Chicken Tinga
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Serves: 8
Chicken Tinga is a popular Mexican dish, filled with shredded chicken in a tomato-based sauce that includes garlic, onion, spices, and the most important flavor of them all… chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These peppers are red jalapenos that have been smoked and dried. What you find in a can are these peppers rehydrated in a sauce of tomato, garlic, vinegar, and other flavorful spices.
You can usually find cans of chipotle peppers in adobo in the international food aisle in your grocery store, or in Mexican grocers. I am partial to a certain brand, though. My preferred brand of chipotle peppers in adobo is San Marcos. I use this brand because others I have used include diced onions, which I just want the peppers and sauce, straight up. I would use the whole 7-ounce can for my husband and myself. That might be a bit much for some people, but we love the flavor and touch of heat from chipotles.
Don’t omit the lime juice in Chicken Tinga. You need the pop of acid. If you do not have lime juice, you can substitute white vinegar, but add by small additions, so you do not add more vinegar than you’d like for it to taste. The vinegar will be more acidic/potent than lime juice, so add, taste, and adjust the amount.
A 10-ounce can Rotel can be a substitute for crushed tomatoes. You’ll be placing them in a blender, so it’s fine that it’s somewhat chunky.
If you’re in a hurry, you can purchase a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off and shred it. Make the sauce as is, though. In a medium saucepan or skillet, add the precooked chicken, sauce, and bay leaf. Stir to combine and heat through over medium-low heat until the sauce is somewhat thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir and taste for seasonings to adjust.
Some recipes add a sweetener like honey or brown sugar, but I do not. Feel free to add a touch of sweetness if you’d like.
You could turn these into burritos or tostadas, corn or flour tortillas, your choice. Low carb/zero carb tortillas are available now, which allows you a more keto-friendly meal!
Enjoy!
Chicken Tinga
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 1 7-ounce can chipotle peppers, in adobo, seeded
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 jalapeno, seeded, and chopped, optional
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- Juice of 1 lime, more if desired
Chicken:
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado, vegetable, canola, etc.)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly-cracked black pepper
- 2 1/2-3 pounds chicken thighs, fat trimmed, if preferred
To serve:
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- White or red onion, small diced or thinly sliced
- Caramelized onions
- Avocado, wedges or diced
- Sour cream, or crema
- Lime wedges
- Cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Add the sauce ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a braiser (or oven-proof Dutch oven) over medium-high heat until hot.
- Season both sides of the thighs with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken (in batches if necessary) in the hot oil on both sides until browned.
- Add the sauce to the pan, along with the bay leaf, and stir to coat the chicken with the sauce.
- Place the lid on the braiser and put into the oven for 40 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the chicken. Once the thickest parts of the thighs reach 165 degrees, remove from the oven.
- Pull the thighs out of the sauce and shred with two forks. Add the meat back into the sauce and stir to coat.
- Serve the Chicken Tinga with tortillas and any desired toppings.
It looks as good as it tastes!