Chicken Tinga Tostadas Recipe
These quick and easy Chicken Tinga Tostadas might just be your new Taco Tuesday recipe! Healthy baked tostada shells are layered with refried beans, shredded chicken, tinga sauce, and toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and Cotija cheese. Serve as a fun appetizer or main dish along with your favorite Mexican dishes!
Ingredients
Tostada Shells:
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 ½ Tbsp. oil avocado or coconut
- 1 tsp. lime juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ tsp. salt to taste
Chicken Tinga:
- 2 Tbsp. oil avocado or olive
- ½ onion sweet or white, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 cup diced tomatoes fire-roasted
- ½ tsp. oregano dried
- ½ tsp. cumin ground
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. salt to taste
- 3 cups shredded chicken
Toppings:
- 1 ½ cups refried beans pinto or black beans
- 1 ½ cup iceberg lettuce shredded
- 1 large avocado thinly sliced
- ¾ cup tomatoes diced
- 6 Tablespoons Cotija cheese crumbled
Instructions
Tostada Shells:
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Preheat oven to 375°F.
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Whisk together oil, lime juice, and salt in a small bowl.
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Brush 1 teaspoon of the mixture over the front and back side of a corn tortilla and then place on a large baking sheet. Make sure all of the tortillas are evenly spaced and do not overlap.
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Bake tortillas in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Chicken Tinga:
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Add oil and onion to a medium-sized skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the onion begins to turn translucent.
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Add garlic cloves and continue sautéing for another minute.
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Combine sautéed onion with chipotle peppers, diced tomatoes, oregano, cumin, paprika, and salt in a large cup of a high-speed blender. Blend for 20-30 seconds or until completely smooth.
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Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Stir in shredded chicken and mix until it is completely coated in the sauce.
Tostadas:
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Spread ¼ cup of refried beans onto each baked tostada and layer with ½ cup of shredded chicken in Tinga sauce, ¼ cup of shredded lettuce, 2-3 avocado slices, 2 tablespoons of diced tomatoes, and a tablespoon of Cotija cheese.
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Repeat with the remaining tostadas and ingredients. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips and Tricks
- Use just enough oil on the corn tortillas. Much like when making Baked Tortilla Chips, you want to make sure not to add too much oil or the tostadas will come out soggy and not crunchy.
- Add a hint of lime. A little bit of citrus really gives the tostada shells a ton of flavor.
- Don't forget the sauce. The chipotle peppers come in a delicious adobo sauce that adds a lot of flavor to the chicken tinga - so don't forget to add some of it along with the peppers!
- Prep toppings just before serving. In order to keep everything fresh, cut and prepare the toppings right before you're about to serve the tostadas.
- Cotija cheese takes it over-the-top. This salty and sharp Mexican cheese gives this dish a wonderful pop of flavor at the end!
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: The shells, chicken, sauce, and toppings can be prepared ahead of time. Store them all separately.
- To Store: Tostada shells can be stored at room temperature. The meat and toppings should be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: The chicken tinga can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer-safe container. Defrost before reheating.
- To Reheat: Add the beans and chicken to a skillet over med-low heat for 4-5 minutes. Then assemble the tostadas.