This authentic Chicken Tinga recipe is straight out of Jalisco, Mexico. My sister-in-law Alma taught me how to do it. She used to sell food on the street and is one of the best cooks I’ve ever met. Everything she makes is the best I’ve ever had. I may be a classically-trained chef, but nothing beats the authentic cooking lessons you can get from the natives, and I’m so excited to share her master recipe with you.
Chicken Tinga is a recipe that originated in Puebla, Mexico. Traditionally, it is served on crispy tostadas with a layer of refried beans. I learned how to make it in Ojuelos, Jalisco, Mexico, and it is one of my favorite Mexican dishes!.
Even though it’s made from scratch, it’s super simple. And, I use a couple of delicious shortcuts to make dinner (and therefore life) a whole lot easier.
You’ll also have chicken broth left over, which you can use in soup or freeze. I love when that happens!.
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe. Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Chicken tinga is a tasty, fragrant, and flavorful Mexican dish that comes from the state of Puebla. It has chicken that has been shreds and cooked in a sauce made of tomatoes, onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, and spices. The dish has just the right amount of smoky, spicy, and sweet flavors.
Tinga chicken has become popular in Mexico and beyond, and you can now find it on the menus of Mexican restaurants all over the world. It’s often served as tacos or tamales wrapped in warm corn tortillas, or it can be eaten by itself. You can use shredded chicken in a lot of different ways to make Mexican dishes like tostadas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and more.
A Brief History of Chicken Tinga
The origins of chicken tinga can be traced back to the city of Puebla in east-central Mexico. Puebla has an especially rich and complex culinary history blending Spanish, French, Arabic and indigenous Mexican influences into its food culture.
The dish is thought to have come about when different types of food mixed in the 1800s or early 1900s. Its name comes from the verb “tingar,” which means to color, stain, or tint. This refers to the rich reddish-brown color of the food that comes from the chili peppers, tomatoes, and spices.
Over time chicken tinga grew into one of the most iconic culinary exports of Puebla. From its birthplace it spread across Mexico, integrating into the local cuisines of various regions. It became especially popular in the states along Mexico’s Pacific coastline.
Chicken tinga is very popular in the United States these days as well. You can find it on the menus of Mexican restaurants and taco trucks from California to Texas and beyond. A lot of American home cooks also love chicken tinga because it has strong, complex flavors and isn’t too hard to make compared to some other Mexican favorites.
How Traditional Chicken Tinga Is Made
Chicken tinga requires just a modest list of ingredients, but when combined skillfully, they create a dish that seems far greater than the sum of its parts. Here are the main components that go into authentic chicken tinga:
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Chicken – The choice of chicken can vary Many traditional recipes call for a whole chicken to be cooked and shredded Common substitutes are bone-in chicken thighs or chicken breast diced into bite-size pieces. Using bone-in chicken lends more flavor.
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Onions – Sautéed onions are essential for building flavor in the sauce. They provide aromatics and sweetness to balance the spicy and acidic notes.
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Garlic – Like onion, garlic lays a flavor foundation. It adds a subtle bite and savory undertones.
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Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – Chipotles impart smoky chili flavor and lingering heat. They’re often sold canned in a rich, tangy red adobo sauce. This sauce also integrates into the tinga.
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Tomatoes – Tomatoes introduce acidity and characteristic fruity sweetness while also lending the vivid red color. Canned whole tomatoes work well for ease.
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Chicken broth – The braising liquid usually begins with good-tasting homemade or store-bought chicken broth. This amplifies the savory chicken essence.
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Spices and seasonings – Traditional Mexican cuisine layers spice judiciously. For chicken tinga, you’ll often find hints of cumin, Mexican oregano, bay leaf, and cinnamon.
From these core ingredients, the chicken tinga sauce is crafted through a sequence of simmering and reducing to meld the components. Once shredded chicken integrates into the concentrated sauce, the dish is ready to be enjoyed.
Key Steps for Making Chicken Tinga
Part of what makes chicken tinga special is the multi-step cooking process that builds deep, layered flavor. Here is an overview of the key steps:
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Make the chicken and broth – Begin by gently poaching bone-in chicken pieces in water with aromatics like onion, garlic and spices. This cooks the meat while producing a fresh, homemade chicken broth.
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Shred the chicken – Once cooked through, the chicken is hand-shredded or chopped into bite-size morsels, discarding skin and bones. This yields tender, juicy chicken ready to absorb flavors.
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Cook the tomatoes – While chicken simmers, whole tomatoes are charred in a dry skillet. This caramelizes their sugars and concentrates flavor. They’re then pureed into a smooth sauce.
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Sauté the aromatics – Onion and garlic are cooked down to sweetness in oil. Then chipotle peppers and adobo sauce join the mix.
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Simmer the sauce – The tomato puree combines with the chicken broth, sautéed aromatics, spices and shredded chicken. This all simmers together, melding into the rich tinga sauce.
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Reduce and finish – The sauce reduces down to a lush, glossy texture that thoroughly coats the chicken. A finishing splash of fresh lime juice brightens it up.
This multi-layered cooking process is where chicken tinga derives its authentic restaurant-quality flavor. While it takes more time than just tossing ingredients in a pan, the results are well worth it.
How to Serve Chicken Tinga
One of the joys of chicken tinga is how versatile it is. The zesty shredded chicken filling lends itself to all kinds of serving styles:
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Tacos – Chicken tinga tacos are a top choice. The chicken gets wrapped in warm corn tortillas with shredded lettuce, queso fresco, and other taco garnishes.
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Tostadas – Crispy fried tortillas are heaped with chicken tinga and topped with salsa, crema, avocado, onions, cilantro and lime.
