Chicken Tinga

🥄 Ingredients

• 1 ½ - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs ((see notes for using shredded chicken))
• ¼ large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Water, (as needed)
• 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
• Warm corn tortillas
• Cotija cheese
• Diced white onion
• Chopped cilantro
• Diced avocado

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1

   Make the chicken: Add the chicken, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and salt to a large saute pan or Dutch oven. Cover the chicken completely with water, plus an additional inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.

2. 2

   Reserve 1 cup of the broth and set aside. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Shred the chicken with 2 forks, your hands, or mix it in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment and set aside.

3. 3

   Make the sauce: Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or grease with oil. Place the tomatoes and the onion halves on the baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil on high for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through, until blackened and charred in some spots.

4. 4

   Add the roasted tomatoes, onion halves, chipotle peppers, garlic, oregano, salt, cumin, and ½ cup of the reserved broth into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

5. 5

   Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the tinga sauce, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. 6

   Combine: Add the shredded chicken and stir to combine to evenly coat the chicken. Cook for an additional 10 minutes while the sauce thickens and reduces. If the sauce reduces too much, stir in a splash or two of the remaining reserved broth.

7. 7

   Serve the tinga in warm corn or flour tortillas with cotija cheese, onion, cilantro, and diced avocado.

📊 Nutrition (per serving)

Nutritional values are estimates from the original source.