Grilled Chicken Tostadas with Sweet-&-Sour Vegetables

Preparation

1. To prepare adobo rub and chicken: Combine chili powder, lime juice, oil, cumin, onion powder, garlic power, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub 2 tablespoons of adobo rub generously all over chicken breasts (the remaining rub can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days). Let marinate for 30 minutes or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
2. To prepare mole sauce: Tear chiles into pieces; discard stems and seeds. Place in a bowl, add boiling water and soak until the chiles are soft, about 30 minutes. Pour the chiles and soaking liquid into a blender. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, flour, sugar, cumin, pepper, cayenne to taste and cloves; blend until smooth. Strain the sauce through a sieve to filter out any remaining seeds and skins, pressing out as much liquid as possible from the solids. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens and reduces to about 2 cups, 10 to 20 minutes. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
3. To prepare sweet-&-sour vegetables: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add carrots and cook for 7 minutes. Add squash, vinegar, oregano, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue cooking until the vegetables are just tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain, transfer to a bowl and season with more pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
4. About 20 minutes before you’re ready to grill the chicken, preheat grill to medium.
5. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes and slice into 1/2-inch strips.
6. To assemble tostadas: Place 2 tostada shells on each plate. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the mole sauce over each tostada, then top each with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the vegetables. Divide the chicken among the tostadas and drizzle with more mole sauce. Serve with taco garnishes as desired.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the mole sauce (Step 2) for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Cover and refrigerate the vegetables (Step 3) for up to 1 day.

• Note: Mildly spicy dried chiles, such as ancho or New Mexico, add moderate heat and rich flavor to Mexican sauces like mole. Chili powder made from these chiles has more flavor than American-style blends. Look for whole dried chiles in the produce section of large supermarkets and New Mexico or ancho chili powder in the specialty-spice section of large supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.
• Kitchen Tips: To make your own tostadas: Heat about 1/2 inch canola oil or peanut oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add a corn tortilla and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked, reducing heat, if necessary, to prevent the oil from smoking or splattering.
• To oil a grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

Nutrition