If you’re a sweet and spicy lover, these chicken tostadas will definitely earn a spot in your rotation. They’re topped with crispy slow cooker pineapple chipotle chicken, mango salsa, and just the right amount of creamy guacamole and cotija cheese.
It’s a flavor explosion! But not at the cost of calories. Each tostada has a whopping 18 grams of protein with just 200 calories and 5 Smart Points.
This recipe is technically a two-for-one deal. You could use the pineapple chipotle chicken in all kinds of recipes. Likewise, you could make the chicken tostadas with everything from shredded rotisserie chicken to your own favorite recipe.
How to Make the Crispy Slow Cooker Pineapple Chipotle Chicken
I love crockpot or slow cooker chicken. It’s so easy to make! And the pineapple chipotle chicken for these chicken tostadas is no different.
All you’ll need to do is blend up the sauce ingredients, add to a crockpot with the chicken, and leave it be for a few hours.
If you’ve tried my honey chipotle crockpot pulled chicken, you’ll have a good idea of the spice level. Thanks to the citrus, this recipe isn’t AS spicy. But if you’re sensitive, there’s no shame in using half the can of chipotle peppers like in my ground chicken tinga tostadas recipe.
Similar to my rotisserie chicken tacos recipe, this chicken goes the extra mile to make the chicken crispy and add texture by broiling in the oven.
To do this, you’ll need to transfer the cooked chicken to a baking sheet and use your oven’s broil setting for a few minutes.
If you have a Ninja Foodi, you could use its slow cooker and broil functions to skip the baking sheet like in my shredded Mexican chicken and pressure cooker carnitas recipes.
What’s the difference between broil and bake?
If you’ve never used this setting on your oven, have no fear. There’s nothing special about it.
Instead of surrounding your food with hot air with the traditional bake setting, the broil is simply cooking food with direct heat from above. This makes it crispy and creates those satisfying charred edges.
How to Make the Chicken Tostadas
Once your chicken is prepped, the only thing left to do is toast some tortillas and assemble. Feel free to get creative with your toppings, but here’s a look at what you’ll need:
- 100-calorie guacamole packs
- mango salsa
- cotija cheese
- cilantro
- extra thin corn tortillas
If you want to make your own mango salsa, check out my chipotle bbq ground chicken tacos or air fryer tacos recipes. You could also bring over the pineapple salsa from my shredded pork tenderloin tacos or make my creamy guacamole salsa.
Final Notes for Chicken Tostadas
The chicken recipe preps a beaucoup of chicken. I’ve include a few more pairing ideas in the notes section of the recipe card below. You’ll also find nutrition facts for the chicken on its own, tostadas with specific serving sizes, and all that nutrition facts goodness.
And I always like to mention in slow cooker chicken breast recipes that using boneless skinless chicken thighs can really elevate the finished product. The tiny bit of extra fat makes a huge difference. If you want a recipe to try, check out my chipotle bbq smoked chicken thighs or pulled chicken tacos. You can make both in a pressure cooker or slow cooker.
I think I’ve covered everything but if you have any questions, drop a comment below.
And as always, let me know what you think about these chicken tostadas. Take a photo of your creation and tag me on Instagram @mason_woodruff. Or join my free Facebook group and share it with the Proton Party.
Pineapple Chipotle Chicken Tostadas
Ingredients
Crispy Slow Cooker Pineapple Chipotle Chicken
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 8 oz can Crushed Pineapple, in juice
- 7 oz can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, use 1/2 can for spice sensitive
- 5-6 cloves 25g Peeled Garlic
- 1 Tbsp 16g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp 15g Juice of Medium Lime
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
Tostadas
- 6 Extra Thin Corn Tortillas, I used Mission
- 1/2 C 56g Cotija Cheese, crumbled
- 6 Tbsp Mango Salsa, I used Sam's Club
- 2 100- Calorie Guacamole Packs
- 1-2 pinches Chopped Cilantro, optional
Instructions
Crispy Slow Cooker Pineapple Chipotle Chicken
- Add all the chicken ingredients (except the chicken breasts) to a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Add the chicken breasts and sauce to a crockpot and cook on low for 2.5-3 hours on low or until the chicken reaches 165F and/or juices run clear.
- Remove the chicken to shred with two forks before tossing in the sauce. (You can do this in the crockpot but be careful to not burn yourself.)
- Add the chicken to a large baking sheet and set your oven to a high broil.
- Place the baking sheet on the top oven rack and broil for 4-6 minutes or until the chicken has crisp edges.
Chicken Tostadas
- Preheat the oven to 400F and place your oven rack back in a center setting.
- Place 6 tortillas directly on the oven rack or on a wire rack and toast until crispy, about 6-8 minutes.
- Top each toasted tortilla with 3 ounces of chicken, guacamole, salsa, cheese, cilantro, and any other desired toppings.
Notes
- Each tostada has 5 Smart Points.
- The entire chicken recipe makes 16 3-ounce servings. A 3-ounce serving of the chicken on its own has 90 calories, 14 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat, and 1 Smart Point.
- You’ll need 18 ounces of chicken for 6 tostadas. So, you can make up to 18 tostadas with the chicken recipe or use it in other recipes. Ideas include using it as a filling for my air fried taquitos or baked chicken empanadas, or you could throw it on top of my healthier chilaquiles rojas with a fried egg.
Can this be made in the instant pot as well? That’s what I did with the honey chipotle chicken.
I am wondering same thing!!
Sorry I missed this! Yes, you totally could. My Instant Pot buffalo chicken calls for 2.5 lbs of chicken with similar amounts of liquid ingredients and cooks for 10 minutes on high with 10 minutes natural release. Then you’d shred and broil all the same.
Seriously THE BEST flavor combination. I love this chicken so much and the broiling in the oven is a very important step. I’ve made it with more and less chipotle, I like it spicy but the bf doesn’t. I love this as meal prep chicken with rice and broccoli.
The citrus with the spice is a nice balance. I bought a chipotle pepper paste Ina jar because the can was far too much spice. It gives flexibility in adding more spice without wasting peppers. This chicken is great on tortillas or thrown on a bed of spinach!
This is one of my favorites to make. Admittedly the crockpot is too hands off for me so I do the chicken in a dutch oven on the stovetop with a little bit of water. But you can use it for anything, not just tostadas. Sooooo good. Meal prep staple material right here.
Seriously THE BEST flavor combination. I love this chicken so much and the broiling in the oven is a very important step. I’ve made it with more and less chipotle, I like it spicy but the bf doesn’t. I love this as meal prep chicken with rice and broccoli.
LOVED THIS! Seriously one of our favorite things to make in the air fryer. Tasted even better the next day for the chicken.
The citrus with the spice is a nice balance. I bought a chipotle pepper paste Ina jar because the can was far too much spice. It gives flexibility in adding more spice without wasting peppers. This chicken is great on tortillas or thrown on a bed of spinach!
This is one of my favorites to make. Admittedly the crockpot is too hands off for me so I do the chicken in a dutch oven on the stovetop with a little bit of water. But you can use it for anything, not just tostadas. Sooooo good. Meal prep staple material right here.
LOVED THIS! Seriously one of our favorite things to make in the air fryer. Tasted even better the next day for the chicken.
I make huge batches of this chicken to portion and freeze for days I just can’t with dinner prep. Pineapple is an ingredient I NEVER thought to use in savory dishes until reading this blog but it’ll blow your mind. Pinky swear.