This is classic chicken tinga- smoky, tangy, and a little spicy without trying too hard. It’s built on pantry staples and a bit of patience. No gimmicks, no shortcuts.←Back to Taco Base Recipes
1.5 lbs chicken thighs
0.25 tsp cumin
1 cup white onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 clove garlic
0.5 tsp oregano
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 tbsp chipotle peppers
2 tbsp abodo sauce
1 leaf bay leaf
1 tsp kosher salt
0.5 cup chicken stock
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook until the skin’s browned and you’re questioning your nonstick pan. About 6 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Remove the chicken, leave the fat.
Toss in the onions and garlic. Stir occasionally until the onions start to brown on the edges—takes about 5 minutes. Add the tomatillo and cook until it gets some color too, another 4 minutes. Sprinkle in oregano and cumin, stir until you can smell them (that’s your cue), about 30 seconds.
Now add tomatoes, chipotle, and adobo. Stir it up, then kill the heat. Toss it all in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour it back into the pan, add chicken stock and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, nestle the chicken in there, and let it cook until it hits 165°F. (That’s your license to shred.)
Transfer chicken to a plate. Let it rest so you don’t burn your fingers trying to be a hero. Discard the bay leaf. Shred the meat, ditch the skin and bones. Stir it back into the sauce and cook for about 3 minutes, just to bring it all together. Season with salt to taste.
Chef's Notes
Tinga de pollo hails from Puebla, where it's traditionally served on tostadas during celebrations and whenever someone needs comfort food that also happens to be delicious. The flavor backbone is chipotle peppers in adobo: smoked, dried jalapeños packed in a tangy tomato sauce that adds smoky heat and depth with minimal effort. Find them in small cans in the Mexican aisle of basically every grocery store. One can makes multiple batches of tinga; freeze the extras individually on a parchment-lined tray, then transfer to a bag for easy portioning. The chicken thigh supremacy isn't just snobbery. Dark meat has more fat and connective tissue, which means it stays juicy through the braising process and shreds into succulent strands rather than dry, stringy fibers. Breasts can work if that's what you have, but they'll punish you for overcooking in ways thighs simply won't. Poach the chicken in the tomato-chipotle sauce until cooked through, then shred it directly into the liquid. Let it simmer another 10-15 minutes so the chicken absorbs all that smoky, tangy goodness. The sauce should reduce until it clings to the meat rather than pooling at the bottom. Beyond tacos, this is excellent on tostadas (the traditional serving), in tortas, over rice, or eaten directly from the pot when no one is watching. We've all done it.
Into This Base? Remix It!
Take Chicken Tinga into the Summoning Circle and shuffle it with hundreds of other taco components to create your perfect taco.
Community Ratings
No ratings yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this recipe!
