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Chicken Tinga Recipe
5 from 48 votes

Chicken Tinga Recipe

Chicken Tinga is a shredded chicken dish simmered in a smoky chipotle tomato sauce, delivering a rich, tangy, and mildly spicy flavor. The chicken is poached with aromatics to create broth for the sauce, then combined with a puree of tomatoes, chipotle peppers, onion, and garlic. The mixture is cooked with sautéed onions and served warm, commonly with tortillas and typical Mexican sides.

Cook Time
55 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 6 servings (1 cup each)
Calories: 386 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

For the chicken:
  • 1 to 5 pound chicken cut into pieces and giblets removed (see note 1 & 2, whole
  • 1 medium onion peeled and halved
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • water see note 3, cold
For the sauce:
  • 3 Roma tomato
  • 1 cup chicken broth reserved from boiling chicken or store-bought (see note 4)
  • 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce or more to taste (see note 5)
  • 1/4 medium onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 extra large chicken bouillon cube or 2 regular cubes
For the tinga:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or pork lard (not the pure white vegetable lard)
  • 3/4 medium onion sliced (the remaining from making the sauce above)
  • flour tortillas warmed, for serving
  • Mexican rice for serving
  • lettuce and Queso Fresco, or your other favorite toppings, for serving, shredded

Instructions

To make the chicken:
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a Dutch Oven or large stock pot, add chicken, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt. Add cold water to cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.
  2. Remove chicken from pot. Shred chicken, discarding skin and bones (you should have about 4 cups chicken). Remove and set aside 1 cup cooking liquid (chicken broth).
To make the sauce:
  1. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring 4 cups water to boil. Add tomatoes and boil until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to blender.
  2. To the blender with the tomatoes, add the 1 cup of reserved chicken broth, chipotle chiles in adobo, onion, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. 
To make the tinga:
  1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until just smoking. And onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add half the sauce and bring to boil. Stir in chicken, adding more sauce if desired (the heat of the dish comes from the sauce, so use more or less sauce to taste). Boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and serve in tortillas with Mexican rice, shredded lettuce, and cheese.

Notes

  • Start poaching chicken in cold water with aromatics for clear broth and tender meat.
  • Use 4 to 5 pounds bone-in chicken or a whole chicken for best broth and yield about 6 servings.
  • Chipotle chiles in adobo add smoky heat; adjust quantity to taste or omit for less spice.
  • Reserve and strain broth to build flavor in the sauce; freeze excess broth up to 3 months.
  • Store leftovers refrigerated up to 4 days or freeze cooled tinga up to 2 months; thaw overnight before reheating.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 serving (1 cup) Calories 386kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 7g (2%) Protein 28g (56%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Cholesterol 109mg (36%) Sodium 1697mg (71%) Potassium 433mg (9%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 961IU (19%) Vitamin C 12mg (13%) Calcium 31mg (3%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 servings (1 cup each)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 386

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 serving (1 cup)
Calories 386kcal 19%
Carbohydrates 7g 2%
Protein 28g 56%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 109mg 36%
Sodium 1697mg 71%
Potassium 433mg 9%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 961IU 19%
Vitamin C 12mg 13%
Calcium 31mg 3%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.