Chicken Tinga (Tinga de Pollo)

Shredded chicken in a beautiful chile chipotle and tomato sauce with sautéed sliced onions. Chicken tinga or tinga de pollo in spanish, is a classic dish from the state of Puebla, Mexico. This dish is savory, spicy, and fresh.

I usually like to eat chicken tinga on a tostada. I like the crunch of the tostada which goes well with the shredded chicken. It’s also very easy to top the shredded chicken over the tostada. To finish it off you can add some crumbled queso fresco and garnish with cilantro or parsley leaves.

You can also eat chicken tinga in a taco, in a quesadilla, with a side of rice, or even in a torta. There really is no wrong way to eat chicken tinga. It’s a simple dish with great flavor!

What is Chicken Tinga?

Tinga de pollo is a dish that originated in the state of Puebla, Mexico. It’s become a classic in the cuisine of that state and also became popular all over Mexico. The main ingredients are shredded chicken, tomatoes, chile chipotles, sliced onions, and garlic. These ingredients come together to create a fantastic dish with very fresh flavors! The flavor comes from the amazing sauce, which is a tomato and chile chipotle sauce that is cooked along with sautéed sliced onions and a some minced garlic. The sauce is cooked until it thickens a bit and doesn’t end up too runny. Once the sauce thickens a bit, the shredded chicken is added and then cooked for a few minutes to let it soak up the flavor of the sauce.

Main Ingredients

• Tomatoes – The tomatoes will be the base of sauce, and will provide a fresh and juicy taste.
• Chile Chipotle – The chile chipotle will give the sauce a bit of spicy heat and a bit of a smoky flavor.
• Sliced Onions – The sliced onions will give the sauce a bit of aromatic flavor and sweetness.
• Minced Garlic – The minced garlic will give the dish another layer of aromatic flavor.
• Shredded Chicken – The shredded chicken will soak up the flavor of the tomato and chipotle sauce.

How to make Chicken Tinga

1. Add the chicken breasts, black peppercorns, salt, bay leaf, garlic, and onion to a medium or large pot. Fill the pot with water to cover the ingredients.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and cover partially. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
3. Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a bowl and let it cool down. Once it’s cooled down, shred the chicken breasts.
4. Blend the tomatoes and chile chipotle with some of their adobo sauce. If needed add a little water to help blend the tomatoes and chile chipotles.
5. Add oil to a pan on medium heat and sauté the sliced onions until they become translucent and start to become golden brown around the edges.
6. Add the minced garlic into the sliced onions and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
7. Add tomato and chiptole sauce into the sliced onion and garlic mixture.
8. Salt the sauce to taste and add oregano.
9. Cook the sauce until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
10. Add the shredded chicken into the sauce making sure it’s well coated. Cooks until chicken absorbs the sauce, about 5 minutes more. The mixture should be moist, but not too runny.

Tips and Suggestions

1. Blend the tomatoes and chipotles to a smooth consistency.
2. You can save yourself the step of poaching the chicken and use rotisserie chicken instead. Make sure you shred it before adding to the sauce.
3. Start with one chile chipotle and then taste the sauce after blending. If you want more heat, add another chile chipotle. Repeat the process if necessary until you achieve the desired spice level.
4. If you prefer a very mild chicken tinga, you can use only the adobo from the chile chipotles.

How to Store Chicken Tinga

Chicken tinga can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to store in an airtight container.

How to reheat Chicken Tinga

To reheat chicken tinga, add the leftovers to a pan and turn the heat on to medium. Add a little water if the chicken tinga sauce seems a bit thick. Cook on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes or until warmed through.

How to eat Chicken Tinga

There are several ways to eat chicken Tinga. One of my favorite ways to eat this dish is topped over tostadas. It’s very common to spread some refried beans on the tostada, before topping it with the chicken tinga. The refried beans give it another layer of flavor and texture. They also help the chicken tinga stick to the tostada a little better. You can then garnish with some cilantro or parsley and some crumbled queso fresco. I really like the way the crunchy tostada and the soft, creamy refried beans give a nice texture and contrast to every bite.

You can also eat chicken tinga in a tortilla as a taco, in a torta, in a quesadilla, or you can accompany it with a side of rice. No matter how you decide to eat it, it’ll be a fantastic dish with great flavor!

I hope you enjoy this chicken tinga recipe. Please let me know in the comments below if you make it and how it went.

Gracias y provecho!

Raul

Raul

Chicken Tinga

Chicken tinga is fresh, spicy, smokey, and juicy. It's made with tomatoes, chile chipotle, sliced onions, garlic, and shredded chicken.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 People

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Chicken

• 1 lb Chicken Breasts
• 1/8 White Onion
• 1 Garlic Clove
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 4 Black Peppercorns
• 1 tsp Salt
• Water

For the Tomato and Chipotle Sauce

• 1 White Onion sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves minced
• 2 Chile Chipotles
• 1 tbsp Chile Chipotle Adobo
• 1 lb Tomatoes
• 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Avocado, canola, or vegetable oil

To Serve

• Tostadas
• Refried Beans
• Queso Fresco crumbled
• Parsley or Cilantro Leaves for garnish

Method

 

To make the Chicken

1. Add the chicken, salt, black peppercorns, bay leaf, onion, and garlic to a medium or large pot.
2. Cover the chicken with enough water. Chicken should be covered by about 1 inch.
3. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer at medium low heat and partially cover. Simmer chicken for about 15 minutes. Check that the internal temperature of the chicken at thickest part is reading 165°F.
4. Remove the Chicken from the pot and transfer to a bowl and let it cool down.
5. Once the chicken has cooled down, shred it and set aside.

To make the Tinga de Pollo and Sauce

1. Add the tomatoes, chile chipotle, and chile chipotle adobo to a blender. Blend until smooth. If needed, add a little water to help the ingredients blend. About 1/4 cup should be enough.
2. Add oil to a pan on medium heat and sauté the sliced onions until they become translucent and start to become golden brown around the edges.
3. Add the minced garlic into the sliced onions and stir until until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add tomato and chiptole sauce into the sliced onion and garlic mixture.
5. Add the salt and the oregano.
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the sauce at a simmer until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the shredded chicken into the sauce making sure it's well coated. Cook until chicken absorbs the sauce, about 5 minutes more. The mixture should be moist, but not too runny.

To serve

1. Spread refried beans onto a tostada. Add the chicken tinga, crumbled queso fresco, and parsley or cilantro leaves for garnish.

Notes

1. 1. You can save yourself the step of poaching the chicken and use left over rotisserie chicken instead. Make sure you shred it before adding to the sauce.
   2. Start with one chile chipotle and then taste the sauce after blending. If you want more heat, add another chile chipotle. Repeat the process if necessary until you achieve the desired spice level.
   3. If you prefer a very mild chicken tinga, you can use only the adobo from the chile chipotles.
   4. If you can’t find Mexican oregano, you can use Mediterranean oregano instead.

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