Barbecue Chicken Tostadas
Savor the deliciousness of BBQ Chicken Tostadas with shredded chicken, barbecue sauce, and cheese piled on crispy corn tortillas. It’s a quick and easy dinner recipe that’s perfect for busy nights. With only 4 basic ingredients and simple prep, in less than 20 minutes, you can treat your family to a mouthwatering meal that’s gluten-free.
This recipe has been pinned hundreds of thousands of times. With reviews and photos everywhere on social media, you know it has to be a winner.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
The Best BBQ Chicken Tostadas Recipe
This BBQ chicken tostada recipe has become an absolute sensation! Sure, chicken tostadas are a tried-and-true Tex Mex favorite. But this version puts a sassy, saucy twist on that dish. Anything that combines barbecue sauce, chicken, and cheese is going to be requested on repeat. Here’s why you’ll love it…
- Ready in a flash. It’s one of the fastest and easiest dinner recipes you’ll ever make, and the entire family will love it.
- Favorite familiar flavors. Barbecue chicken is always a crowd-pleaser. Much like BBQ Chicken Pizza and BBQ Chicken Nachos, these tostadas are no exception!
- Naturally gluten free. Yep, no special ingredients, since tostada shells are made from corn. Double check your labels, and even if you aren’t sure, you can easily make your own tostada shells from corn tortillas in just a few minutes. Skip the cheese or use vegan cheese and these can be dairy-free too!
Recipe Ingredients
Grab just a few items for a meal that comes together in minutes. Just to show you how easy it is, take a look at this short ingredient list and quick recipe overview. All of the details and amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Tostada shells or corn tortillas – If you can’t find crispy tostada shells, you can make them with corn tortillas. More on that below.
- Chicken – cooked and shredded.
- Barbecue sauce – use your favorite. I like Original Stubb’s BBQ Sauce.
- Shredded cheese – the original recipe calls for mozzarella, but cheddar, Monterey jack, and pepper jack are great too. If you need to make it dairy-free, just use plant-based cheese.
- Optional – sliced scallions, salsa, sour cream, or other toppings or garnishes.
What kind of chicken should I use?
Since all you need is cooked chicken, you really have so many options!
- Cook a big bunch of boneless, skinless chicken in your slow cooker to use all week.
- Make extra baked BBQ chicken breasts or grilled chicken breasts.
- If you are preparing roast chicken or slow cooker roast chicken, you can always make two.
- It’s a great recipe using rotisserie chicken, so grab one from the store or make your own Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Tostadas
- Toss the shredded chicken in your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Pile the barbecue chicken on the tostada shells.
- Cover with cheese and bake.
- Before serving, drizzle on some more barbecue sauce and any toppings you like (keep reading for ideas).
It’s as simple as that. And let me tell you, they will be eaten just as quickly as they were made!
Tips and Variations
Make your own tostada shells. You can get store-bought tostada shells. But if you only have corn tortillas or prefer an option that’s not fried, you can brush them lightly with little oil and bake for three or four minutes on each side. All the details are here – How to Make Tostada Shells – and it works perfectly!
Try variations. You can truly customize this chicken tostada recipe however you like it. Here are some ideas.
- You can make them with mozzarella, as per Mary’s original recipe. But they are equally delicious using sharp cheddar, Monterey jack, or pepper Jack cheese.
- Swap the meat and use leftover pulled pork, barbecue beef, or even chopped up cube steaks to make steak tostadas.
- Mix and match different barbecue sauces to vary the flavor from sweet to tangy to spicy. You can even try something creative like Balsamic BBQ Sauce or Bourbon BBQ Sauce.
Add toppings. Of course, these chicken tostadas are tasty as-is, but you can really make a fun meal with all kinds of toppings.
- Try classics like scallions, sour cream, cilantro, or Guacamole.
- Give those traditional garnishes a twist with Mango Salsa or Avocado Crema.
- They would also be great drizzled with Greek Yogurt Ranch or even Jalapeno Ranch Dressing for a kick.
- And for something salty, a sprinkle of cooked bacon never hurts.
About The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook
I shared this recipe when I was doing a review of The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook written by my friend Mary of Barefeet in the Kitchen. This cookbook is perfect for those crazy weeknights when you want to make a delicious dinner for the family, but you don’t have much time. And each recipe has gluten free options for everything, including flour substitutions in the baked goods! I highly recommend picking up a copy!
More Cookbooks by Mary Younkin for Busy-Day Meals
- When you need quick sweet treats like Monster Cookie Bars, then you’ll need The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook.
- The Weekday Breakfasts & Lunches Cookbook makes morning and mid-day a breeze, like these Breakfast Tostada Stacks.
