These amazing chicken al pastor tostones are literally the party on a plate that you wish will never end. Share them with others at your next gathering to impress your foodie friends or huddle in the corner keep them all to yourself. Either way, you win!
A little history…
Al pastor, or shepherd’s style, is a Mexican vertical rotisserie style of cooking pork that is marinaded in a mix of spices, chilis, and pineapple. It is derived from the centuries old Middle Eastern style of cooking meat. It was brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants. Yes, traditionally, it is used for pork but you can use it for beef and chicken, as well. This recipe slow cooks the chicken and uses orange juice in addition to the pineapple juice.
Chicken Al Pastor Tostones Bites
A few changes to the original…
This recipe is a variation of Marissa Allen’s Chicken Tacos Al Pastor in a Pressure Cooker. Since I did not have a pressure cooker, I used a slow cooker and doctored up the chicken after tasting it. The dish needed a little more flavor so I substituted smoked paprika for regular paprika and added some minced red onion and LOTS of salt after I shredded the chicken. I also separated most of the leftover juice and reduced it by half in a saucepan over the stove. Those small changes totally changed the flavor. I served this chicken as tacos for my kids and they devoured them! My son was asking me for more days afterwards, which is a resounding endorsement.
Making it Whole30 compliant…
Since I am on a Whole30 round, I made tostones and guacamole so that I could make little tostones bites for myself with serrano peppers, jicama matchsticks, and cilantro. Talk about flavor bomb! I could not stop eating these! They were just as delicious reheated. Simply reheat tostones in the toaster oven on 350 F for about 5-7 minutes or until heated through and the chicken in a pan or in the microwave.
Chicken Al Pastor Tostones BitesA word of caution about cooking time…
One thing I should warn you, my slow cooker tends to cook things much faster than recipes call for so you will have to adjust the time for your slow cooker. If your slow cooker cooks chicken on low for 6 hours, then use that time and disregard my very fast cooking time (2.5 hours on low). Chicken breasts are done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 150° F.
Substitutions…
If you don’t have plantains on hand to make the tostones, you can sub in sweet potatoes or white potatoes to make rounds. Either will work just as effectively but the plantains have a slight sweetness that works really well with the spicy and smokey flavors of the meat. And if you are feeling like you want a tortilla, try these Plantain Tortilla Shells. Also feel free to add any other fun additions to the garnish. If you do, please leave your additions in the comments so we can share your great ideas with the world!! Happy cooking!
Busy Family Tip…
You can break any of parts of this recipe into smaller steps to make this meal more manageable to cook.
+ The chicken is a slow cooker recipe, so make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
+ The tostones can also be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you are ready to cook and serve, simply throw them in the toaster oven or conventional oven set to 350 for 5-7 minutes.
+ You can also prep the jicama and serranos 2 days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
+ The guacamole can be tricky because the longer it is exposed to oxygen, the more brown it becomes (and no one wants to eat brown guac!). I have been able to carefully store guacamole in the fridge for up to 2 days by storing it in a lidded container, lightly pressing a small square of parchment paper on top, firmly placing a small piece of plastic wrap on top of the parchment, and then sealing the lid.
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Chicken Al Pastor Tostones Bites
Print RecipeIngredients
- FOR CHICKEN AL PASTOR
- 1.5-2 lbs of chicken breast
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 chipotle peppers (in adobo would work if not on Whole 30)
- 4 gloves of garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 yellow onion
- juice of 1 limes
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste, reserved until the end
- 1.5 tsp cilantro, minced, reserved until the end
- 2 tbsp red onion, diced, reserved until the end
- FOR TOSTONES:
- 4 green plantains
- coconut oil / avocado oil, enough to coat pan
- salt
- FOR THE GUAC:
- 1 Avocado
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp minced red onion
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp cilantro, minced
- ADDITIONAL GARNISH:
- Jicama, cut into matchsticks
- Serrano pepper, sliced (seeded removed to lessen heat)
- cilantro, minced
Instructions
TO COOK THE CHICKEN:
Make the marinade in a blender or food processor by combining the pineapple juice, orange juice, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, yellow onion, lime juice, and vinegar. Blend until smooth.
Salt and pepper both sides of chicken. Place in slow cooker.
Pour marinade mixture over chicken.
Cook on low for 2- 6 hours. This cooking time will depend on your particular slow cooker. Mine cooks really fast, even on low, so the chicken was done in 2.5 hours. Chicken breast is done when internal temp is 165 degrees F.
Once chicken is cooked through, take chicken out and allow to sit for about 15-20 minutes to allow for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
Scoop most of the remaining marinade/juice out of the slow cooker and pour into a saucepan. Cook on medium heat until the sauce reduces by at least half and looks syrupy. This took me about 20-25 minutes.
Shred the chicken on a cutting board.
Combine the reduced sauce and shredded chicken in the slow cooker or serving bowl. Add salt to taste (I used at least 1 tbsp) and 2 tbsp of minced red onion.
TO COOK TOSTONES:
Heat coconut oil/avocado oil in pan. Use enough to liberally coat the entire pan.
Use knife to cut a slit down the side of the plantain and remove peel. Cut both ends off and slice into 1/2-3/4 inch rounds.
In batches, cook the plantain rounds for 2 minutes on each side by laying the rounds side by side, making sure not to overlap. Each side should be golden brown.
Remove plantain rounds to plate and add additional 2 tbsp of oil to pan to cook next batch. Repeat process until all rounds are cooked.
Using a wooden spatula, smash each round to about a thickness of 1/4 inch.
Add more oil to pan, and return the smashed plantains to the pan to cook for another 1-1.5 minutes or until a darker golden brown, again working in batches. Sprinkle each side with salt as they cook.
Once finished cooking, transfer to plate again.
TO MAKE GUACAMOLE:
Spoon out avocado and smash with a fork.
Using a fork, combine the red onion, salt, lime juice, and cilantro until mostly smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside.
BUILD TOSTONES BITES:
Take a fully cooked plantain round (tostones) and spread guacamole on it.
Scoop the chicken al pastor on top.
Add jicama matchsticks.
Top with serrano pepper and cilantro.
Notes
Not a fan of tostones? Try making my Plantain Tortilla Shells instead.
2 Comments
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