Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo (Shredded Chicken and Salsa Tostadas)
Updated April 29, 2025
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4ounces smoked bacon, sliced crosswise into thin strips
- 1medium white onion, chopped, plus more for serving
- 2(15-ounce) cans black beans, undrained
- 1chipotle chile in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- Kosher salt (optional)
- 2cups cooked shredded chicken (from a roast chicken or rotisserie chicken)
- 1½ cups salsa, such as guajillo or aguacate ahumado salsa
- 8tostadas
- 4ounces queso fresco, crumbled
- Cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1030 calories; 48 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 99 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 56 grams protein; 2760 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the bacon in a large (room-temperature) skillet, preferably cast-iron, and heat over medium-high. (Starting in an unheated skillet allows the bacon fat to melt as the pan heats and will keep the bacon from sticking.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and crispy, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl.
- Step 2
Add the onion to the bacon fat in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until tender and brown, about 6 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the black beans and their liquid, the bacon, chipotle and adobo sauce and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Using a potato masher, smash the beans until almost no whole beans remain and the mixture is thick, smooth, and creamy — the consistency of sour cream. Remove from the heat, taste, and season with salt if desired. The refried beans will thicken as they sit.
- Step 5
In a medium saucepan over medium high, heat the chicken and salsa, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is completely coated and warmed through. Taste and season with salt if desired.
- Step 6
Spread about ⅓ cup of the refried beans over each tostada. Top with about ½ cup of the chicken tinga, the queso fresco, cilantro and chopped onion.
- The tinga can be made up to 5 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Comments
A tostada is a crispy tortilla that is eaten flat with or without toppings. Typically, when someone speaks of a tostada, toppings that come to mind are beans and chicken tinga (like this recipe) with chopped lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, cheese, etc.
And maybe a fresh flour tortilla as big as a pillow case. Lived in Tucson way back. Miss it very much, esp. the food!
Being from AZ, we would use pinto bean like our neighbors in Sonora do.
The beans are definitely the best part of this whole thing! Will be adding them to our rotating dinner menu for sure!
Made this with boiled chicken breasts, pulled, and warmed in a simple salsa. Added a bit of hot sauce to the refried beans in lieu of no chipotles and everything came up roses.
Wow was this great! If you skip the bacon or swap out olive oil you might as well use canned refried beans. (I never knew homemade refried beans could be so good.) I used the salsa recipe that was linked, but I do not tolerate much heat so cut the chipotles back to 1 pepper in the salsa and 1 in the black beans. I did find the chicken and salsa mixture to be a little dry, so added about half a cup of a high quality store bought salsa. I will make this recipe again and again and I'm already looking forward to having leftover refried beans for lunch.