Tostones Fajita Sliders: A Fun and Flavorful Whole30 Meal!
These Whole30 Tostones Fajita Sliders are going to hit the spot! Crispy, savory tostones (fried plantains) serve as the perfect base for juicy fajita-seasoned chicken breast sliders, topped with sautéed peppers and onions. It’s a handheld feast with all the flavors of your favorite fajita night—but totally Whole30-friendly!
Why You’ll Love These Tostones Sliders
Who doesn’t love a slider, right? These are not your average sliders, though. Instead of buns, we’re using tostones, crispy fried plantains, which add a crunchy element and great base. Plus, you can pile these up with seasoned chicken breast, fajita veggies, and your favorite toppings like guacamole, salsa, or Cilantro Lime Ranch. Perfect for meal prepping or family dinner, these sliders are a crowd-pleaser that even non-Whole30 folks will enjoy!
What You Need for Whole30 Tostones Fajita Sliders
This recipe is simple, and most of the ingredients are likely already in your pantry. Here’s what you’ll need:
For the Tostones:
- Green plantains – These are the stars of the show! Green plantains are less sweet than ripe ones and hold up better for frying.
- Coconut oil or avocado oil – For frying the plantains. Coconut oil adds a subtle sweetness, while avocado oil keeps it neutral.
- Salt – A little sprinkle after frying brings out the flavor of the tostones.
For the Fajita Chicken Sliders:
- Chicken breast – Slice your chicken breasts into thin, small pieces. Chicken breast is lean and perfect for soaking up all that fajita flavor.
- Taco seasoning – You can use store-bought taco or fajita seasoning or make your own budget-friendly seasoning with my Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Bell peppers and onions – These add that classic fajita flavor when sautéed to golden perfection.
Toppings:
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Cilanto Lime Ranch
How to Make These Fajita Sliders
Making these Tostones Fajita Sliders is easier than you think. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Prepare the tostones: Start by peeling and slicing your plantains into thick rounds. Fry them in your oil of choice until golden. Remove, flatten them slightly with a glass or the back of a spatula, then fry again until crispy. Sprinkle with salt.
- Cook the fajita chicken sliders: Season your sliced chicken breast with seasoning and cook in a skillet until browned and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side, until no longer pink inside. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Sauté the fajita veggies: In the same skillet, sauté your sliced bell peppers and onions until they are soft and caramelized. The perfect topper for your sliders!
- Assemble your sliders: Spread some guacamole on a tostone, then top with chicken, fajita veggies, and salsa, or any of your favorite Whole30 toppings, then add a drizzle of Cilantro Lime ranch. That’s it—simple, delicious, and ready to devour!
Perfect for Family Meals or Entertaining
These Tostones Fajita Sliders are not only Whole30-approved but also fun to serve at parties, game nights, or even as a quick family dinner. You can even make everything ahead of time and assemble them right before serving!
So, what are you waiting for? Grab those plantains, get cooking, and enjoy these tasty, handheld sliders that bring the fiesta to your Whole30 menu. Your taste buds (and family) will thank you!
Tostones Fajita Sliders
Ingredients
- 4 green plantains *HAS to be green, not yellow
- coconut oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast chopped into small pieces
- 1 package taco seasoning see recipe link below for my homemade option
- 10 ounces frozen fajita veggies or 1 thinly sliced red pepper, green pepper, and onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1 cup pico de gallo or salsa; see link below for my easy blender salsa!
- 1 cup cilantro ranch dressing optional but recommended, see link for homemade below
Instructions
- Add enough olive oil to coat a medium saucepan, then place over medium high heat. Add the chicken and the taco seasoning. Cook until chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate.
- Cook fajita veggies in the same pan, adding extra oil if needed. Cook until tender.
Tostones
- While chicken and veggies are cooking, peel and chop the plantains into quarters.
- Heat a ¼ inch of coconut oil in a large saucepan to high heat. Cook plantain quarters until golden yellow on first side (about 5 minutes) then flip and repeat on other side. Don't let brown.
- Smash cooked plantain quarters with a kitchen hammer or back of a mug to flatten.
- Cook flattened plantains a second time in the coconut oil, 3 minutes each side this time, until crispy. Salt right out of the pan.
- Load up your sliders! I put the tostones at the bottom, then added guacamole to act as kind of like a glue to hold the fajita chicken and veggies on. Topped with salsa and then drizzled with the ranch dressing. So good!
Notes
Nutrition
This was absolutely outstanding and the flavors are amazing together. Great way to enjoy day #2 on Whole 30. Served it with the cilantro sauce and homemade guacamole.
Giving it 4 stars only b/c of the extensive prep time. I can’t imagine pulling this meal together in only 45 mins as you did. It took me nearly double that time. In the future I would try to have the homemade taco seasoning already made, chicken already chopped and tossed in bag with the seasoning, veggies chopped and ready to saute, perhaps already have cilantro sauce leftover from a previous meal….if all those things were in place then maybe I could see 45 mins. The tostones especially are a labor of love. Certainly worth it if you have the time.
The entire meal was delicious. The taco seasoning flavors blended beautifully. The salsa was quick and tasted better than any store bought salsa. The cilantro ranch dressing was light and flavorful. We will continue to make this once we are off whole30. Thank you!
My family loves this meal! It is so flavorful and satisfying. We always have leftovers which is a big win! On our list of regular dinners now!
I LOVE that this is now on the list of regulars. I could definitely eat this pretty much every week. Thank you!
I just made these for dinner and I have to admit I was nervous about the tostones but this was delicious! The cilantro ranch was such a nice compliment. Thank you for the wonderful dish!
One of our favorites! So happy you enjoyed it and found out how delicious tostones are. Thank you!
Having recently started eating clean/paleo after doing a Whole 30, these quickly became a family favorite and can be paired with so many different proteins/flavor profiles. Love how simple these are! My husband has since made them and after frying, he let them cool for a few minutes then used a mason jar to flatten them. Since he prepared them in advance, he didn’t fry again but instead heated in the oven to perfection. Love this recipe!
These are so amazing. Made them for dinner tonight and it has been such an enjoyable dinner. The creamy cilantro ranch dressing is to die for. I will be making this regularly.
Hooray! I’m so happy you loved them and want to put them on the regular rotation. Thank you!
My husband and I made these together for the first time the other night. I have never had plantain tostadas and they were delicious we are going to make them again! I can’t have dairy or gluten and I was really happy to find something I could have that also tasted yummy ☺️ Oh and the dressing was the perfect finishing touch 😍
I’m so happy these were a win all around!
I’ve used this recipe as guidance for cooking plantains/tostones — so delicious! I appreciate the time you put into making us feel confident in branching out (it was my first time making plantains when I first used this recipe!)
I’m so proud of you for branching out! Once I tried tostones I wondered why I had waited so long – happy these gave you the nudge to try them!
Thanks for this recipe, Autumn! My partner and I LOVED it!! I made homemade mayo for the first time just to try your version of cilantro ranch for this meal, and it truly is the perfect addition for these tostones. We’ve enjoyed the dressing with many meals since, and we already got more plantains to make this meal over again! I especially appreciated your tip on how to store additional tostones for later. I stored the flattened plantains in the fridge but saved the final round of frying until just before each meal as we ate the leftovers, which made it perfect every time I’ll definitely be making extra to freeze next time so we have them ready to go whenever we want to have these sliders again! YUM! Definitely a new favorite for Whole30 or whenever!
It makes my heart happy you loved this one like we do – tostones and that cilantro-ranch are two are our all-time FAVES! Thank you!