Easy Chicken Tinga

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Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Nut-Free

Skill Level: Beginner

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes if using rotisserie chicken/add an additional 20-25 minutes if poaching your own chicken

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Equipment Needed:

• Cutting board

• Chef's knife

• Blender

• 12-inch skillet

• Rubber or silicone spatula

The Recipe:

This recipe is adapted from a recipe found on the website Carlsbad Cravings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (there is a note on this in the tips)

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (or more or less, to taste)

• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from your canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or more or less, to taste)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

• 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

• 1 (4-ounce) can hot diced green chilis

• Additional kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in your skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, or until onions begin to soften.

2. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, oregano, cumin, salt, coriander, paprika, thyme, diced tomatoes (including all liquid from the can), and diced green chilis to your skillet. Stir to combine all ingredients.

4. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer, then allow to cook for 5 more minutes.

5. Remove pan from heat. Carefully use a tongs or large spoon to transfer the contents of your pan to a blender. Blend until smooth, or until it has reached your desired consistency.

6. Return the sauce to your skillet and add the shredded chicken. Mix well and allow mixture to heat over medium heat about 5 more minutes.

7. Taste, and adjust with salt and pepper as you see fit.

8. Refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days.

To Serve: I adore Chicken Tinga tacos, but then I adore tacos in general :) this Chicken Tinga would be beautiful served over rice, on top of nachos, in a quesadilla, or even on top of some greens for a nice spin on a taco salad. When I eat Chicken Tinga tacos, my favorite way to serve them is in a charred corn tortilla, topped with queso fresco, guacamole or fresh avocado, pickled red onions, and corn salsa.

Adjusting for your diet: If you don't eat meat, you might try this recipe with some rehydrated soy curls, and if you do I'd love to hear your thoughts! I think this Chicken Tinga brings just a bit of heat thanks to the chipotle peppers and green chiles, so if you aren't so big on spice you could try reducing the amount of chipotle pepper and/or adobo sauce, and using mild diced green chilis instead of hot.

Tips:

• Any time you have a recipe like this where there is one step that asks you to add a whole bunch of measured spices, it's a great idea to get all of these measured before you start cooking anything. The French call this process "mise en place," which means "everything in its place." If you aren't already doing this, it really is best practice in the kitchen, plus it will make you feel all organized and chef-y when you see all those little dishes of spices laid out before you :)

• This recipe works great using a rotisserie chicken, and it's a real time-saver when you don't have to cook the chicken. When I buy a Costco rotisserie chicken (I think their chickens are bigger than your average) and shred it up, I probably get 5-6 cups of shredded chicken, so you'd have some extra to either freeze for later use or to make a quick and yummy chicken salad sandwich or throw on a salad or something. However, if I have chicken breasts I need to use up and the time, I will often poach those and shred them up for this recipe (3-4 chicken breasts usually yields the right amount of shredded chicken, depending on their size). You could also make buttermilk-brined roast chicken and shred up some of your delicious, juicy chicken and use that!

• The easiest way to shred chicken is usually by using 2 forks; I use this method if I poach my own chicken breasts (use one fork to hold the chicken in place and the other to pull off shreds of the meat). However, I usually find that if I shred a rotisserie chicken that is still warm I can go faster by just pulling everything apart and shredding the meat with my hands because it is so tender. I like doing this when working with a whole chicken, because I can more easily feel for little bones or pieces of cartilage and weed them out. I like to wear food-safe latex gloves for the task, just to avoid getting stuff under my nails.

• I have several recipes that use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and I love these spicy little flavor bombs! All of my recipes usually only call for 1-3 peppers though, and I never want to waste the remainder of the can. My little trick is that when I buy a can, I portion out each pepper individually onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and spoon a little sauce over each one until the can is empty. I put them in the freezer, and once frozen I transfer them to a quart-sized freezer bag. When I need them, I simply take out what I need and let them thaw in the fridge or on the counter in a bowl. Because of this, I probably end up putting more than the peppers and teaspoon of sauce this recipe calls for because I thaw out 2 whole peppers and mince them up in their sauce, and add. I like the heat!

• I suggest using a yellow onion in my recipe; these are my go-to. I believe white onions are more of a traditional Mexican ingredient, so you could certainly try that or even red onion if it's what you had handy. I imagine it would just eliminate a bit of the sweetness you get from the yellow onion, and add a touch more sharpness to the flavor.

