Name: Chicken Tinga Tostadas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 300 g Boneless Chicken, cooked and shredded; 6 Tostada Shells, crisp; 3 Tomato, roughly chopped; ¾ cup Onion, thinly sliced, divided; 3 clove Garlic, peeled; 1 Chipotle Chiles, for smoky heat; ½ cup Chicken Stock, warm; ½ tsp Dried Oregano, crumbled; 1 Bay Laurel Leaf, whole; ½ cup Cabbage, finely shredded; 1 Avocado, sliced; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped; ½ Lemon, juiced, preferably lime; 1 tbsp Cooking Oil, for sauce; to taste Salt, for seasoning; ¼ tsp Black Peppercorns, freshly crushed

45 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

Blend the tomatoes, garlic, chipotle chile, chicken stock, salt, and black pepper into a smooth sauce.
Heat the measured cooking oil in a pan and cook most of the sliced onion until soft and lightly golden.
Add the blended sauce, dry oregano, and bay leaf, then simmer until the sauce thickens and smells cooked.
Add the shredded chicken and simmer until it absorbs the smoky tomato-chipotle sauce.
Remove the bay leaf and adjust salt if needed.
Toss the cabbage with lemon juice, a little salt, and the remaining onion.
Spoon the chicken tinga onto crisp tostada shells and top with cabbage, avocado, and fresh coriander.
Serve immediately so the tostadas stay crisp.

How to tell it's done

The chicken should be moist and saucy, while the tostada shells should remain crisp at the base.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the tostada shells separate until serving; assembling early makes them soggy.

What to serve it with

Serve as a party snack, light dinner, or lunch with extra cabbage and avocado.

Common mistakes

The tinga is watery and slides off the tostada.: Reduce the sauce until it clings to the chicken rather than pooling. Tinga should be moist and glossy, not soupy — a wet one soaks straight through the shell.
The chipotle heat overwhelms everything.: Start with less than you think and blend it fully into the sauce. Chipotle in adobo varies wildly in strength, and it cannot be pulled back out once it is in.

Substitutions

Use crisped Corn Tortillas if Tostada Shells are unavailable.
Use Boneless Chicken Breast for a leaner version, but keep the chicken moist while shredding.
Use Red Chilli Powder only if Chipotle Chiles are unavailable; the smoky flavor will be reduced.
Add Mexican Crema or Queso Fresco if you want a richer version, but that will add dairy allergen handling.

Storing and reheating

The tinga keeps four days in the fridge and freezes for three months — it is genuinely better on the second day. Tostada shells keep two weeks in a sealed tin. Assemble only at the table.

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Ingredients