Tinga de Pollo Tacos (Chicken Tinga Tacos)
Chicken Tinga originates from Puebla, Mexico and is a spicy pulled chicken cooked with chipotle peppers in adobo and tomatoes, reduced down like a ragu and then usually enjoyed atop tostadas.
Traditionally, chicken breast is used to cook this dish, however I’ve added the option to use a hot roast chicken in case you want to make this in a pinch. Otherwise, I’ve added the option to use a Lilydale hot roast chicken too if you want to make a big batch of this or don’t like breast.
Whilst you’d typically enjoy these as tostadas, I’ve opted to have them with tortillas as tacos for an easy but flavourful mid-week dinner. It’s one of the fastest pulled meat tacos recipes you can make in 40 minutes without compromising on the flavour, slow cooking is not necessary either! You make the sauce whilst the chicken cools, shred the chicken whilst the sauce simmers and then prep the toppings as the chicken absorbs the sauce and reduces. Each step is cooked in tandem so it can easily be a mid week meal if you have all of the ingredients
Serves- 4
Ingredients- 15
Cooking time- 40 minutes
Skill level- Easy
Ingredients
- 1 tray (1kg) of Lilydale Free Range chicken breast fillets
- or 1 Lilydale Free Range Hot Roast Chicken, finely shredded
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp of cumin
- 2 tsp of Mexican oregano
- 2-3 cups of chicken stock
Toppings
- 1 packet (approx 15) corn tortillas or tostadas.
- 100g of cotija or queso fresco cheese, crumbled. If not available, you can crumble ricotta salata or crumbly feta.
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 5 sprigs of coriander, finely chopped
- 2 limes, cut into halves for squeezing
- Feel free to add any other toppings you wish but I find fresh and tangy ingredients like the above works best to contrast the sweet and rich pulled chicken tinga.
Method
- Cook the chicken breast fillets in a pot of salted boiling water for about 15 minutes or until fully cooked through. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Rinse out the pot you cooked the chicken in and heat with a few glugs of oil.
- Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes on medium until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add in the can of chipotle peppers including the adobo sauce and cook for 1 minute. Add some hot water into the can and swish around to get any residual sauce from the can.
- Add in the cumin and oregano and stir to combine.
- Add in the canned tomatoes, 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to the boil and then simmer. This recipe traditionally calls for blending the sauce until smooth and you can do this by transferring into a blender or using an immersion blender in the pot, but I skipped this step for ease and simply used my spatula to break up the chipotles and tomatoes. By the time you add the chicken and continue to simmer, most of the ingredients will have dissolved into the sauce so I don’t think this step is necessary if you want to bypass a step and keep this as a ‘one pot’ meal.
- Whilst the sauce is simmering, shred your chicken into pieces with your hands. If you’ve bought a hot roast chicken, skip step 1 and simply shred your roast chicken into small pieces now.
- Add the chicken to the sauce and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes so the chicken can absorb the sauce. If the mixture has fully absorbed, add in your remaining cup of chicken stock or some additional water.
- Meanwhile, prep your toppings. Warm your tortillas in a pan for a few seconds each side or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Keep under a tea towel to keep warm.
- Assemble your tacos. Place a tablespoon worth of the shredded chicken onto the tortilla. Top with avocado slices, onion, coriander and cheese. Squeeze with lime before enjoying.
Watch the process
Watch it on Instagram