Chicken Tinga Tacos
Chicken Tinga Tacos are a flavorful Mexican dish where shredded chicken is cooked in a smoky tomato and chipotle sauce, then stuffed into warm tortillas.
Servings: 3 (10 to 12 tacos)
Ingredients
Chicken Tinga Tacos:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ cup canned crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works!)
For Serving:
- 10 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- 2 ripe avocados sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup crumbled Cotija cheese
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium. Once warm, add the oil and onion. Sauté for 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in the chipotles, oregano, and cumin, and toast for 1 minute. Add in the tomatoes, stock, and salt. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 7 minutes.
- Blend: Place the tomato mixture in a high-powered or regular blender, and blend until smooth.
- Chicken: Return the blended sauce to the pan over low heat. Add the chicken, and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
- Serving: Prepare the garnishes. To assemble, top the tortillas with the chicken and garnish with the avocado slices, cilantro, red onion, and Cotija. Serve with a lime wedge for squeezing.
Notes
Instant Pot Chicken Tinga Tacos: Blend all sauce ingredients (I did not saute them first). Add sauce to Instant Pot along with about a pound of chicken breasts (raw, not cooked). Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Shred chicken in sauce and serve.
Spiciness: I like to use two chipotle peppers for optimal “medium” spiciness. If you want a mild version, just use one chipotle pepper. If you want it hot hot hot, go for three.
Avocado Mash: I found my avocados sliding out of the tacos because I am a taco monster and things got a little messy. To make sure I got every ounce of avocado goodness possible, I mashed up the avocado, squeezed in some lime juice, sprinkled in some salt and a super light dusting of garlic powder, and spread that on my tortillas before adding the chicken.
CHAR YOUR TORTILLAS PLEASE: Place directly over a gas flame to char the edges. Place on a plate, and cover with a towel to steam. (If working on an electric stovetop, heat the tortillas on a warmed pan, and cover to steam.)
Pickled Onions – I like to add pickled onions to add an extra umph to this recipe.
