If you love bold, spicy flavors and quick meals, these Chicken Tinga Tostadas are a must-try! Tender shredded chicken is simmered in a smoky, slightly spicy tomato-chipotle sauce, then piled onto crispy tostadas and topped with your favorite fresh ingredients. It’s a simple, satisfying dish that’s perfect for busy weeknights!
Why this Recipe Works
- Easy and Quick – Ready in about 30 minutes, making it great for a fast dinner.
- Homemade Tinga Sauce – Made with real, fresh ingredients for the best flavor.
- Family-Friendly – The spice level can be adjusted to suit all taste buds.
- Versatile – Serve it as tostadas, tacos, or even over rice for a delicious meal.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken - Rotisserie chicken works great for this easy chicken tinga. You can also simmer 2 chicken breasts in chicken broth for around 20-25 minutes until cooked through or cook them in your Instant Pot.
- Tomatoes - Traditional tinga sauce uses 3-4 fresh roma or plum tomatoes, but diced canned tomatoes work great too. I like to use fire roasted tomates for extra smoky flavor.
- Chipotle Chiles in Adobo - These smoky spicy peppers and the flavorful adobo sauce add a ton of flavor to the tinga sauce. I use 1 chipotle and 1-2 teaspoons of adobo to keep the sauce mild, but if you like more spice, add more peppers and adobo.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add olive oil to a 4-6 qt pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 4-5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a blender, then add the remaining sauce ingredients, except the chicken and blend until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pot and bring to a simmer. Stir in the chicken and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans over a tostada, then top with around ½ cup of the chicken tinga.
- Top with your favorite toppings such as shredded lettuce, crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, avocado, shaved radishes, and Mexican crema or sour cream.
- Repeat with the remaining tostadas then serve.
Expert Tips
- Use rotisserie chicken to save time, or cook and shred your own chicken breasts using my Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe.
- Adjust the heat by adding more or fewer chipotle peppers.
- Make it ahead – The tinga sauce tastes even better the next day, making it great for meal prep.
What to Serve with Chicken Tinga Tostadas
These chicken tinga tostadas are perfect with my Mexican street corn salad and Instant Pot Spanish rice for a complete dinner.
For a larger spread, try my green chicken enchiladas or beef and bean enchiladas.
And don't forget to try my blood orange margarita to wash it all down!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage: Store leftover chicken tinga in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Warm in a skillet over low heat or microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each.
Freezing: Freeze the chicken tinga in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Mexican Recipes
📖 Recipe
Chicken Tinga Tostadas
Ingredients
Chicken Tinga Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 1 chipotle chili pepper, plus 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 4-5 cups cooked shredded chicken
For the Tostadas
- 8 tostadas
- 1 16 oz can refried beans, or black bean purée
Optional Toppings
- shredded lettuce
- sliced avocado
- thinly sliced radishes
- fresh cilantro
- Crumbled Cotija Cheese or Queso Fresco
Instructions
Chicken Tinga Sauce
- Add olive oil to a 4-6 qt pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 4-5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a blender, then add the remaining sauce ingredients, except the chicken and blend until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pot and bring to a simmer. Stir in the chicken and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Tostadas
- Spread 2-3 tablespoons of refried beans over a tostada, then top with around ½ cup of the chicken tinga.
- Top with your favorite toppings such as shredded lettuce, crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, avocado, shaved radishes, and Mexican crema or sour cream.
- Repeat with the remaining tostadas then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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