it and use it another day for poaching more chicken. - Shortcut tostada base:
If you don’t have time to fry tortillas, you can cheat by cracking open a hard taco shell and using the two halves as your “tostadas.” Pile everything on top just like you would with the fried tortillas. - Baked vs. fried tortillas:
Pan-frying gives the crispiest, most classic tostada texture, but if you prefer, you can brush tortillas lightly with oil and bake at 400°F for 6–8 minutes per side until golden and crisp.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts
- Fresh lime juice – This is used for the chicken, dressing, and crema.
- Chipotles in adobo sauce
- Shallot
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro leaves – Leave them out if you prefer.
- Corn tortillas – You can also use tortillas with a blend of flour and corn.
- Minced garlic
- Black beans
- Heart of romaine
- Plum tomato
- Avocado
- Shredded cheddar – A Mexican blend cheese or crumbled cotija cheese are also great options.
How to Make Chicken and Black Bean Toastadas
- Poach and shred the chicken: Poach the chicken breasts until just cooked through, then let them cool slightly and shred with two forks.
- Make the dressing and the crema: Stir together the chipotle-lime dressing and the lime-cilantro crema. Adjust the chipotle to taste, depending on how spicy you want your chicken and black bean tostadas.
- Fry (or bake) the tortillas: Pan-fry the corn tortillas in a bit of oil until crisp, or bake them until golden and crunchy.
- Cook the beans: Sauté the garlic and cumin for about 30 seconds, then add the black beans and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid from the chicken. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the beans are hot and saucy.
- Build the tostadas and serve: Pile lettuce onto each tortilla, then add the warm beans. Divide the shredded chicken among the tortillas, then top with tomatoes, avocado, cheese, and cilantro. Drizzle the chipotle-lime dressing over the tostadas, finish with a dollop of lime-cilantro crema, and serve right away while the tortillas are still nice and crisp.
FAQs
You can prep almost everything ahead of time for these chicken and black bean tostadas — poach and shred the chicken, cook the beans, and mix the crema and dressing. Store each component separately in the fridge. Fry or bake the tortillas and assemble the tostadas just before serving so they stay crisp.
Yes. For a lighter version, brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with oil and bake at 400°F for 6–8 minutes per side, until golden and crisp. Pan-frying gives you the most classic tostada crunch, but baking works well if you prefer.
Greek yogurt works beautifully as a lighter swap in the lime-cilantro crema. It still gives you that tangy, creamy topping that goes so well with the crispy tostadas, chicken, and black beans.
What to Serve With Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas
Try adding a scoop of grilled corn salad to these tostadas!
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Easy Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas
Ingredients
- 2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (divided; pretty much the juice from 1 lime)
- 1 teaspoon pureed chipotles in adobo sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves (optional)
- Vegetable or canola oil (for pan frying)
- 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas (or if you prefer, tortillas with a blend of flour and corn)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 heart of romaine (thinly sliced crosswise into slivers; about 4 cups)
- ½ cup diced plum tomato
- 1 avocado (peeled and cubed)
- ½ cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese (or crumbled cotija cheese)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a small pot and add water to cover by 1 inch. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, lower the heat so that the liquid stays at a gentle simmer, and cook until the chicken breasts are cooked through, about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts.
- Remove from the heat and lift the chicken from the liquid. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and set it to the side. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing and the crema. In a small bowl or container, combine the olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, the pureed chipotle in adobo, and shallot, and season with salt and pepper to taste. In another small bowl or container, combine the sour cream, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and cilantro, if using.
- Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the tortillas one at a time for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and fairly crisp. Add a bit more oil if needed during the frying process. Transfer the tortillas to paper towels as they finish cooking.
- Pour off any excess oil, leaving a thin film on the bottom of the pan. Return to medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cumin and sauté for 30 seconds until you can smell the seasonings and the garlic starts to turn golden. Add the beans and stir well, then add 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the beans are hot, and the liquid reduces to a glaze on the beans — if it starts to look dry, you can add a bit more of the reserved liquid.
- Place each of the tortillas on a plate. Pile 1 cup of lettuce onto each tortilla, then divide the warm beans over the lettuce, and then divide the chicken between the tortillas. Place equal amounts of the tomatoes and avocados on each one, then finish with the cheese and the cilantro, if using. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the toastadas, finish with a dollop of the crema, and serve immediately.
