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My Mom Lula’s Chicken Tinga Tostada

Chicken tinga tostadas

This is a chicken tinga tostada love story. As Arianna Hermosillo wrote in this post about the winning recipe, during Christmas 2017 my family decided to host a Mexican tostada cookoff . Who would make the best traditional Mexican topping?

Things got competitive—fast.

At my aunt Blanca’s house that Navidad, many delicious dishes were served to spread onto tostadas. Blanca cooked lomo or tenderloin; her sister, my aunt Marisela made her famous nopalitos, and my brother in law Jorge and mom both made chicken tingas. Non-competition favorite traditional sides, like frijoles and guacamole, rounded out the tostada contest table offerings.

The winner? After we all sampled the entire table, my cuñado Jorge’s creamy chicken and poblano chicken tinga clearly won the contest. It was based on a recipe he got from his mother, back in Mexico.

Deservedly.

Equally deserving, imho, was another family favorite recipe put forth that Christmas day. My mom Lula brought her traditional chicken tinga, made with chipotle chile and lard (yep, lard. That’s how you know it’s old-school). Lula’s tinga was a strong contender at our cookoff—and remains a family favorite for all of us. Here it is.

My Mom Lula’s Chicken Tinga Tostada Recipe

Lula’s Traditional Chicken Tinga Tostadas

5.0 from 1 vote
Recipe by Arianna Hermosillo
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

45

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 chicken breasts, boneless

  • 3 onions, large

  • 2 tomatoes, large

  • 1 can chipotle peppers

  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 cube chicken bouillon, powdered

  • 2 Tbsp. manteca or lard

Directions

  • The Chicken
  • Boil the chicken breasts with a little salt. Once cooked, pull the cooked chicken apart with 2 forks or your fingers.
  • Cut the onions into rajas or thin strips and fry them in manteca—but not for too long.
  • Add the pulled chicken until it browns a little.
  • The Sauce
  • Boil 2 large tomatoes in water until the skin starts to blister.
  • Transfer the tomatoes to a blender. Add the can of chipotle peppers, garlic and chicken bouillon to taste. Mix until thoroughly bleded.
  • Putting It All Together
  • Add sauce to large pot with pulled chicken and onions. Heat until it boils.
  • They are ready to serve! Crema can first be smeared on each tostada to balance the acidity of the chicken tinga sauce.

Notes

  • Time-saving tip: My mom’s tostadas use canned chipotles and they come out deliciously. If you prefer, go ahead: start with fresh chipotle chiles and roast them. Come to think of it, Jorge’s winning chicken tinga recipe did use freshly charred poblanos. 🙌🏽

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