Authentic Chicken Tinga ( The Best Tinga De Pollo)

Authentic Mexican Tinga de Pollo Chicken in Chipotle Tomato Sauce88

4.94 from 168 votes

Authentic Chicken Tinga ( The Best Tinga De Pollo)

Learn how to make an authentic Mexican chicken tinga or tinga de pollo. This is a recipe for chicken in Chipotle tomato sauce. It uses shredded chicken in a delicious tomato and chile Chipotle in Adobo sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Meat and Poultry

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Calories: 405kcal

Author: Gabriela

Equipment

Blender with Glass Jar

Ingredients

To cook the chicken:

1 ½ pounds chicken , about 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion cut in quarters
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water or low sodium chicken stock or more to cover the chicken

To cook the onions:

5 tablespoons vegetable oil , like sunflower, canola, or olive oil
2 large onions , thinly sliced (use either sweet onion, white onion, yellow onion or red onion)
2-3 cloves of garlic

For the Chipotle sauce:

4-5 Roma plum tomatoes , or 1 can (28 ounces) of crushed tomatoes
7 ounces can of Chipotle chiles in Adobo sauce (use less if you like it less spicy)
1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the chicken:

Bring a pot of salty water to a boil and add the chicken breast to cook. Add the onion cut in quarters, garlic cloves, bay leaves, oregano, and salt. If you use chicken stock, go easy on salt. Let the chicken simmer until it is cooked through. It could take between 12-15 minutes.
Make sure you skim the foam that forms on top of the water as it starts boiling. When the chicken is cooked, set aside.

Prepare the salsa:

While the chicken is cooking, place the tomatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and mushy but not falling apart. Note: If you use canned tomatoes, skip this step.
In a blender, place the tomatoes (or the can of crushed tomatoes if you use one), salt, pepper, and 2-3 chiles from the can.
After blending the ingredients, taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary.

Cook the tinga sauce:

Slice the onions and garlic cloves thinly. Heat the oil in a large pan(skillet) and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
Pour the salsa over onions. Add oregano, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. (Be careful as the sauce will steam and bubble).
Simmer the sauce, occasionally stirring, until the sauce deepens in color, becomes darker and less soupy, about 7-8 minutes.

Shred chicken and add it to the sauce:

Take the chicken out of the broth, and with two forks, shred the meat.
Add it to the sauce and mix well to incorporate the chicken.
Let it simmer for only a minute and serve over rice or on warm tortillas.

Video

Notes

Don't waste chicken stock: Save it for rice, soup, or other dishes.
Freezing Sauce: Make the sauce, allow it to cool, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before use. Cook onions and chicken, and add thawed sauce. Avoid raw chicken in the salsa; cook first. Rotisserie chicken works, too.

Bonus:

Instant Pot Tinga De Pollo:

Add oil to the Instant Pot and select the Saute function. Cook onions until soft and translucent for 4-5 minutes. Cancel the Saute function.
Prepare the spicy tomato sauce as directed and pour it over the onions.
Add raw chicken, secure the lid, and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes. Manually release the pressure.
Shred the cooked chicken, mix it with the sauce, and serve.

Do you want more Instant Pot recipes? Try this Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Soup (Caldo De Pollo), or this Instant Pot Beef Vegetable Soup.

Nutrition