Tostadas de Tinga

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These tostadas de tinga (chicken tinga tostadas) are crispy baked tortillas loaded with bold-flavored chipotle chicken, refried beans, and guacamole. Make your chicken tinga in the Instant Pot for a effortless Mexican-inspired dinner.

Side view of tostadas de tinga served on a stoneware plate, with bowls of toppings in the background.

Why You’ll Love This Tostadas de Tinga Recipe

Convenient. Chicken tinga is quick to make in the Instant Pot, perfect for weeknights.
Flavorful. Tostadas de tinga are smoky and spicy, with delicious contrast between the tender saucy chicken layered over creamy refried beans, guac, and a crunchy corn tortilla.
Has the perfect amount of spice. The bold chilies and spices warm you from the inside out. This satisfying meal is filled with Mexican-style flavor!
Great for leftovers. The chipotle chicken stores well, so you can make a big batch to keep in the fridge or freeze for later meals.

What are Tostadas de Tinga?

The name “tinga” is derived from the Mexican word “tingatl”, meaning to tear. This is a type of shredded chicken cooked with spices, onions, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The chicken tinga is then loaded onto a “tostada” (“toasted” in Spanish), a toasted corn tortilla that’s topped with refried beans and other taco-style toppings.

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes on what you’ll need to make these homemade chicken tinga tostadas. Scroll to the recipe card below the post for a printable ingredients list.

For the Chicken Tinga

Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken thighs stay tender and are easiest to shred. You can also use boneless chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand.
Seasonings – Olive oil, salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
Onion – Yellow onion works best.
Chipotles in Adobo – You’ll need chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce. Save a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce, too.
Stock – You can use low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock.
Enchilada Sauce – Store-bought is fine, but nothing compares to homemade enchilada sauce. I use a mild version since the chipotles in adobo already lend quite a bit of heat to the sauce.
Herbs – Oregano and bay leaves.

For the Tostadas

Corn Tortillas – Brushed with olive oil for frying. My favorite brand of corn tortillas is La Tortilla Factory.
Toppings – Traditional tostadas toppings include refried beans, guacamole, shredded cabbage and pico de gallo salsa. I’ve linked to my homemade recipes, but you can use store-bought versions of these as well. Feel free to get creative!

How to Make Chicken Tinga Tostadas

I love making chicken tinga in the Instant Pot as it’s the best way to pack loads of flavor into a short cooking time. Here’s a quick step-by-step. Remember to scroll to the recipe card for printable recipe instructions.

Browned chicken inside the instant pot. — Season and brown the chicken.

Seasonings added to chicken inside the instant pot. — Season and brown the chicken.

Season the chicken. Start by tossing the chicken pieces with olive oil, kosher salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
Brown the chicken. Afterward, brown the chicken using the sauté function on the Instant Pot.
Load the Instant Pot. Dump in your onion, chipotles, adobo sauce, chicken stock, enchilada sauce, oregano, and bay leaves.

Cooked chicken tinga inside the instant pot. — Cook on high pressure.

Chicken tinga inside the instant pot. — Cook on high pressure.

Cook. Set the pot to cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, followed by a natural release.
Shred. Using two forks, shred the chicken inside the Instant Pot, then leave it to rest and soak up the sauce while you prepare your tostadas.

Overhead view of a hand using a basting brush to brush corn tortillas with oil. — Brush the tortillas with oil.

Overhead view of four corn tortillas on a baking sheet. — Brush the tortillas with oil.

Toast the tortillas. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the corn tortillas with oil, and bake them in a single layer at 410ºF for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.

A tostada topped with refried beans and guacamole on a plate with bowls of toppings in the background. — Top with refried beans and guacamole.

A tostada topped with shredded chicken on a plate with bowls of toppings in the background. — Top with refried beans and guacamole.

Assemble. Top each tostada with refried beans, then guacamole, followed by your chicken tinga, crunchy shredded cabbage, and pico de gallo.

Tips for Success

Make this recipe on the stovetop. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can follow the recipe as directed and simmer the chicken and sauce ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven on the stovetop instead. Expect to simmer the chicken for about 30 minutes, until it’s soft enough to shred.
Check the chicken for doneness. Use an instant-read thermometer or a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF before you shred it.

Close up of tostadas de tinga served on a stoneware plate.

Variation Ideas

Toppings. Use any of your favorite taco toppings to dress your tostadas de tinga. Other tasty options are tomato salsa, diced jalapeño, chopped fresh cilantro, and Mexican crema.
Protein. In place of chicken, try a variation of this recipe with beef, turkey, or pork, like my Instant Pot pork carnitas. You could also use leftover birria meat or chilorio.
Spiciness. Tinga recipes are spicy as is, but you can tweak this recipe with hot enchilada sauce or fewer chipotles for more or less heat. For extra spice, drizzle some salsa macha (black magic oil) on top. (A little goes a long way so start slow.)

Overhead view of tostadas de tinga served on a stoneware plate with lime wedges.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Fridge: Keep the chicken tinga stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. I recommend toasting fresh corn tortillas before serving so that they’re crisp.
To Reheat: Warm the chicken in a skillet or the microwave and serve it over a toasted tortilla. You can also use leftovers as a filling for chicken tacos!