Chicken Tinga Tostadas with Pickled Onions and Avocado
Smoky, crunchy, colorful Cinco de Mayo tostadas.
Daily recipe · May 05, 2026
A little about this dish
For Cinco de Mayo, an iconic tray of chicken tinga tostadas delivers maximum festivity with bold color, crunch, and smoky flavor. Juicy shredded chicken is simmered in a chipotle-tomato sauce, then piled onto crisp corn tostadas with silky refried black beans, creamy avocado, shredded lettuce, queso fresco, pickled red onions, and cilantro. The contrast of fiery red tinga, bright green avocado, white cheese, and pink onions makes this dish especially striking for the table and the camera.
Ingredients (for 6)
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs — 2 lb
- Corn tostada shells — 12
- Black refried beans — 2 cups — warmed
- Roma tomatoes — 4 medium — halved
- White onion — 1 medium — sliced
- Red onion — 1 medium — very thinly sliced
- Garlic — 4 cloves — peeled
- Chipotle peppers in adobo — 3 peppers plus 2 tbsp sauce — chopped
- Chicken broth — 1 cup
- Avocados — 2 — sliced
- Romaine or iceberg lettuce — 3 cups — finely shredded
- Queso fresco — 1 cup — crumbled
- Fresh cilantro — 1/2 cup — leaves and tender stems
- Limes — 3 — 2 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
- Apple cider vinegar — 1/2 cup
- Mexican oregano — 1 tsp
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp
- Smoked paprika — 1/2 tsp
- Brown sugar — 1 tsp
- Neutral oil — 2 tbsp
- Kosher salt — 2 tsp
- Black pepper — 1/2 tsp
Preparation
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Step 1 — 🧅🍋💗Put the very thinly sliced red onion in a heatproof bowl. Add the juice of 1 lime, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss well and let sit for at least 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until bright pink and slightly softened.
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Step 2 — 🍅🧄🔥In a dry skillet or under the broiler, char the Roma tomatoes, sliced white onion, and garlic for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes blister and the onion edges darken a little.
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Step 3 — 🌶️🥣⚡Add the charred tomatoes, white onion, garlic, chopped chipotle peppers with adobo, chicken broth, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper to a blender. Blend until mostly smooth.
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Step 4 — 🍗🍳⏲️Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and sear for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Pour in the blended sauce, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and fully cooked.
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Step 5 — 🍗🍴🥘Move the cooked chicken to a bowl and shred it with two forks. Return it to the pan and simmer uncovered for 5 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken well. Taste and add more salt if needed.
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Step 6 — 🫘🥄♨️Warm the black refried beans in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring now and then. Add a splash of water if they seem too thick.
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Step 7 — 🥑🥬🧀Slice the avocados, crumble the queso fresco, finely shred the romaine or iceberg lettuce, gather the cilantro leaves and tender stems, and cut the last lime into wedges.
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Step 8 — 🌽🔥✨If you want extra crunch, place the corn tostada shells on a baking sheet and warm them in a 350°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes.
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Step 9 — 🫘🍗🥑Spread each tostada shell with warm refried beans. Top with chicken tinga, shredded lettuce, avocado slices, queso fresco, pickled red onions, and cilantro.
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Step 10 — 🍽️🍋😋Serve right away with lime wedges on the side so the tostadas stay crisp.
A final fox tip
Chicken tinga is beloved for its smoky chipotle depth and beautiful red color, making it perfect for a celebratory spread. For an even more dramatic party presentation, serve all the components on a board and let guests build their own tostadas. You can swap in shredded jackfruit for a vegetarian version, or add radish slices for extra crunch and color.