Tostada de Pollo

Chicken Tostada. Maybe Mexicans version of an open faced sandwich, or maybe a slice of toast with a load of stuff on it. This is a rather simple dish that can be piled high with whatever ingredients you'd like.

The base is a corn tortilla, which is either fried to a crisp, or toasted until crunchy in the oven. A thin layer of refried beans is smeared atop the tortilla. Afterwards, the beans are coated with shredded lettuce and diced(or whole) smoky chipotle chiles. The chiles are then covered with shredded chicken, that has been stewed in chicken broth along with other spices. In a blink of an eye you have yourself a Chicken Tostada. Just top it off with some crema and salsa, and you have yourself a perfect snack or appetizer.

Like with any other open faced morsel, the first bite is always the hardest one. You know that stuff is going to start splashing and falling down your sides. With ease and surgeon like precision i took my first bite. Luckily, there was no splashing or falling, everything had made it into my mouth. The chicken was moist and juicy, the warm corn tortilla(oven toasted), was light, packed with great corn taste. The beans were smooth and creamy, and worked like glue to keep the tostada from coming tumbling down. The lettuce, along with the crema and salsa added great freshness.

It seems like I repeat myself with the same shpeal of the meat, and then the freshness of the whatever other ingredient in the dish. The truth of the matter is that Mexican cuicine is very balanced, and that you will mostly, if not always have a trinity of flavor profiles in each meal. You'll have corn, in some way or another, a protein, and then the condiments of salsa, lime or cream, depending on the dish. Why can't everybody take a hint and follow their lead?