Description
Chicken Tinga is a flavorful Mexican dish featuring tender shredded chicken simmered in a smoky, spicy tomato sauce made with chipotle peppers in adobo. Ideal for tacos, tostadas, or bowls, this recipe combines roasted tomatoes and onions with smoky spices to create a rich and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Chicken
- 1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1/4 large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Water, as needed to cover chicken
For the Sauce
- 4 large Roma tomatoes
- 1 large white onion, halved
- 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 to 1 cup reserved chicken broth
For Serving
- Warm corn tortillas
- Cotija cheese, crumbled
- Diced white onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced avocado
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken: Add the chicken, quartered onion, garlic cloves, bay leaf, and kosher salt to a large sauté pan or Dutch oven. Pour in enough water to cover the chicken completely plus an additional inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Shred the Chicken: Reserve 1 cup of the cooking broth and set aside. Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and let it rest until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Shred the chicken using two forks, your hands, or a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Set shredded chicken aside.
- Roast the Vegetables: Preheat your oven broiler and grease a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or oil. Place the Roma tomatoes and halved white onion cut side down on the sheet. Broil on high for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until they are blackened and charred in spots.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine the roasted tomatoes and onions, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, garlic cloves, dried Mexican oregano, kosher salt, ground cumin, and ½ cup of the reserved chicken broth. Blend until smooth.
- Cook the Sauce: Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour in the blended sauce, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Combine and Simmer: Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir well to evenly coat the meat. Cook for another 10 minutes uncovered, allowing the sauce to thicken and reduce slightly. If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in a splash or two of the remaining reserved chicken broth to loosen it.
- Serve: Warm corn tortillas and assemble tacos by spooning the chicken tinga mixture into the tortillas. Top with crumbled Cotija cheese, diced white onion, chopped cilantro, and diced avocado. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can substitute 4 cups of store-bought shredded rotisserie chicken to save time; just use about ½ cup chicken broth when making the sauce.
- Adjust chipotle peppers to increase spice level; 2 tablespoons keep it mild, but add more for extra heat.
- For convenience, substitute roasted fresh tomatoes with a 15-ounce can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
- If Mexican oregano is unavailable, regular oregano is a suitable substitute.
- To make this dish in a slow cooker, prepare the sauce with ½ cup water instead of broth, add chicken and sauce to slow cooker, and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3 hours, then shred chicken and combine.
- For Instant Pot, prepare sauce with ½ cup water, add chicken and sauce, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release pressure and shred chicken before combining.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg