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Burritos – Large flour tortillas envelop chicken tinga plus ingredients like Mexican rice, black beans, cheese, etc.
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Tamales – For special occasions, chicken tinga makes a memorable tamale filling when paired with masa dough.
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Quesadillas – Chicken tinga and cheese sandwiched between tortillas and griddled to melty perfection.
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Nachos – Pile chicken tinga over crunchy tortilla chips along with cheese, beans, jalapeños, guacamole and all the fixings.
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Salads or bowls – Chicken tinga served as the protein on a bed of greens or grain bowls.
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Enchiladas – Rolled into tortillas blanketed in enchilada sauce and baked until bubbly.
The applications for chicken tinga are nearly endless. Feel free to get creative with how you incorporate it into other Mexican recipes or global dishes.
Tips for Making Restaurant-Worthy Chicken Tinga at Home
Chicken tinga is easy to find in restaurants, but making your own allows you to fine-tune flavors to your taste and control quality. Here are tips for crafting top-notch chicken tinga at home:
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Use good chicken – Splurge on high-quality chicken with rich flavor, like organic and air-chilled. Bone-in chicken legs or thighs work beautifully.
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Make your own broth – Poaching the chicken in seasoned water yields a light, fresh broth perfect for the sauce.
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Toast the spices – Briefly toasting cumin, oregano and other spices boosts their flavors.
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Char the tomatoes – Dry-roasting tomato halves gives nice charred bits and intensifies sweetness.
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Simmer the sauce – Don’t rush the sauce. Letting it slowly meld amplifies the complexity.
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Finish with lime – A squirt of lime juice right before serving makes flavors pop.
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Garnish with flair – Top with fresh cilantro, cubed avocado, crumbled queso fresco and other garnishes.
Putting extra care into the prep work pays off with a homemade chicken tinga that rivals your favorite restaurants!
Storing and Reheating Leftover Chicken Tinga
Like many braised meat dishes, chicken tinga improves in flavor after a day or two in the fridge. Properly stored leftovers can last up to 4 days refrigerated. The tinga also freezes extremely well for longer term storage.
To store leftover chicken tinga:
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Let it cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers.
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Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
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Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat chicken tinga:
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For stovetop, gently simmer in a saucepan until heated through.
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For microwave, add a splash of water to prevent drying out, then reheat at 50% power.
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For oven, place in a baking dish and bake at 350°F until piping hot.
The tinga may need a splash of water or broth to rehydrate as it reheats. Adjust seasoning with extra lime juice or salt as needed.
An Adaptable Mexican Favorite
From its origins in Puebla to the global stage, chicken tinga has earned its place as a cherished Mexican staple thanks to its complex smoky-spicy flavors and incredible versatility. Although authentic tinga requires time and technique, the results are more than worthwhile. Each batch fills your kitchen with temptation-inducing aromas and yields juicy, saucy chicken that you’ll want to enjoy in endless ways. This recipe is sure to become a regular in your meal rotation!
How to make Tinga
- Put the chicken, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of salt in a Dutch oven or large stock pot. Add cold water to cover and bring to boil. Turn down the heat to medium, put the lid on top, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove chicken from pot. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred it. You should have about 4 cups of chicken. Remove and set aside 1 cup cooking liquid (chicken broth).
- While that’s going on, heat 4 cups of water in a medium-sized saucepan. Add tomatoes and boil until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to blender.
- Put the tomatoes in a blender. Add the chicken bouillon, onion, garlic, chipotle chiles in adobo, and the cup of chicken broth that you saved. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Over medium-high heat, smoke the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. And onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add half the sauce and bring to boil. Add the chicken and more sauce if you want. The sauce makes the dish spicy, so use more or less sauce to suit your taste. Boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and put the food in tortillas. Top with cheese, Mexican rice, and shredded lettuce.
Recipe tips and variations
- Based on the size of your chicken and the amount of sauce you use, this recipe will make at least 6 servings of 1 cup each.
- Make ahead: This is a great recipe to make ahead of time! You can make the chicken, the sauce, or the whole dish up to three days ahead of time.
- If you have leftover chicken in the fridge, you can use that instead of poaching the chicken. Just shred the chicken instead. Purée all sauce ingredients together in a blender. You won’t have the chicken broth from cooking the chicken, so use water or chicken broth from the store. You can throw in some bouillon if you want to. Heat the oil in the pan for the onions and then add the sauce. Follow the rest of the recipe.
Store leftovers covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Cool Chicken Tinga completely, then package into freezer-safe containers (I like pint jars). Label, date, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Chicken Tinga Tacos – You Suck at Cooking (episode 167)
FAQ
What is chicken tinga made of?
Chicken tinga is a Mexican dish featuring shredded chicken in a flavorful, smoky, and slightly spicy tomato-based sauce. The sauce typically includes tomatoes, onions, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and various spices.
What does tinga taste like?
Tinga, typically chicken tinga (tinga de pollo), is a Mexican dish known for its smoky, spicy, and savory flavor profile. Shredded chicken is cooked in a tomato-based sauce with onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers in adobo. This gives it a complex and rich flavor. The chipotle peppers contribute a distinct smoky and slightly spicy element, while the tomatoes provide a sweet and tangy base.
What does tinga mean in Mexican food?
In Mexican cuisine, “tinga” refers to a dish made with shredded meat, typically chicken, beef, or pork, simmered in a flavorful tomato-based sauce. The sauce is often smoky and spicy, featuring ingredients like chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, onions, and garlic.
Is chicken tinga spicy to eat?
Chicken tinga can be spicy, but the level of spiciness can vary depending on the recipe and individual preferences. It’s typically made with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which contribute a smoky and moderately spicy flavor.