Okay… so there may be a fairly good reason why my husband was forced to eat an entire chicken on Saturday night.
Lately my relationship with chicken has been… rocky. For the past few months I’ve struggled to get new chicken dishes right. Some attempts were disasters, others were just unappealing to photograph, and a few were edible but didn’t meet my standards. My husband, who eats a lot of chicken, has been the willing taste-tester through it all.
Despite the failures, I kept roasting and cooking — sometimes two chickens a week — partly because I’m addicted to crispy skin and partly because I was determined to get a winning recipe.
Finally, the solution arrived in the form of tostadas. Topped with a blueberry-peach salsa, they sound unusual — but they work. The combination of sweet and salty, spicy and fresh, chewy and crunchy is exactly what summer food should be. These tostadas pair wonderfully with beer or tequila, making them ideal for warm-weather gatherings.
Sweet + Spicy Glazed Chicken, Corn & Avocado Tostadas
Serves 4–6
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/4 cup more for frying tortillas
- 8 small corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2/3 cup cooked sweet corn
- 1 avocado, cut into cubes
Cut the chicken into cubes and toss with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until golden on all sides, about 10–12 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, honey, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
While the chicken cooks, fry the tortillas for maximum crispiness. Use a small skillet with 1–2 tablespoons of oil heated over medium-high. Fry each tortilla for 15–20 seconds per side and drain on paper towels. Alternatively, you can brush tortillas with oil and cook them in a nonstick skillet, though they won’t be quite as crisp.
Remove the chicken and keep the skillet hot. Add the sauce and whisk, letting it simmer and thicken slightly for 5–6 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and toss to coat in the glaze.
Assemble each tostada by layering the glazed chicken on the crispy tortilla, then topping with corn, avocado and a few spoonfuls of the blueberry-peach salsa (recipe below).
Blueberry Peach Salsa
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, chopped
- 1 ripe peach, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 3–4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of one lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl and mix. Let it sit refrigerated for a while if you can—the flavors improve as it rests.
These tostadas are bright, balanced and a little unexpected — and now I find myself putting blueberry-peach salsa on everything.