Easy Chicken Torta
Published May 23, 2025
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4bolillos or Portuguese or French rolls, cut in half lengthwise
- Avocado or peanut oil (or other oil with a high smoke point)
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1tablespoon ground chile, such as ancho or cayenne
- 4thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
- 1teaspoon onion powder
- 1teaspoon garlic powder
- ½cup cornstarch
- ½cup refried beans, from one (15-ounce) can, or homemade
- Sliced tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce and pickled jalapeño slices, for serving
- 1lime, cut in half
- 4tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1ripe avocado
- Salsa, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bolillos cut side up on a sheet pan and lightly brush with oil. Bake for 8 minutes, until slightly golden.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon salt with the chile powder and mix well. Sprinkle each cutlet with a pinch of the chile salt on both sides and move to a large plate.
- Step 3
Working with one cutlet at a time, place the chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and, using the bottom of a cast-iron skillet, flatten the chicken a bit by placing your weight on the skillet and pressing down firmly a few times. Sprinkle both sides of the flattened chicken with another pinch of the chile salt before returning to the plate. Repeat with each cutlet, stacking them on top of each other as you go.
- Step 4
Move the skillet to your stovetop, add enough oil to thinly cover the bottom, and heat on medium.
- Step 5
In a shallow bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon salt and mix well. Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge the chicken in the cornstarch mixture until it's completely covered. Dust off as much excess as possible and carefully place it in the skillet. Cook for 4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Move to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat with remaining chicken (see Tip).
- Step 6
To assemble the tortas, spread 2 tablespoons beans on the bottom half of each roll, then place a piece of chicken on top. Layer sliced tomatoes over the chicken, followed by a generous amount of shredded lettuce and a layer of jalapeños, if using. Squeeze a bit of lime juice over everything and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. On the top half of each roll, spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, then scoop out ¼ of the avocado and mash it into the mayonnaise, squeezing a bit of lime onto the mixture and adding a pinch of salt. Place the top bun on the sandwich and press down firmly so it holds together without ingredients squeezing out. Serve alongside salsa.
- To make this with regular boneless skinless chicken breasts, place one hand on top of each chicken breast and with a sharp knife, carefully slice the chicken breast horizontally to make two cutlets. Proceed with pressing as directed above.
- If the oil begins to smoke, skim it with a slotted spoon to pick up the burned bits and discard them.
Private Notes
Comments
The chicken was perfect, but the refried beans and avo/mayo made the sandwich rather mushy. Surprisingly, it also lacked flavor, despite the cayenne, ancho, and jalepenos. I love Mexican food, but somehow this was dull, leaving me yearning for the hot Nashville chicken sandwiches I originally planned for this evening.
We really enjoyed this - used brioche buns because that's what we had. The family agrees that this should go in the rotation!
This was a killer sandwich. All the little extra steps are worth it. Be liberal with the chile salt. I cooked my beans down to the consistency of peanut butter to keep from making the bolillo soggy. Don't skip the bolillo toasting step. I had crema on hand already and used it instead of mayo. A certain sloppiness is part of the joy of a good torta.
To avoid the chance of mushiness each person built their own torta just before we sat down to eat. Very tasty.
The chicken was perfect, but the refried beans and avo/mayo made the sandwich rather mushy. Surprisingly, it also lacked flavor, despite the cayenne, ancho, and jalepenos. I love Mexican food, but somehow this was dull, leaving me yearning for the hot Nashville chicken sandwiches I originally planned for this evening.