Skinny Chicken & Black Bean Tostadas Recipe

This past weekend, I took on a turn on the cooking stage at the Salt Lake Home Show. As I hung out backstage, prepping for my Cooking Light with Flavor demonstration, I listened in on the mock-Chopped competition playing out on stage. Just like in the Food Network show of the same name, the competitors were challenged to cook a dish with the surprise ingredients. What was in their basket? A nightmare combination of ingredients!

Tilapia, melon and licorice. Holy cow! If I was on stage, that basket of ingredients would likely cause an epic meltdown.

As nervous as I was for my session, I was giving thanks that I had simple ingredients in front of me and a game plan for what I was going to cook. In this case, that was my Creamy Curry Hummus, Lemon Quinoa Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pistachios and Southwestern Breakfast Quesadilla.

These tostadas are use ingredients that are found in my fridge and pantry on a daily basis…chicken, black beans, whole wheat tortillas. It’s quick and easy to pull together, making this a go-to recipe for those weeknights when you just don’t have the time or inclination to tackle anything more complicated.

Unlike traditional fried tostadas, the tortillas in this recipes are crisped under the broiler. Take care to set the broiler rack at the second-highest level so that the tortillas don’t burn.

The nutritional information is calculated using the whole wheat tortillas that we always buy at Costco. They are La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious tortillas, and each one contains 12 grams of fiber. That’s a lot of fiber in one little tortilla!

The topping is packed with traditional southwestern flavors, such as cumin and cilantro. Feel free to mix up the spices or the vegetable combination to suit your family’s taste buds.

(An aside: I’ve been so humbled and excited by the response to my Run Like a Girl challenge. If you don’t think running is for you, be sure to check out my latest post, Run Like a Girl: How I Started, 2 Blocks at a Time.)

The recipe:

Preheat the broiler. Place the rack at the second-highest position.

Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl and toss with the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is starting to brown, 3 minutes.

Add the black beans, red bell pepper and corn. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Stir in the diced green chiles and lime juice.

Place 2 whole wheat tortillas on a large baking sheet and lightly coat each side of the tortillas with cooking spray. Broil for 2 minutes, then flip the tortillas and broil for 1 more minute.

Spread 1 cup of the chicken mixture on each browned tortilla and top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons queso fresco. Broil for 1 minute. Garnish with cilantro and salsa. Serve.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, queso fresco, cilantro and salsa.

Other quick and healthy dinner recipes:

Cookin’ Canuck’s 10-Minute Hummus & Greek Salad Naan (Flatbread)

Cookin’ Canuck’s Easy Rice Bowl with Black Beans, Avocado & Cilantro Dressing (made for allParenting)

The Shiksa in the Kitchen’s Rotisserie Chicken Rice Soup

Two Peas and Their Pod’s Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Sophistimom’s Healthy & Easy Pad Thai

Skinny Chicken & Black Bean Tostadas

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck | www.cookincanuck.com | Inspired by Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the broiler. Place the rack at the second-highest position.

Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl and toss with the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is starting to brown, 3 minutes.

Add the black beans, red bell pepper and corn. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Stir in the diced green chiles and lime juice.

Place 2 whole wheat tortillas on a large baking sheet and lightly coat each side of the tortillas with cooking spray. Broil for 2 minutes, then flip the tortillas and broil for 1 more minute.

Spread 1 cup of the chicken mixture on each browned tortilla and top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons queso fresco. Broil for 1 minute. Garnish with cilantro and salsa. Serve.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, queso fresco, cilantro and salsa.

Notes

Calories 266.2 / Total Fat 7.8g / Saturated Fat 2.5 / Cholesterol 46.9mg / Sodium 957.5mg / Total Carbohydrates 32.9g / Fiber 15.8g / Sugars 2.9g / Protein 30.0g / WW (Old Points) 5 / WW (Points+) 7

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