30-Minute Healthy Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Healthy Chicken Tinga Tostadas serves up that chipotle pepper flavor you crave with a fraction of the calories!  Simple, delicious and ready in under 30 minutes!

I mean, look how yummy!  Now, wipe the drool and let's talk Healthy Chicken Tinga Tostadas.

• Who will love it: Anyone who loves Mexican food!  If you're family is spice adverse, cut the chipotle peppers down to 1.
• When to make it: Healthy Chicken Tinga Tostadas are a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken.   When you start with some shredded pre-made chicken, it comes together in under 30 minutes.  This makes perfect for weeknight meals!
• Why it's great: Not only is this a great way to use up some leftovers, but it really is full of flavor. This is also a great budget recipe, as you can pick up most the ingredients you need for under $10 total!

For this time, I used some leftovers from the Beer Can Chicken recipe I had made over the weekend.  We still had plenty of meat left on it, and this really is a fantastic way to use it up.

Nerd Chef's Tips and Tricks

• Even if you don't have any leftover rotisserie chicken, poaching a couple of chicken breasts couldn't be easier.  Simply fill a pot with a couple inches of water, bring to a boil and add your chicken for 10-12 minutes.  Remove it and shred it with a fork - and you're in business!
• I love the texture and saltiness of a good Mexican crumbling cheese.  I got turned onto it recently with a batch of grilled Mexican corn salad, but it goes great here, too.  If for whatever reason you don't like that, some old-fashioned taco cheese will do, too.
• I recommend dicing the avocado into chunks, as I did this time. The best way to use this is to use an avocado slicer (affiliate) to cut it in half and remove the pit.  Then, remove the skin and use a knife to cut it into squares.  One Avocado covered three tostadas for us.
• I went with 2 chipotle peppers in my sauce, and while I liked it, I knew it would be at ad spicy for my wife's tastes.  If you find your sauce is to spicy, a little sour cream in the sauce can cut the heat a little.   Add it toward the very end and let it heat for 1-2 minutes before serving.
• In the International Foods section of my grocer, they carry Baked Tostadas.  The calorie difference is no joke.  The baked tostadas come with only 40 calories, as opposed to 160 in a traditional one.  The difference is pretty minimal.  It still eats like a chip and you get the crunch at the bottom that you look for in a tostada.  It's a great calorie-cutting substitute.
• For your canned chipotles, make sure you open them and wash out the seeds first.  This will help take some of the heat out and keep the smoky flavor that the peppers provide.  Just make sure to wash your hands when you're done!

Let's make Healthy Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Prep

Begin by shredding your cooked chicken.  If you're meat is still on a rotisserie chicken, you can do this with a fork, pulling it away from the bird and setting it aside. 

If your chicken is still on the bone, use two forks, stabbing them both into the chicken and pulling in opposite directions.  Your shreds should be no more than an inch long and about a ¼ to ⅓ of an inch thick.

You'll also need to dice and onion and chop your avocado into squares.  Lastly, chop your cilantro.  Add all but couple pinches to sour cream and stir together.  Place mixture in fridge to mingle while you proceed with the rest.  Note: these steps can definitely be made while making the sauce, laid out below.

Make Tinga Sauce

To make your sauce, heat a large saute pan (affiliate) over medium high heat and add olive oil.  Toss in chopped onions and cook for about 3 minutes, until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for about a minute more.  Next, add chipotle pepper(s), cumin and dried oregano and cook for one minute to toast. 

Note: these can get pretty pungent if they toast longer than this, and the spice will clear out a room.  If you feel that point coming, proceed to the next step: add in your fire roasted diced tomatoes, chicken stock and salt.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 7 minutes, until sauce thickens slightly.

Remove sauce and pour into blender (affiliate).  Cover and pulse about 10 times, before switching to a medium speed and blending about 45 seconds, until completely smooth.

Add Chicken Tinga & Heat!

From here, it's really quite simple.  Set the heat on the saute pan (affiliate) to medium low and add chicken and sauce.  Stir together well.  Cook until heated through.

