Mexican · Lunch · Dinner
Chicken Tinga
Tinga de pollo
Tender shredded chicken simmered in a smoky chipotle and tomato sauce with soft, sweet onions, piled onto warm corn tortillas with crisp lettuce. It is lean and full of flavour, and the leftovers taste even better the next day.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 36% · Fat 22% · Protein 42%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 600 g (about 3 small breasts)Boneless skinless chicken breast
- 6 cups1,440 gWater, for poaching
- 1 leafBay leaf
- 1 tbsp14 gOlive oil
- 2 medium300 gWhite onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves9 gGarlic
- 4 medium400 gRipe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 peppers plus 1 tbsp sauce40 gChipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tspDried oregano (Mexican if possible)
- 1/2 tspGround cumin
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 8 tortillas200 gSmall corn tortillas
- 2 cups100 gRomaine lettuce, shredded
- 1 small150 gAvocado, sliced (optional)
- 1 lime65 gLime, cut into wedges (optional)
Steps
- 1
Place the chicken and bay leaf in a saucepan and cover with the water.
- 2
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 18-20 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
- 3
Lift out the chicken, keep 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid, and discard the bay leaf.
- 4
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with two forks.
- 5
While the chicken poaches, blend the tomatoes, garlic, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, oregano, cumin and salt until smooth.
- 6
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the sliced onions for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges.
- 7
Pour the blended sauce over the onions and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until slightly thickened.
- 8
Stir in the shredded chicken and the reserved poaching liquid, then simmer for 5 minutes so the chicken soaks up the sauce.
- 9
Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for about 30 seconds per side.
- 10
Top each tortilla with lettuce and chicken tinga, add avocado and a squeeze of lime if you like, and serve.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Swap the chicken breast for boneless skinless chicken thighs for juicier, richer meat.
- For a vegan version, use shredded jackfruit or cooked black beans instead of chicken and simmer them in vegetable broth rather than the poaching liquid, checking that the chipotles in adobo are labelled vegan.
- If fresh tomatoes are not in season, use one 400 g can of crushed or diced tomatoes instead.
- Serve the tinga over a big bowl of shredded lettuce or cabbage instead of tortillas for a lighter plate.
Storage
Refrigerate the cooled tinga in an airtight container within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months, then reheat until steaming hot. Keep the lettuce, avocado and tortillas separate, and slice the avocado fresh since it browns quickly.
Make ahead
Make the whole tinga up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it, since the flavour deepens overnight, then reheat in a pan with a splash of water. Shred the lettuce a few hours ahead and keep it chilled in a container lined with a paper towel.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (778 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 375 kcal | 48 kcal |
| Protein | 38.8 g | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34.3 g | 4.4 g |
| of which sugars | 7.9 g | 1 g |
| Fiber | 6.2 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 9.3 g | 1.2 g |
| of which saturated | 1.6 g | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 863 mg | 111 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
