026 / 75 · Good Dinner after Training
Chicken Tostadas with Charred Pineapple Slaw
6 small tostadas; 3 per person with half of all chicken, slaw and avocado · Active 35 min · Cook 25 min · Total 50 min
Print recipe · PDFCrisp oven-baked corn tortillas carry sliced chicken and a juicy pineapple-cabbage slaw. The pineapple gets a quick turn in a hot skillet before the chicken uses the pan, leaving caramelized edges without heating the whole salad. Three small tostadas make a serving, with any loose slaw shared beside them so none of the measured ingredients disappear from the meal.
Give soft tortillas time to become crisp
A tostada base needs to be dry enough to support a filling. Brush both faces of each corn tortilla with its share of the measured oil and bake them in one layer. Flip them during the bake and let them stand briefly on a rack; a hot tortilla can seem slightly flexible before it cools. Stay nearby near the end, because thin corn tortillas darken quickly. This recipe starts with plain soft tortillas, not ready-fried tostada shells. Check the weight and size rather than exchanging a much larger tortilla without changing the portions.
Char the fruit before handling raw poultry
Cut pineapple into broad slices for the skillet, then chop it after browning. Small loose cubes are harder to turn and can release their juice before they color. Move the cooked fruit to a clean board before the raw chicken reaches the work area. Give the chicken a reasonably even thickness, so its thinnest edge does not dry while the center is still cooking. A clean cooked-meat plate and clean slicing knife matter here; the pineapple and cabbage will be served without another cooking stage.
Finish each shell as it is eaten
The slaw is dressed lightly with lime and avocado supplies the soft richness. Put only a little slaw on each crisp tortilla, then offer the rest beside the plate. A tall wet pile makes a dramatic photograph but a difficult dinner. Slice all the chicken and divide it equally over the six shells, then share the avocado the same way. If a second portion is for another evening, store shells, meat and cold components separately. Assemble after reheating the chicken rather than trying to restore crunch to an already soaked tostada.
Ingredients
- 6 plain soft corn tortillas, about 5 inches/13 cm across (150 g total)
- 10 1/2 oz boneless skinless chicken breast (300 g raw edible weight)
- 7 oz fresh pineapple, skin and core removed, cut into broad 1/2-inch/1.3 cm slices (200 g)
- 5 1/3 oz white cabbage, finely shredded (150 g)
- 1 small avocado, flesh only (100 g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml/13.5 g), divided
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (30 ml/30 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (2 g)
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (2 g)
- About 1/3 teaspoon fine salt (2 g), divided
- A small handful fresh cilantro, chopped (6 g)
Set out
Large rimmed baking tray and cooling rack, 12-inch/30 cm heavy skillet, Kitchen scale, pastry brush and tongs, Separate raw-poultry board and clean ready-to-eat board, Clean holding plate, mixing bowl and food thermometer
Allergens
Check corn tortillas for wheat, sesame and other declared allergens or cross-contact.. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 400°F/200°C. Use 1 teaspoon/5 ml oil to brush both sides of all six tortillas lightly. Put in one layer on the tray. Bake for 10–14 minutes, turning after 6 minutes, until dry and crisp with lightly golden edges. Transfer to a rack. If they need two trays, rotate their positions halfway and allow extra time as necessary.
- Before handling raw chicken, heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the pineapple slices with 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 ml oil and cook for 2–3 minutes per side until browned in patches. Move to a clean board, chop into small pieces and let cool briefly. Toss with cabbage, all the lime juice, cilantro and half the salt.
- On a separate board, split thick chicken breasts horizontally so every piece is no more than 3/4 inch/2 cm thick. Rub with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons/7.5 ml oil, cumin, paprika and remaining salt. Wash hands and raw-poultry utensils. Cook in the hot skillet over medium heat for about 5–6 minutes per side, until each thickest center reaches 165°F/74°C. Transfer to a clean plate and rest for 3 minutes before slicing with a clean knife.
- Mash the avocado flesh with a fork just before serving. Divide all avocado and sliced chicken among six crisp tortillas. Add a little pineapple-cabbage slaw to each, serving all the remaining slaw equally beside the two plates. Each person receives three tostadas and half the complete slaw.
Prep the crisp and cold pieces before training
The shells and chilled slaw can be made earlier the same day; cook the chicken when returning and assemble at the table. That keeps the crisp base out of a refrigerator full of moist ingredients and makes the final dinner mostly slicing and serving.
A useful detail
Oil 15 ml is fully allocated:5 ml tortillas,2.5 ml pineapple and 7.5 ml chicken. Chicken is weighed raw without skin or bones; pineapple and avocado weights exclude peel, stone and core. Cooking stages can overlap, but the fruit is prepared before raw-poultry handling.
Another way
- Replace the 200 g fresh pineapple with 200 g ripe firm peach flesh, browning broad slices carefully before chopping.
- Use 300 g boneless skinless turkey breast in place of chicken, keeping the same thickness and 165°F/74°C endpoint. Recalculate if substituting.
Keep it well
Refrigerate chicken and slaw in separate shallow covered containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 2 days. Keep avocado covered and cold and use within 1 day for best quality. Store dry shells airtight according to the tortilla package once completely cool. Reheat only the chicken portion needed to 165°F/74°C and re-crisp shells briefly in the oven before assembling; keep the slaw cold.