Chicken Tinga Tacos

Smoky and spicy Mexican-inspired shredded Chicken Tinga is perfect for tacos, tostadas, quesadillas, or just to have in a rice bowl!

Honestly, this chicken is so damn good and packed with smoky chipotle flavor that you’ll be obsessing over.

Traditionally in Chicken Tinga the chicken is poached separately, shredded, and then added to the simmering sauce. While the flavors were still delicious when cooked separately, I decided to take a bit of a different approach when testing this out the second time. Inspired by my Chicken Ropa Vieja, I allowed the chicken to cook slowly in the tinga sauce and then shredded it and added it back in.

The result? A flavor-packed chicken that was tender and delicious.

Note: I also decided to add the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce at the VERY end rather than at the beginning. This helped keep those flavors smoky (for some reason, I felt like the sauce lost its chipotle kick when it was simmered too long). Maybe it’s all in my head — but I swear this worked.

Chicken Tinga Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for this dish:

Chicken thighs: You can also use chicken breast, but I find that thighs have more flavor.

Chipotles in adobo sauce: For the signature smokiness of chicken tinga.

Spices for the chicken: I just add salt, pepper, and chili powder to the chicken before cooking.

Spices for the tinga sauce: Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, and bay leaves.

Onions and garlic: Sliced thin.

Tomatoes: I’m using whole, peeled tomatoes packed in a can for ease of use.

Chicken stock: As usual, I just use chicken bouillon powder in water.

Other ingredients for the tacos:

• Corn tortillas (or tostadas)
• Mexican crema (this is a Mexican sour cream also made with heavy cream and cream cheese. It’s DELICIOUS).
• Queso fresco (or whatever cheese you prefer. Cotija would also work amazingly well).
• Limes
• Cilantro
• Avocado

How to Make Chicken Tinga

Here’s how to make this dish:

Step 1: Add the spices to your chicken.

After cleaning your chicken thighs, add the salt, pepper, and chili powder to them, massaging them to make sure they’re covered. Let them sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes while you prep everything else.

Step 2: Prep your sauce ingredients.

Now slice your onions and garlic, and get your spices out and ready to go.

I also mix my chicken stock at this time (just adding 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder to 1 cup of water).

Step 3: Brown your chicken.

Now brown the chicken (in batches if necessary) for 3ish minutes per side. Remove to a plate.

Step 4: Add the onions and garlic.

Add a bit of olive oil to the skillet along with the onions and a small pinch of salt. Let cook on medium until the onions soften and begin to take on a bit of color (about 5 minutes). Then add the garlic and let cook until fragrant, or about 1 minute.

Step 5: Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and spices.

Now add the tomatoes, chicken stock, spices, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.

Step 6: Add the chicken.

Now nestle the chicken into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce to a simmer, and let cook for about 30-40 minutes.

Step 7: Remove and shred the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the sauce and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then, shred it with two forks and set aside.

Step 8: Add the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

Now add 3 chipotle peppers to the sauce along with 1-2 tbs of the adobo sauce. Make sure to keep tasting here since your spice level may be different from mine. It’s better to start with less, taste, and build from there.

Step 9: Blend the sauce.

If you have an immersion blender you can use it right in the pot. If not, you’ll need to pour the mixture into a blender and blend it there, then pour it back into the pot.

Step 10: Let the sauce reduce a bit.

Let the sauce simmer away for 10-15 minutes. (I usually put the top back on a bit lopsided so that air can get out but it’s not splattering everywhere.) Watch it to make sure you aren’t losing too much sauce. You want enough to cover the chicken, but you don’t want it to be too soupy.

Step 11: Add the shredded chicken back into the pot.

Now add the shredded chicken back to the pot and let it cook together for about 5-8 minutes.

Step 12: Assemble your tacos (or tostadas!)

Now assemble your tacos as usual.

I like to warm up my tortillas over my stove top flames for a few minutes per side. Then add the chicken, some queso fresco, Mexican crema, and cilantro! You can add anything else you love with your tacos.