Chicken Tinga Tostadas: the easy and delicious Mexican recipe

Mexican food has become very popular outside its borders and its famous dishes are known all over the world, like for the tostadas. These chicken tinga tostadas are a typical Mexican recipe packed with flavor. Easy and delicious, tostadas are topped with chicken tinga. The secret of these chicken tinga tostadas lies in the spicy chipotle chiles. The chicken is juicy and smoky and there is nothing better than serving it on tostadas with fresh ingredients. Customize this wonderful recipe as you like and try different flavor combinations.

What is Chicken Tinga?

Tinga is a typical recipe from central Mexico and this name is given to a certain meat preparation. Here the chicken is shredded and seasoned with spices, onions and tomato sauce. Chicken tinga is then served on tostadas.

How to make Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Making the chicken tinga tostadas is easier than you may think. Let's start by making the chicken broth, so cook the chicken breasts and vegetables in a pot with water for up to 30 minutes or until it's not pink anymore. Let the chicken breasts cool. Meanwhile, peel the onion and cut it into thin slices. Place the onion in a casserole with oil and salt over medium-low heat and cook it for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. When the chicken is cool, shred it with a fork or your own fingers.

Next, mash the tomato with the chiles and garlic and pour a little bit of broth if it's too thick. Add the chicken, the spicy tomato sauce and salt into a pan and cook for about 10 minutes over low heat. Now it's time to assemble the tostadas, so start by heating the tortillas in a hot pan and flip them once browned. Top the tortillas with chicken tinga, lettuce and grated cheese.

How to serve Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Chicken tinga tostadas are best served warm. The combination of the crunchy tostada with the tender chicken thanks to the sauce and a fresh touch of lettuce is phenomenal. Top it off with grated cheese for a truly authentic Mexican dish.

Tips

– If the tomato sauce is too thick, add some of the broth from the chicken breasts.

– If you are heating a lot of tortillas you can leave them on a plate covered with a cloth to keep them warm. If you prefer to keep them crispy, leave them on a rack.

– You can use corn tortillas or wheat ones for your tostadas.

– You can customize this recipe by adding cooked beans or sweet corn as the chicken and finish cooking it. When serving the tostadas you can add a little sour cream, crumbled cheese and even other fresh foods such as peppers, avocado or cilantro.

– You can also make the chicken tinga in the slow cooker. Season the chicken and place it in the slow cooker with onions, spices and tomato sauce. Let it cook over high heat for up to 3 hours or until tender, then shred the chicken.

– If you aren't a chicken fan, you can top tostadas with beef tinga.

How to store Chicken Tinga Tostadas

If you have leftovers you can keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it and prepare it in portions to have it on hand whenever you want, since the process of cooking and shredding the chicken takes time.

Instructions

To make the chicken broth, place the chicken breasts in a pot with peeled carrots, spring onions, celery and leek.

Cover with water until the breasts are completely submerged, season with salt and cover the pot.

Turn the heat to high and as soon as it starts to boil, lower the heat so that the water continues to bubble but gently.

Cook the chicken breast for about 20-30 minutes or until it's not pink anymore.

Remove the breasts to a plate and let them cool.

Meanwhile, peel the onions, cut them in half and then into thin slices.

Place the onion into a large frying pan with olive oil and salt. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Shred the chicken with a fork once it has cooled down.

Mash the tomato with the chiles and garlic.

Add the chicken, spicy tomato sauce and salt to the pan and cook it all together for 10 minutes over low heat.

Now it's time to assemble the tostadas. Heat the tortillas in a hot frying pan over medium heat. As soon as you see that it has browned a little, flip it over and when it is golden brown on that side, set it aside.

Serve the wheat tortillas with chicken tinga, lettuce leaves and grated cheese on top.