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Home / Recipes / Chicken Recipes / BBQ Chicken Tostadas

BBQ Chicken Tostadas

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Author:

Kimber Matherne

Updated:

January 14, 2025

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With tangy BBQ chicken on crispy, crunchy tortilla shells, these BBQ Chicken Tostadas are so good! They’re fast and easy to make, too. Just 8 ingredients and 20 minutes for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner!

A close-up of a BBQ chicken tostada on a sheet pan. this Recipe

Table of contents

Toggle
  • Why I LOVE this recipe!
  • Recipe Notes
  • Ingredients + Substitutions
  • Recipe Variations
  • Recipe Step by Step
  • Recipe Tip
  • Recipe Short Cuts
  • What to Serve with BBQ Chicken Tostadas
  • Recipe FAQ’s
  • More EASY Chicken Recipes
  • BBQ Chicken Tostadas Recipe

BBQ + chicken is the BEST combo. I am a huge fan of the pair (as evidenced by my BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza, BBQ Chicken Nachos, BBQ Chicken Sliders, and more!)

With a crunchy tostada shell, refried beans, cheddar cheese, and a mound of BBQ chicken piled with crisp, fresh toppings and a generous drizzle of BBQ sauce, these BBQ Chicken Tostadas are absolutely delicious. And they might just be the easiest BBQ chicken recipe of them all!

I love to whip up a big sheet pan full of these easy BBQ Chicken Tostadas for quick lunches and dinners. The whole family loves them!

Why I LOVE this recipe!

  • Simple & easy – With just 8 ingredients and very little prep work, this BBQ shredded chicken tostadas recipe comes together effortlessly.
  • Super fast lunch or dinner – You can crank these tostadas out in 20 minutes. I love a fast homemade meal!
  • Versatile – Have a family member that needs to skip the dairy? Leave the cheese off of one (and omit the sour cream). Have a kid who isn’t sure about pico? Leave it off! The individual portions make customizing each tostada easy.

Recipe Notes

This BBQ Chicken Tostadas recipe is as simple as promised! Just 8 ingredients and 20 minutes for a family friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make BBQ Chicken Tostadas to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients + Substitutions

Ingredients for BBQ Chicken Tostadas
  • Tostada shells – I use premade tostada shells found at the store, which makes this BBQ Chicken Tostadas recipe extra easy!
  • Refried beans – You’ll need one can of beans, or about 1 1/2 cups of homemade refried beans.
  • Cheddar cheese – Use mild, medium, or sharp cheddar, whichever you prefer.
  • BBQ chicken – Use this BBQ chicken recipe for perfectly flavored BBQ chicken.
  • Lettuce – I like to use a crisp lettuce, sliced thinly, such as iceberg or romaine.
  • BBQ sauce – Grab your favorite brand of bottled sauce from the store, or make BBQ sauce yourself (it’s easy!)
  • Sour cream – Adds a creamy counterpoint to the bold BBQ flavors. Grab your favorite brand from the store.
  • Pico de gallo – You can usually find fresh pico de gallo in the produce or deli section of your grocery store, or you can whip up a batch of homemade pico de gallo.

Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

  • Spicy BBQ Chicken Tostadas– Use a spicy BBQ sauce, add hot jalapeno slices, and drizzle hot salsa and hot sauce over the top.
  • BBQ Chicken Tostadas Crock Pot– Swap out the chicken breast and use this Crock Pot BBQ Chicken instead. This one’s just 3 ingredients and super simple to make!
  • Pineapple BBQ Chicken Tostadas– Top the chicken with a few drained pineapple tidbits before adding toppings for a sweet touch. Top with fresh cilantro.

Recipe Step by Step

I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make BBQ Chicken Tostadas.

Top view of corn tortillas spread with refried beans on a baking sheet, for BBQ chicken tostadas.

Spread a layer of beans onto each tostada shell.

Cheese and refried beans on a tostada shell for BBQ chicken tostadas.

Top the beans evenly with cheese.

BBQ chicken is added to cheese and beans on a tostada shell for BBQ Chicken Tostadas.

Add the BBQ chicken.

BBQ chicken tostadas on a baking sheet.

Bake until warm and melty.

BBQ sauce is drizzled over BBQ chicken tostadas on a baking sheet.

Drizzle with BBQ sauce.

