Description
Chicken Tinga brings spicy Mexican comfort straight to your dinner table with tender shredded chicken swimming in a smoky chipotle sauce. Grab some tortillas and get ready for a flavor explosion that’ll make your taste buds dance with excitement.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1.5 chicken breasts
- 1.5 chicken thighs
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 white onion
For Cooking Base:
- 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 0.5 cup chicken broth
Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Optional Toppings:
- 1 warm corn tortillas
- 1 Cotija cheese
- 1 white onion
- 1 cilantro
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- Submerge 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts with quartered onion, 2 garlic cloves, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pan. Cover with water by 1 inch above the chicken.
- Bring liquid to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes until chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature.
- Drain and reserve 1 cup of cooking broth. Shred the cooked chicken using two forks into bite-sized pieces.
- Set oven broiler to high. Spread 4 Roma tomatoes and halved onion on a greased baking sheet.
- Broil vegetables at 500°F for 10 minutes, turning midway to ensure even charring on all sides.
- Transfer roasted vegetables to a blender. Add 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt, cumin, and ½ cup reserved broth.
- Blend sauce ingredients until completely smooth and uniform in consistency.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Pour blended sauce into hot pan. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add shredded chicken to sauce, stirring to coat every piece thoroughly.
- Cook chicken in sauce for another 10 minutes to marry flavors. Add splash of reserved broth if sauce becomes too thick.
- Serve hot in warm corn tortillas with optional toppings like Cotija cheese, diced onion, chopped cilantro, and avocado.
Notes
- Shredding chicken while it’s still warm makes the process easier and prevents the meat from drying out.
- Roasting tomatoes and onions under the broiler adds a deeper, smokier flavor to the sauce that transforms the dish.
- For a lighter version, replace Cotija cheese with fresh queso fresco or skip the cheese entirely for a dairy-free option.
- When blending the sauce, start on low speed and gradually increase to prevent hot sauce from splattering and ensure a smooth consistency.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg