Tostada de tinga (aka chicken tostadas) is an easy Crock Pot dinner for your next busy weeknight! Tender, zesty shredded chicken sits on top of crispy tostada shells, and is finished with all of your favorite toppings.
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Mexican food is always a winner in our house! Whether I’m serving classic ground beef tacos, easy vegetarian enchiladas, skillet shrimp fajitas, or Crock Pot tostada de tinga, I know that the whole family will enjoy these delicious meals.
An Easy Tostada de Tinga Recipe for the Slow Cooker
Chicken tinga is a Mexican dish made with shredded chicken that’s cooked in a sauce that includes tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and sliced onions. It’s often served on a tostada (as shown here), and may also feature a layer of refried beans. Garnishes such as avocado, crumbled cheese, Mexican crema, and salsa finish off the tostada de tinga, adding delicious flavor, color, and texture.
While its origin is not entirely clear (likely in Puebla), today we enjoy this dish throughout central and southern Mexico, as well as in Mexican restaurants throughout the United States. Here, we’ve adapted the flavors of the classic chicken tostadas for an easy Crock Pot dinner that anyone can make at home. It’s flavorful, simple, and can be customized with toppings to suit everyone at the table.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker, since the dark meat has more robust flavor, is more affordable, and stays more tender and juicy in the Crock Pot. You can sub with boneless skinless chicken breast if you prefer the white meat.
- Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce provide a smoky, spicy flavor. For an even spicier dish, use more chipotles.
- Tostada shells are crispy fried corn tortillas that are essentially big tortilla chips! Use these for the base of your tostadas.
- The best part about making this recipe at home is that you can customize each tostada with whatever you like. Here are some suggested toppings, but feel free to get creative: refried beans, shredded iceberg lettuce or chopped romaine lettuce, black beans or pinto beans, corn, shredded Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese, cotija cheese, or queso fresco (shown here), quick pickled red onions or sliced green onions, salsa, pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes, this easy guacamole recipe or diced avocado, sliced radish, sour cream, chopped cilantro, jalapeño peppers, lime wedges or freshly-squeezed lime juice.
How to Make Tostadas de Tinga
Thanks to the ease of the slow cooker, these chicken tostadas come together with very little prep time! The detailed directions are included in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Combine the chicken and sauce ingredients in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until the chicken is done, about 1-2 hours on HIGH or 3-4 hours on LOW. The key to maintaining moist, tender, and juicy chicken in the slow cooker is not overcooking the meat. This often requires less time than you expect! Chicken will be perfect when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Shred the chicken with two forks.
- Transfer the chicken and sauce mixture to a large skillet. Cook over high heat until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10-12 minutes.
- Spoon the chicken onto the tostada shells.
- Garnish with your favorite toppings. Once you’ve piled the tostada shell high with the chicken tinga and all of your favorite toppings, just pick it up with both hands and take a bite. Don’t be shy! Of course, if you want to be more “proper” you can enjoy the meal with a fork and knife — but that’s not necessary. Think of the tostada de tinga as a giant nacho and just dig in with your hands!
Serving Suggestions
Tinga tostadas are obviously delicious on tostada shells, but you might also like the meat stuffed into tortillas for chicken tacos, piled high on top of a salad, or used in quesadillas, nachos, burritos, or enchiladas. On the side, try this easy Spanish rice, white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, or cilantro-lime rice, tortilla chips, ranch style beans or seasoned black beans, corn and black bean salad, queso, 7-layer bean dip, jalapeno cheddar cornbread, or Jiffy Mexican cornbread.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Leftover chicken tinga will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It’s a great, versatile option for meal prep!
- How to Freeze: Allow the cooked chicken to cool to room temperature. Package in an airtight container or in a large Ziploc freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- How to Reheat: Place the chicken and sauce in a saucepan. Cover and warm over low heat, just until heated through. You can also warm individual portions in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until they reach the desired temperature.
Did you make this recipe?
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Tostada de Tinga
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or sub with chicken breast)
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 12 tostada shells
- Optional toppings: shredded Mexican blend cheese or queso fresco, fresh cilantro, pickled red onions, sour cream, lime wedges, diced avocado or guacamole, pico de gallo or salsa
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotles, salt, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf in a slow cooker. Cover and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 1-2 hours on HIGH or 3-4 hours on LOW. Shred the chicken with two forks.
- Transfer the shredded chicken and sauce from the slow cooker to a large (12-14 inch) skillet. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates, 10-12 minutes. Simmering the chicken and sauce in a skillet helps to concentrate the flavor, and prevents a watery sauce that could otherwise make the tostadas soggy. Taste and season with salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
- Spoon a bit of the chicken onto the center of each tostada shell. Add the desired toppings and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Tinga Tostadas Recipe Variations
- Using such a small amount of chipotle peppers keeps this dish family-friendly and relatively mild. If you like a spicier, smokier pot of chicken, use even more of the chipotles from the can.
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, depending on your preference. Chicken thighs tend to stay more moist and juicy in the slow cooker than the white meat chicken breast, but either option works fine!
- Add canned beans or corn to bulk up the chicken.
- Double all of the ingredients to prepare extra chicken or to feed a larger group.
More Mexican Crock Pot Chicken Recipes to Try
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Creamy Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
4 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Crockpot Mexican Chicken (Crockpot Chicken Tacos)
3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Originally published in August, 2023, this post was updated in March, 2025.
Could I use jalapeños instead of chipotle peppers?
Sure! The flavor will be different, but it should work just fine.