To serve, place tostada on plate and top with chicken tinga mix.  Spoon on cilantro sour cream and top with crumbled Mexican cheese and Avocado chunks.  Sprinkle over a bit of chopped cilantro and squeeze a lime over top.  Serve hot and enjoy!

30-Minute Healthy Chicken Tinga Tostada

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• Author: Mike
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 people 1x

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Description

Healthy Chicken Tinga Tostadas serves up that chipotle pepper flavor you crave with a fraction of the calories!  Simple, delicious and ready in under 30 minutes!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 oz cooked chicken (shredded)
• 1 small yellow onion (diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1-3 chipotle peppers (depending on your spice tolerence)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 avocado (cut into cubes)
• 4 oz Mexican crumbling cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (plus a couple pinches for garnish)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 lime
• 4 baked tostadas

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Instructions

Prep

1. Shred Chicken using fork, using two if needed. Shreds should be about ¼ to ⅓ inch thick.
2. Dice onion.  Chop Avocado into squares. To do this, cut in half and remove pit using Avocado tool. Peel off skin and cut flesh into chunks in cross-cross fashion.  Rinse Chipotle peppers. Pop them open to rinse away seeds.  Chop cilantro and add to sour cream. Stir and place in fridge.

Cook

1. Heat saute pan (affiliate) over medium heat and add olive oil.  When warm, add chopped onion and cook for 3 minutes, until translucent.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Toss in chipotle peppers, cumin and oregano. Toast for 1 minute.
2. Pour in chicken stock, fire roasted diced tomatoes and salt. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken. Remove pan from heat and pour sauce into blender (affiliate). Pulse about 10 times, then switch blender (affiliate) to medium setting and let it go for about 45 seconds, until smooth.
3. Return saute pan (affiliate) to burner and place on medium low. Add chicken and sauce in pan and stir together well. Cook until warmed through, about 4-5 minutes.  Tip: Taste, if it's too spicy add a dollop of sour cream to the mix. Stir and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes.
4. To serve, place baked tostada on plate. Top with warm chicken mixture. Dollop a spoonful of cilantro sour cream and add crumbled mexican cheese and diced avocados over top.  Finish with a small pinch of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve hot!

Notes

• Even if you don’t have any leftover rotisserie chicken, poaching a couple of chicken breasts couldn’t be easier.  Simply fill a pot with a couple inches of water, bring to a boil and add your chicken for 10-12 minutes.  Remove it and shred it with a fork – and you’re in business!
• I love the texture and saltiness of a good Mexican crumbling cheese.  I got turned onto it recently with a batch of grilled Mexican corn salad, but it goes great here, too.  If for whatever reason you don’t like that, some old-fashioned taco cheese will do, too.
• I recommend dicing the avocado into chunks, as I did this time. The best way to use this is to use an avocado slicer (affiliate) to cut it in half and remove the pit.  Then, remove the skin and use a knife to cut it into squares.  One Avocado covered three tostadas for us.
• If went with 2 chipotle peppers in my sauce, and while I liked it, I knew it would be at ad spicy for my wife’s tastes.  If you find your sauce is to spicy, a little sour cream in the sauce can cut the heat a little.   Add it toward the very end and let it heat for 1-2 minutes before serving.
• In the International Foods section of my grocer, they carry Baked Tostadas.  The calorie difference is no joke.  The baked tostadas come with only 40 calories, as opposed to 160 in a traditional one.  The difference is pretty minimal.  It still eats like a chip and you get the crunch at the bottom that you look for in a tostada.  It’s a great calorie-cutting substitute.
• For your canned chipotles, make sure you open them and wash out the seeds first.  This will help take some of the heat out and keep the smoky flavor that the peppers provide.  Just make sure to wash your hands when you’re done!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Dinner, Main Course
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 tostada
• Calories: 445
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 1540mg
• Fat: 22g
• Saturated Fat: 11g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 16g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 43g
• Cholesterol: 114mg

Keywords: Healthy Mexican, Taco Night, Chicken Tinga