Make it a Meal
Here are some serving suggestions to round out your dinner when you make this chicken tostada recipe.
- Classic barbecue sides. We often enjoy BBQ chicken tostadas with coleslaw or potato salad.
- Finger foods. A kid-friendly meal certainly pairs well with Cauliflower Tots or Gluten Free Air Fryer Onion Rings.
- Wash it down. And the adults can sip on a Grapefruit Margarita while the kids enjoy the mocktail version of a Pina Colada Mule.
More kid-friendly chicken dinner recipes
BBQ Chicken Tostadas
Ingredients
- 8 tostada shells or 8 corn tortillas, brushed lightly with olive oil and baked for 3-5 minutes per side, until crispy
- 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce, divided
- 2 cups shredded cheese (Mary uses mozzarella in the cookbook, but I have also used cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a blend)
- 3 green onions, very thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lay out the 8 tostada shells on two rimmed baking sheets.
- Add 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken to a mixing bowl. Divide the 1 1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce, set aside 1/2 cup, and pour 1 cup of the barbecue sauce over the chicken. Stire to coat complteley.
- Divide the chicken between the tostada shells and top with 2 cups shredded cheese (about ¼ cup on each).
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining ½ cup barbecue sauce. Sprinkle with 3 green onions, thinly sliced, if desired.
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These were delicious! Everyone loved them! Thanks for sharing!!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the chicken tostadas, Tobi!
I have a feeling these would be a hit at my house. Yum!
We are having this tonight! So excited!! What would be a good side item for this? Need some ideas!
Hi Karen! I’m sorry that I missed seeing this comment until now. I like to serve the BBQ chicken tostadas with a side of Mexican rice or black beans. I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
I loved this! I made this as written, but with different cheese I had in the fridge (green onion cheese, it was a great balance). Then I eyeballed the sauce that I mixed with leftover rotisserie chicken, placed the chicken on top of the cheese, added tomatoes, green and red onions (since I had both), cilantro, sour cream and then a little more barbecue sauce drizzled on top. Yummy and fast, thank you so much for posting it!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the BBQ chicken tostadas recipe, Sheryl. Your substitutions sound delicious!
Are there any Nutritional Facts I can look up for this, bc I am using My Fitness Pal to record all food intake? Thanks. Family loved & we will use a little less BBQ sauce next time. Used tostadas & they stayed crispy @ 6-8 minutes, as u recorded. Very yummy. I paired it w/home made mac salad. That was a good “neutralizer” for the tanginess. Will make again! ????
Hi Tamara. Actually, My Fitness Pal has a place in the “recipes” section to import the URL from an existing post on the Internet. It will take all of the ingredients from my recipe and automatically convert them into the recipe creator for you. I suggest that you check each ingredient though, as My Fitness Pal doesn’t always recognize ingredients properly. I hope it helps you to get the nutritional information you’re looking for!
Super delicious and easy to make after a long day 🙂
I was looking for healthy recipes. Would this qualify
Dana, “healthy” depends on whether you mean nutritious or something to help with weight loss. If you’re looking to make something nutritious, I would suggest using whole grain tortillas (unless you need something gluten free, in which case corn or rice would be the preferred tortilla choice). To keep sugar and fat content lower, look for a low-sugar barbecue sauce and consider using low fat cheeses.
Those who lack the “cooking gene” follow recipes exactly. Those who CAN cook know how to adjust a recipe to suit their families. Please don’t take it personally. That being said…that is A LOT of sauce. I can’t imagine that it would keep the shell crispy. I use Stubbs BBQ sauce…it’s from Austin and is not sweet. Great idea though and I will try it on the tostado shells. I typically use flour tortillas.
I LOVE Stubbs – it’s my favorite and definitely not too sweet. Since I was reviewing a cookbook, I shared the recipe as it was in the book. That being said, my kids like them this saucy, though I prefer a little less sauce myself. But by using the crispy tostada shells or making the corn tortillas crispy in the oven before topping them, they do stay crispy. I am not sure about flour tortillas. Since I have a gluten allergy, I rarely use them and have not tried them in this recipe.
I was thinking about flour tortillas as well. I am not a fan of corn tortillas..
Flour tortillas would be a great option for you, Janet. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I LOVE to substitute cilantro for the green onions. Seriously divine!
These look so easy and amazing! I wonder if adding some red or black beans to the chicken wouldn’t be really good?! I think I have to find out!!
I think beans would be a wonderful addition to the chicken tostadas, Lana! I hope you enjoy them!
I put a black bean rice and corn mixture in mine and it was great!!
That sounds delicious, Kari! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.