Barbecued Chicken and Mushroom Tostadas Years ago, when a series of sodden leftovers taught me what bad idea it was to reheat pies and quiches in a microwave, it occurred to me that the microwave might be a perfect tool to create a chip that isn't fried. It's bad for crusty things because it draws liquid out from the center of foods, so crusts always become soggy. But if you put a plain corn tortilla in the microwave and zap it until all of the moisture is drawn out of it, the result is something resembling a chip. When you toast corn tortillas in the oven, they just get hard, with no crispy snap. When you toast them in the microwave, you get the snap. But this method requires a little patience: Zap a tortilla for a minute and it will be soggy, even wet, on the bottom. Flip it over and zap it again, and all the moisture will be gone. Sometimes it takes a few turns, as every microwave is different; you'll have to figure out the timing with yours. In my microwave I zap for one minute, turn the tortillas over, zap for another, then sometimes need to zap for 30 seconds to a minute longer to get a browned chip with snap. You have to watch closely, though, as they'll burn quickly once dry. It can be a tedious process if you want to make a lot of chips, but for main-dish tostadas I just cut my tortillas in half to facilitate eating (they could also be left whole), and it doesn't take very long. If you need chips for crumbling into soups, just leave the tortillas whole. Microwave-Toasted Tortilla Chips Cut the tortillas in half or into quarters, or leave whole. Place as many as will fit in one layer on a plate and microwave on full power for 1 minute. Turn over the tortilla pieces (they'll be wet on the bottom) and microwave again for a minute. The chips should be browned and crisp. If they are not, turn over once more and microwave for another 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until all of them are done. They'll remain crispy for several hours. Note: The process will take less time if you air-dry the tortillas on a rack for an hour or so before microwaving. A reader recently requested some recipes that the barbecue lovers in her household would be open to. If you're cooking for both meat-eaters and vegetarians, make a batch using mushrooms alone, about a pound and a half of them. Sweat them in the olive oil as directed and mix with the barbecue sauce. 1 whole chicken breast on the bone, skinned and split, or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1.3 to 1.5 pounds 2 1/2 quarts water 1 onion, quartered 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano, or a combination 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 8 white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce 6 corn tortillas, halved and toasted in the microwave (see above) 2 cups arugula 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 6 radishes Combine the water, the quartered onion and the whole crushed garlic cloves in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and bring back to a simmer. Skim off any foam that rises, then add the dried herbs. Partly cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (cut one in half to check; the meat should not be pink). Add salt to taste. Allow the chicken to cool in the broth if there is time. Remove the chicken from the broth when it is cool enough to handle. Remove from the bone and shred by pulling strips of chicken off the top of the breast, with the grain. You should have about 4 cups of shredded chicken. Strain the chicken broth and refrigerate overnight (the next morning, skim off and discard the fat and freeze the broth in smaller containers). Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they are seared and beginning to soften, and add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking until mushrooms are just tender, a couple of minutes, and remove from the heat. Add the chicken and the barbecue sauce and stir until the meat and mushrooms are coated lightly with the sauce. Toast the tortillas in the microwave. Toss the arugula with lime juice. Place a spoonful of the chicken and mushroom mixture on the tortillas, top with a handful of arugula, garnish with radishes and serve. Advance preparation: The poached chicken breasts will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. Nutritional information per serving: 324 calories; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 94 milligrams cholesterol; 25 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 291 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 34 grams protein