Chicken And Bean-Filled Sopes Recipe

Sopes are a different spin on tortillas but they boast almost the same flavor and cooking technique. But, instead of being totally flat, sopes basically serve as a bowl and hold your favorite toppings, which is pretty amazing if you ask us. This particular recipe calls for a layer of refried beans, shredded chicken, lettuce, and cheese aka the perfect taco or sopes filling. And, if you're a spice lover, you can top the sopes with your choice of tabasco or favorite hot sauce.

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes came up with this easy recipe that puts a fun spin on Taco Tuesday — or any other day for that matter. "This recipe is so delicious and fun to make. I love the miniature size of the sopes and how easy it is to switch up the fillings depending on what you have in the fridge!" Brookes raves. She also explains why she loves the chicken and refried beans together. "Shredded chicken and refried beans make such a great combo. Chicken adds great texture and the beans add a savory, slightly smoky taste."

You will only need a handful of ingredients to make these delicious chicken and bean-filled sopes. Pick up masa harina, water, salt, olive oil, refried beans, shredded chicken breast, shredded lettuce, Mexican cheese, and salsa. "You could certainly sub other types of beans here, but I like the texture that refried beans add and how you can fill the cups with them really easily," Brookes notes of possible substitutions. 

Once you have those items, you can whip up these chicken and bean-filled sopes.

Take out a large mixing bowl and add the masa harina, water, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir together, and once the dough takes form, use your hands to shape it into a large dough ball.

Split the dough and roll it into 12 equal-sized balls and plop them on a plate. Then, cover the dough balls with plastic wrap — which will prevent them from drying out. "An important part of the method whilst making the sopes is ensuring the dough doesn't dry out," Brookes notes. "That's why it's a good idea to work with moist hands and cover the dough balls with plastic wrap. You can even have a bowl of water next to you to keep dipping your hands into in as you work." 

For this step, make sure to dampen your hands. Then, take a dough ball from the plate and ensure the other remain covered with cling wrap. Squash each ball of dough until it's flattened and round — which should be about 3 inches in diameter.

You can use the flat bottom of a baking pan, pie dish, or a tortilla press to flatten the dough. Then, use your hands to neaten the edges of the tortilla and squash any cracks with your fingers.

Take out a large frying pan and place it on medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla for about 2 minutes on each side. Please note that you do not need olive oil for this step. 

Remove the tortillas from the pan while they're still warm and pinch the edges with your fingers to create a rim for the fillings to go in. If the tortillas are too hot to the touch, just use a clean dish towel between your finger and each tortilla.

Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the sopes for about 2-3 minutes. By the end of the frying time, the bottoms of the sopes should begin browning.

Fill the sopes with your choice of toppings. For this recipe, add refried beans first, followed by chicken, lettuce, cheese, and salsa. "They're great served as an appetizer before other Mexican dishes such as tacos, enchiladas or fajitas," Brookes says. We're not sure if you will have any left but if you do, be sure to keep them! Leftovers should keep well up to 2 days in the fridge, but Brookes recommends storing the fillings and toppings separately from the soles.

We hope these hit the spot!