Toppings are added to BBQ chicken tostadas on a baking sheet.

Top with lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream.

Recipe Tip

  1. If you can’t find crunchy tostada shells, you can make your own  – Just brush small corn tortillas with a little cold water and sprinkle with coarse salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes in a 400°F oven, flipping once, until crisp.

Recipe Short Cuts

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!

  • Use store-bought products – Grab everything you need, pre-made, from the store! From the shredded lettuce to the BBQ sauce, pico de gallo, tostada shells and more, you can buy it all already prepped and ready to go.
  • Plan ahead – Make the BBQ chicken for a meal earlier in the week, and prep a couple of extra chicken breasts for these shredded BBQ chicken tostadas so you’re ready to go with already-cooked chicken.
  • Prep ahead – Cut the chicken, grate the cheese, and shred the lettuce ahead of time, then store separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days before making this BBQ Chicken Tostadas recipe. Easy!
  • Use grocery store rotisserie chicken – These tostadas are great with plain rotisserie chicken, too. Just toss some diced or shredded rotisserie chicken with a bit of BBQ sauce for an easy shortcut.
A hand holds up a BBQ Chicken Tostada.

What to Serve with BBQ Chicken Tostadas

Since this protein based dinner has the delicious flavors of BBQ chicken, it will pair well with many of your favorite BBQ or Tex-Mex side dishes.

Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.

Side Dish Ideas

  • Mexican Rice
  • Southern Coleslaw
  • Mexican Corn Salad
  • Summer Fruit Salad

Recipe FAQ’s

How to eat chicken tostadas?

The traditional way to eat tostadas is by hand! Just grab it with both hands and work your way in from the edges. If you prefer, you can use a fork and knife to eat your chicken tostada. We won’t judge!

Are tostadas always corn?

Almost always. Typically, the tostada shell is made with a corn tortilla, but you can swap in a crisped-up flour tortilla if you prefer.

More EASY Chicken Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my easy chicken recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

  • BBQ Chicken Nachos
  • BBQ Chicken Flautas
  • Mexican Style Chicken Thighs
  • Mexican Chicken Street Tacos
  • Shredded Mexican Chicken Casserole
BBQ Chicken Tostadas on a sheet pan.

BBQ Chicken Tostadas

By: Kimber Matherne
No ratings yet
With cheesy refried beans, saucy BBQ chicken, fresh toppings, a drizzle of BBQ sauce and sour cream all piled on a crisp corn tortilla shell, what's not to love about these tostadas? Best of all, they're ready in 20 minutes!
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
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Ingredients 

  • 4 tostada shells
  • 16 ounces refried beans, (1 can)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1½ cups diced BBQ chicken
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • ¼ cup BBQ sauce
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup pico de gallo

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400˚F.
  • Spread a layer of beans of each tostada shell. Then pile on the cheese and BBQ chicken. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the shell is crispy.
  • Once done, remove from the oven and top with lettuce. Drizzle BBQ sauce over the whole tostada, then add a dollop of sour cream and pico de gallo.
  • Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Last step!Share a picture on Instagram and tag me at @easyfamilyrecipes!

Recipe Notes

Substitutions: 
  • BBQ chicken: If you don’t have BBQ chicken, you can use any neutrally flavored chicken (leftover, rotisserie or other) and chop it up and mix 2 cups of chicken with ½ cup of BBQ sauce.
  • Cheddar cheese: You can swap in Monterey Jack cheese if you prefer. 
How to Scale: This recipe can easily be doubled if you are feeding a crowd or halved for smaller portions.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 438kcal (22%), Carbohydrates: 40g (13%), Protein: 29g (58%), Fat: 18g (28%), Saturated Fat: 9g (56%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 82mg (27%), Sodium: 2263mg (98%), Potassium: 554mg (16%), Fiber: 6g (25%), Sugar: 13g (14%), Vitamin A: 5027IU (101%), Vitamin C: 13mg (16%), Calcium: 301mg (30%), Iron: 2mg (11%)

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BBQ Chicken Tostadas on a sheet pan. The text reads, "BBQ Chicken Tostadas."
A hand holds up a BBQ Chicken Tostada. The text reads, "BBQ Chicken Tostadas."
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Collage with four images showing how to make BBQ chicken tostadas. The text reads, "BBQ Chicken Tostadas."

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