This Tostada Salad is a mouthwatering meal that takes no more than 30 minutes to make! It’s features cheesy chicken tostadas layered with lettuce, all your favorite toppings, and a creamy salsa verde ranch dressing.
This Tostada Salad Recipe is the perfect way to switch things up for your next Taco Tuesday dinner!
You won’t get complaints when these Chicken Tostadas are on the menu. They’re loaded with delicious flavors and textures, they’re hearty and also nutritious!
Looking for more tostada recipes? Check out my Barbacoa Tostadas or my BBQ Chicken Tostadas!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Quick to make – This delicious meal is ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes!
- Customizable – You can make this recipe as-is or swap in any of your favorite toppings.
- Crowd pleaser – These truly are a hit every time!
Recipe Notes
This Tostada Salad Recipe is as simple as promised! Just 25 minutes for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make a cafe rio salad to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Tostada Shells – You can use store-bought tostada shells or try frying corn tortillas at home to make your own.
- Shredded Chicken – You can use store-bought shredded chicken or make your own at home.
- Cilantro Lime Rice – We’re using my 20-minute, homemade Cilantro Lime Rice recipe.
- Black Beans – I like to skip the canned beans and use my Crock Pot Black Beans.
- Cheddar Cheese
- Romaine Heart
- Pico de Gallo – Store-bought or homemade will work. I like to whip up a batch of my homemade Easy Pico de Gallo.
- Cotija Cheese
- Tortilla Strips
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
- Lime Wedges
- Salsa Verde Ranch Dressing – Our homemade dressing is made with a mix of cilantro, mayonnaise, sour cream, salsa verde, and ranch mix.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Use another meat – Swap the chicken out for my Mexican Shredded Beef if preferred.
- Make it vegetarian – Simply skip the meat entirely or try my Mexican Style Crock Pot Refried Beans instead. Just make sure you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth!
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make Chicken Tostada Salad.
In a blender, combine all of the salsa verde ranch dressing ingredients, then blend until smooth. to make your Tostada Salad Dressing.
Lay the tostada shells on a baking sheet, then top with rice, beans, shredded chicken, and cheese. Bake at 350ºF until the cheese is melted.
Remove the tostadas from the oven, then place each one into a bowl.
Top your tostadas with lettuce, pico, cheese, tortilla strips, and sour cream. Drizzle with your prepared dressing, then serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Customize! – These kinds of recipes are awesome, because you can really make them your own. Feel free to leave all the ingredients as-is or swap some out for other delicious toppings of your choice. Try sautéed peppers and onions, avocado, black olives, homemade guacamole, chipotle corn salsa, Mexican style crockpot refried beans, you name it.
- Serve immediately after assembly – While there are ways you can prep some of the components of these tostadas ahead of time, I recommend serving them right away once they’re fully assembled. That way your salad is nice and crunchy!
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Prepare toppings in advance – You can prepare the cilantro lime rice, black beans, pico de gallo, and salsa verde dressing all ahead of time. Simply store each tostada component separately in the fridge for a couple of days before serving. Then, most of your ingredients are ready to go when it’s time to serve your tostadas.
- Use pre-cooked/pre-shredded chicken – I love to cook and shred my own chicken when I’m feeling extra ambitious, but sometimes saving time is the move. Feel free to use store-bought chicken to keep this recipe quick and easy.
What to Serve with Chicken Tostada Salad
Since this protein based dinner has the delicious flavors of classic Mexican food, it will pair well with many of your favorite Mexican-inspired side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Mexican Street Corn Casserole – There’s no side dish quite like this Mexican Street Corn Casserole. It takes just 5 minutes to prep and yields the creamiest, most comforting, Mexican-spiced corn casserole.
- Mexican Roasted Vegetables – Keep your meal lighter with these Mexican Roasted Vegetables. This vegetable medley features red onion, bell pepper, broccoli, and squash roasted to perfection in a blend of olive oil, taco seasoning, and lime juice.
- Easy Mexican Rice – This Mexican Rice is a classic and incredibly easy to make. Just 5 minutes of prep needed for a delicious and flavorful side of rice to pair with your Tostada Salad.
Tostada Salad Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
Leftover Recipes
Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!
- Healthy Chicken Burrito Bowl – You can use tons of the ingredients needed for these tostadas to make a version of my Healthy Chicken Burrito Bowls. Swap the cauliflower rice out for leftover cilantro lime rice, then load your bowls up with any and all of your leftovers.
- Loaded Taco Dip – This Loaded Taco Dip Recipe can easily be altered to accommodate any of your leftover Chicken Tostada recipe ingredients. Just assemble as directed and enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!
Recipe FAQ’s
What’s the difference between taco salad and tostada salad?
The key difference is where the “chip” part of the salad is! Taco salad incorporates tortilla chips throughout the salad. Tostada salad features one crispy tortilla as the base of the salad (although I love to add some extra tortilla strips on time for some extra crunch.)
Is tostada salad healthy?
Yes! This Tostada Salad Recipe is packed full of tons of nutritious ingredients. I would say this is a pretty darn healthy meal.
More EASY Dinner Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite Mexican-inspired recipes below.
- Cheesy Taco Skillet
- Mexican Chicken Street Tacos
- Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
- Easy Baked Chicken Chilaquiles
Tostada Salad
Ingredients
- 4 tostada shells
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup cilantro lime rice, prepared
- ½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 romaine heart, finely chopped
- ½ cup pico de gallo
- ¼ cup crumbled cojita cheese
- ½ cup crispy tortilla strips
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 4 sprigs cilantro
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
For Salsa Verde Ranch Dressing
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1 tablespoon ranch mix, (½ packet)
Instructions
- Prepare the salsa verde ranch by adding all of the dressing ingredients into a blender and blending until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Lay the tostada shells on a baking sheet. Add a spoonful of rice, beans, and shredded chicken to each tostada. Top each tostada with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and place each tostada in a bowl. Top each tostada with a generous amount of lettuce, a spoonful of pico de gallo, cojita cheese, a sprinkle of tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream.
- Serve immediately with the salsa verde ranch for drizzling over the tostada salad.
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