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square image of a tinga tostada served on a gray plate and garnished with cheese, chipotle crema, avocado, and tomatoes.

Chicken Tostada de Tinga

Tinga tostadas are a delicious dinner or snack idea! Combine the smoky heat from the tinga sauce with time-saving pre-cooked chicken topped with your favorite ingredients and you've got an amazing meal! 
5 from 1 vote
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Author Kori Butler
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course chicken recipes
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8
Calories 306 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Tinga Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion (diced; reserve ½ cup for topping)
  • 2 ounces sundried tomatoes
  • 8 ounces cherry tomatoes
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (add more if you like it spicy)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cumin

Tostada Shells

  • 8 to 10 6 inch corn tortillas
  • 100% olive oil spray

Tostadas

  • 5 cups chicken (cooked and shredded - rotisserie chicken is a great idea!)
  • 1 cup refried beans (warmed)

Toppings (Optional)

  • 2 cups  lettuce (thinly sliced lettuce iceberg or romaine)
  • ½ cup tomatoes (diced)
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • ½ cup crumbled queso fresco (or other favorite Mexican cheese blend)
  • ½ cup chipotle crema or sour cream  (chipotle crema is medium-spicy and sour cream is mild)
  • cilantro (for garnish)

Instructions
 

Make Tinga Sauce

  • Preheat a 2-quart saucepan with olive oil until oil begins to smoke. Add onion and sundried tomatoes. Saute until onion begins to caramelize.
  • Next, add remaining ingredients, including chipotle in adobo, cherry tomatoes, chopped garlic, chicken stock, cumin, and table salt.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes until the cherry tomatoes begin to soften and pop.
  • Pull your sauce off of the stove and hand blend until smooth for approximately 5 minutes.

Bake Tostada Shells

  • Preheat your air fryer or oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray a few tostadas with olive oil spray on both sides and air fry or bake until crispy, between 6 and 10 minutes.

Assembly

  • Pull and shred rotisserie chicken and set aside in a bowl. Mix tinga sauce with the shredded chicken and check the spice level and adjust if needed.
  • Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of warmed refried beans over each crisp tortilla. Top with chicken then diced onion.
  • Top with favorite toppings - lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Sprinkle with queso fresco cheese. Finish off by drizzling chipotle crema or sour cream over the top. Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Video

Kori's Tips

  • Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
  • Substitutions: Use flour tortillas in place of corn; If you prefer it spicier, add more chipotle peppers or diced Fresno, jalapeño, or habanero to your sauce before it's time to blend the sauce; Use any of the recommended toppings to customize your tostadas.

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 13gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 613mgPotassium: 636mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 452IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 101mgIron: 2mg
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