These chicken tinga tostadas are packed with bold, smoky flavor and made effortlessly in the slow cooker. Tender shredded chicken simmers in a rich tinga sauce made with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, tomatoes, and warm spices. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights and guaranteed to become a family favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy slow cooker meal with minimal hands-on time
- Bold, smoky flavor from chipotle peppers and spices
- Perfect for building your own tostadas with your favorite toppings
- Great for feeding the whole family
- Versatile—use leftovers for tacos, bowls, or salads
- A simple way to enjoy Mexican food at home
- Naturally high in protein and satisfying
- Makes delicious crispy tostadas without frying—give our Mexican chicken salad tostadas a try too!
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find everything for this recipe at your local grocery store, and a few simple swaps make it flexible.
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs of chicken). You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: Adds signature smoky heat and depth. Adjust the spice level by using 1 pepper for mild heat or more for extra kick. Need to find another way to use up those chipotle peppers in adobo sauce? Try our crockpot southwest chicken recipe as well.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes + tomato paste: Creates a rich base similar to a quick tomato sauce for the tinga recipe.
- White onion & garlic cloves: Essential for flavor—blend until smooth for a cohesive sauce.
- Avocado oil: Adds richness; you can substitute olive oil or canola oil.
- Corn tortillas: Bake into crisp tostada shells for the best texture.
- Optional add-ins: A splash of chicken broth can be added if you want a thinner sauce.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Control the heat level - Start with 1–2 chipotle chiles and adjust based on your preferred heat level.
- Blend until smooth - Use a high speed blender to create a smooth, cohesive tinga sauce.
- Shred easily - Use two forks to quickly shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker.
- Crisp the tortillas evenly - Bake on a sheet pan or place on a wire rack for extra even crisping.
- Add beans for layering - Spread refried beans on the tostadas before adding chicken for extra flavor and texture.
- Make it a little different - Serve the chicken over rice instead of tostadas.
- Finish with toppings - Add our easy pickled red onions recipe, cotija cheese, queso fresco, sour cream, or mexican crema, plus chopped cilantro and lime juice.
How to Make Chicken Tinga Tostadas
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
In a blender, combine the fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, white onion, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt, and avocado oil. Blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the chicken, making sure it is well coated.
Cover and cook on low heat for 4–6 hours, or until the chicken is tender and easy to shred.
Step 2: Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker and stir to coat in the smoky chipotle sauce. Add additional salt to taste as needed.
Step 3: To make the tostadas, preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the corn tortillas on a sheet pan.
Lightly spray both sides with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy tostadas form. Watch closely toward the end to prevent burning.
Step 4: Assemble by topping each tostada with the chicken tinga and your favorite toppings.
Crockpot Chicken Tinga Tostadas FAQs
Store leftover chicken tinga in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of chicken broth or hot water if needed to loosen the sauce. For best texture, store tostadas separately to keep them crisp.
Yes, these are gluten free and dairy free chicken tinga tostadas.
Yes! After cooking and shredding the chicken, let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container or freezer bags with the sauce. Freeze for up to 2–3 months.
For best results, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or chicken broth if needed to loosen the sauce. The flavor holds up really well, making it perfect for meal prep or using leftover tinga for an easy meal later on.
Yes, you can bake the corn tortillas ahead of time, but for the crispiest texture, they’re best made fresh. If baking in advance, let the tortillas cool completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature with a paper towel to absorb moisture. They’ll keep well for 1–2 days. If they soften, simply reheat in a 400°F oven for 3–5 minutes to crisp them back up before serving your chicken tinga tostadas.
Other Crockpot Chicken Recipes
If you make this crockpot chicken tinga tostadas recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Chicken Tinga Tostadas (Easy Crockpot Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1, 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ small white onion
- 1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- Corn tortillas
- For serving: any toppings of choice like avocado, pickled onions, cilantro, lime, etc. (how to make easy pickled red onions)
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a blender, combine the fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, white onion, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt, and avocado oil. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, making sure it is well coated.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4–6 hours, or until the chicken is tender and easy to shred.
- Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker and stir to coat in the smoky chipotle sauce. Add additional salt to taste as needed.
- To make the tostadas, preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the corn tortillas on a sheet pan.
- Lightly spray both sides with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy tostadas form. Watch closely toward the end to prevent burning.
- Assemble by topping each tostada with the chicken tinga and your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Save time/prep ahead:
- Prep the sauce ahead. Blend the sauce ingredients and store in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Use pre-cooked chicken - Save time by using store-bought rotisserie chicken—just simmer briefly in the sauce.
- Make a double batch - Freeze extra chicken tinga in freezer bags for an easy meal later.
- Great for the next day - Use leftover tinga for tacos, bowls, or salads the next day.
- You can bake the corn tortillas ahead of time, but for the crispiest texture, they’re best made fresh.
If baking in advance, let the tortillas cool completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature with a paper towel to absorb moisture. They’ll keep well for 1–2 days.
If they soften, simply reheat in a 400°F oven for 3–5 minutes to crisp them back up before serving your chicken tinga tostadas.
- These chicken tinga tostadas are gluten free and dairy free.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Chicken Tinga Tostadas." The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
Leah Rasmussen
I tripled the recipe to have enough for dinner, left overs, and some for the freezer. I love meals where the crockpot does the heavy lifting and this didn't disappoint! Topped with fresh salsa, cheese and avocado and it was a winner!
Olivia & Annie
We couldn't agree more, crockpot meals are lifesavers! So glad you loved this recipe!