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Top view of chicken tinga garnished with cilantro in a skillet.
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
Cook Time 30 minutes
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. 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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