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Jeez, my titles are just too insane.
Before the one you see now, I had Chipotle in there too, but wow, it was just way too much of a tongue twister. I am actually beginning to get annoyed with myself that for the life of me I just cannot write-up a simple, non confusing recipe title. I mean, they happen, but only occasionally. Oh well, I just can’t leave anything out. I just can’t.
Sooo, how about some fresh flavors and colorful Mexican food to brighten up your Wednesday?
Like don’t you just want to hit the beach with me and my pineapple up there? Cause I do. If you read my post on Sunday, you’d know that I said I was freezing. Well, yeah, I am still freezing and it is snowing again. Welcome to late February in Colorado. Just three more months of the cold and snow and then it’s mud season. Oh my gosh, sounds so fun, right. Oh yeah…
I am actually OK with all the cold weather though because when it gets really cold like this, it just makes me think of tropical warm places… and well, apparently really freaking delicious Mexican food.
With pineapple, because you know, crazy me bought TEN at the grocery store the other week. <–Can you say, Tieghan loves pineapples? YUP.
So you can see why I especially love these chicken tingas… with pineapple. And beneath it all sits a crispy all cheese quesadilla (so kind of like a quesadilla tostada)…with um, tequila lime pickled jalapeño’s, and well lots of cajita cheese, because life should be extra fun on this Wednesday!
You see, I clearly got a little carried away with this recipe. This seems to happen a lot with me, but I kind of like it. This way I get to eat really good food. Score.
Oh, and did I mention this is one of those crazy simple and crazy easy crockpot recipes? I mean, I tried to get the word crockpot into the title too, but it just wasn’t gonna happen.
You can actually make this in the crockpot OR in the oven. Both ways turn out just the same. The crockpot is just nice and convenient though. Gotta love a delicious warm meal that is waiting for you when you get home. Plus, the house smells AMAZING all day long. I loved walking in from the cold only to smell tropical Mexican cooking away. It really is the very best way to handle these late February days.
If you are wondering, tinga just means a smoky tomato based Mexican sauce. It can be made with chicken, pork or beef and is typically served over rice or in a tortilla. I did my tinga just a little differently, but it’s the perfect combo of spicy and sweet, and it’s made even better by the crispy cheese quesadilla sitting underneath it.
By the way, making a quesadilla into a tostada is the best. You get to stuff so much cheese into your dilla and everything stays so nice and crisp. On top of that, you get to pile on the toppings like you would a tostada. Epic.
And those pickled jalapeño’s? I really just added those because one – I love spicy jalapeño’s and limes, and two – I feel like all of our Wednesdays could possibly use a little pick me up. Thinking these are just the perfect final touch to help us through the hump.
Chipotle Pineapple Chicken Tinga Quesadilla Tostadas with Tequila Lime Pickled Jalapeño's.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 961 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chipotle Pineapple Chicken Tinga
- 1-2 cups pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 (14 ounce) can fired roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/2 small sweet onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 in canned chipotle chiles adobo chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple diced + more for serving
- 2 pounds skinless chicken thighs or breast or combo
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped + more for serving
- sliced avocado pineapple wedges + catija cheese, for serving
Tequila Lime Pickled Jalapeño's.
- 3 jalapenos thinly sliced
- 1 small lime sliced
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tequila
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- To make the tequila lime pickled jalapeños, add the jalapeños to a glass jar. Sprinkle with sugar. Add the vinegar, tequila and lime juice. Toss. Let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. After 30 minutes you can then cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- To make the tinga. In the bowl of a crockpot, combine 1 cup pineapple juice, the orange juice, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chopped chipotle chiles, salt, cumin, ginger, cinnamon and pineapple. Give it a stir and then place the chicken in the mixture. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.* Keep an eye on the chicken towards the end of cooking and if needed add the remaining pineapple juice, I did.
- Once the chicken is cooked, shred with two forks and toss with the sauce. Cover and keep warm.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add two tortillas. Top each with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and a sprinkle of cilantro. Top each with another tortilla. Cook until crisp, about 2 minutes, flip and cook another 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- To assemble, place the quesadilla crisps on a plate. Top with the pineapple chicken tinga, a few slices of avocado, fresh pineapple, catija cheese and the tequila pickled jalapeños. Enjoy!
Notes
*The chicken can also be cooked in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a heavy bottom pot with a tight fitting lid, combine 1 cup pineapple juice, the orange juice, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chopped chipotle chiles, salt, cumin, ginger, cinnamon and pineapple. Give it a stir and then place the chicken in the mixture. Cover and cook for 2-4 hours or until the chicken shreds easily and the sauce has reduced. Check the chicken one or two times throughout cooking and if needed, add the extra pineapple juice. I added it. Follow the remainder of the recipe as directed above.
Pineapple Chicken Tinga Quesadilla Tostadas with Tequila Lime Pickled Jalapeño’s – whew, happiest fiesta Wednesday!!
Looks amazing but I was wondering, is it really only 1 ounce of canned tomatoes or 1 can of 14 ounces? 1 ounces seems relatively small.
So sorry for the trouble! It is 1 (14 ounce) can. Recipe is not fixed! 🙂
Oops- meant “too” much! Just had to say again that they really are fabulous!
These were delicious! Strangely, though, I had two much liquid at the end. Cooked in the slow cooker and then boiled some down on the stove. Question- do you think the chicken and liquid could be frozen?
Thanks!
Hey Liesl! Sorry you had a bit too much liquid! Yes, the chicken can be frozen. It works great! Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!!
Your pictures are really beautiful. I aspire to be a photographer, may I ask what kind of camera do you use?
Thank you so much! I use a Canon 5D Mark iii.
These look AMAZING. Tacos are pretty much my favorite food and I love all the twists in these. Cant want to try them out.
I have this in my crockpot right now. I have no doubt that it will be awesome. Thanks for posting and your titles are what attracts my attention. I did notice that the jalapeno recipe called for one small lime, sliced but the directions say add lime juice so added the juice of a small lime.
THANK YOU!! Hope you love this!!
The photos are killing me. These look amazing!
Made the recipe tonight and it turned out great! Only thing that was slightly confusing was the “2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped” ingredient listing – thought it meant 2 CANS of peppers not two individual peppers. Just a thought 🙂
jalapeños not jalapeño’s
please, it’s killing me
these looks SO fun T, you have me craving summer even worse than I thought! and umm, NEVER change your recipe titles, I love how insane they are 🙂
Who cares about long titles- that’s why there are short links! Duh. That chicken looks killer, and I just resolved to start using my slow cooker more. Perfect.
These tostadas look killer, you are so making me want to hit the beach!
I think your titles are fine, I was reading a textbook from the CIA and the section on recipe naming would definitely approve! It’s straightforward and to the point. Now this chicken tinga is out of this world 😉
Do you know how long you can keep the Pickled Jalapeño’s?
Yup, but so is your food and that’s why I love to visit here..for awesome looking food 🙂
AWE! Thanks Gerry!