• You could substitute regular diced tomatoes for the fire roasted, but if you're able to get them, fire roasted are really the way to go. Canned fire roasted tomatoes are actually charred over a flame before they're diced and canned, so they have a subtle smokiness to them and are a tad sweeter than their more acidic counterparts. If you use regular diced tomatoes and find the sauce to be too acidic, try adding 1/2-1 teaspoon of sugar to mellow out that acid. I think Muir Glen makes a really nice can of fire roasted tomatoes.

• Whether you're a fan of flour or corn tortillas (there is a right answer), you need to be charring or heating up your tortillas in some way...it's a real game changer in terms of flavor. I have a gas stove, so my favorite way to do it is to simply set the tortilla right on the burner and flip with tongs. If you have electric, you can heat up your tortillas on a skillet to give them a little color and flavor boost.

• I have used traditional paprika instead of smoked before, and my Chicken Tinga turned out just fine. If I have smoked paprika available in my spice cupboard, I do prefer that.

• If you do not have a blender but do have a food processor, you could use that to blend your sauce. I don't blend mine until perfectly smooth; mine is just a tiny bit chunky when I'm done with it.

• This is one of my absolute favorite recipes to make for a taco bar I'm serving at a party or cabin weekend, because I can make it 1-2 days in advance! Simply reheat in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until your Chicken Tinga is nice and hot (about 5-10 minutes). It tastes just as fantastic reheated as eating it fresh (and is easily transported in a sturdy, leakproof container).

The Story:

My love for tacos runs pretty deep. As a kid I don't remember being the world's biggest fan, but I also don't think I was really exposed to the world of tacos as I know it today: filled with bright colors, enticing smells, and endless possibilities.

Beautiful bouquet of color and flavor right here!

I was a vegetarian for about 12 years, and when I first started introducing animal protein back into my diet I started with seafood. During this time period I had a platter of fish tacos at a restaurant, an entrée I had never tried, and I was hooked (pun intended). Lightly battered fish, a deliciously crunchy slaw that provided acidity, fresh avocado, and a spicy crema. A beautiful symphony of textures, colors, and flavors.

Here is the base for my sauce, before it has been blended. I love the different shades of red and that you can see the little charred bits from the fire-roasted tomatoes.

There's a really nice little taco shop right around the corner from my husband's office (jealous), and I believe that is the first place I tried a Chicken Tinga taco. You can order a set of tacos but get different fillings in each one, and this place has such a nice selection that the first time I visited, I decided to try 3 fillings I had never tried before because they all looked and smelled so amazing. It was love at first bite :)

Chicken Tinga, or Tinga de Pollo as you might see it on a traditional menu or in Mexico, originated in the central state of Puebla, Mexico. Chicken Tinga is traditionally prepared with shredded chicken in a sauce made of chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and additional ingredients that may vary from chef to chef. I've had some versions of Chicken Tinga that were quite a bit drier than this one I make, but I really like the excessive sauciness of my version. In my opinion, it's a good taco when the toppings and such are falling out all over the place (it's a family joke in our house that mom always overstuffs tacos...), and you need a fork to scoop everything up at the end.

I totally recognize that you can barely see the Chicken Tinga in these photos...I guess that speaks to my affinity for the toppings :)

Saucy, smoky, tender chicken with beautiful flavor and just a touch of heat...you'll find it all in this Chicken Tinga. And so, so EASY!! It's incredible that this level of flavor can be achieved in such a short amount of time; I think it really speaks to the magic that can happen when you use the perfect combo of ingredients. It also proves that great food does not have to be crazy complicated and take you all day to cook :)

Lovely little salad I made with leftover taco meal ingredients: fresh raw kale, Chicken Tinga, avocado, corn salsa, and pickled red onion. I did not need a dressing as the Tinga sauce totally served as one.

This summer I went on a cabin weekend with friends and their families, and I made an epic taco bar for dinner one night that included Chicken Tinga amongst the filling options. Later that night (much later, and after a few drinks...), a friend and I made AMAZING sheet pan nachos with Chicken Tinga as one of the toppings, and they were quite delicious. Who doesn't love a recipe that can be used here, there, and everywhere?!

Happy tasting!