Chicken Tinga

This mouthwatering chicken tinga recipe starts with shredded chicken cooked in a flavorful fire roasted tomato-based sauce that’s spiced with smokey chipotle peppers.

Why this recipe works

Chicken tinga is downright delicious. It’s smokey, spicey, and blasted with flavor. You can cradle it inside a taco, mix it into a salad, or add it to a bowl with beans and rice. I personally love it in a charred taco shell with a fat bowl of black bean soup on the side. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it’s really easy to make.

Starting with precooked, leftover, or rotisserie chicken – all you have to do is blitz the other ingredients in food processor or mini chopper. Combine it all in a skillet to mingle, heat through, and that’s it. This Mexican-inspired chicken tinga recipe is perfect for parties or as an everyday meal if you’re looking to use up some leftover chicken breast.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CHICKEN – You can use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or you can poach a couple of raw chicken breasts for this recipe.

TOMATOES – A can of fire-roasted tomatoes adds another layer of spiciness to this dish. You can easily substitute with a can of regular diced tomatoes if preferred.

How to Make Chicken Tinga

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Add garlic and onion and saute for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. To a mini food chopper add tomatoes, oregano, chipotle with adobo, cumin, chicken base, salt, pepper, and reserved onion mixture. Blend until smooth.
4. Empty the contents of the food chopper into the skillet and add the water. Whisk together.
5. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Chicken tinga can be served so many different ways. It’s commonly served as chicken tinga tacos with avocado, cojita cheese, and a squeeze of lime juice. You can also use it as a burrito or enchilada stuffing, mix it into salads, or serve it up bowl-style with rice, beans, avocado, cojita cheese, peppers, onions, and tortilla chips for scooping.

For parties, I like to set it up as a make-your-own station including taco shells and plenty of options for toppings on the side. That way, your guests can make them into either tacos or bowls. Enjoy!

More Related Recipes

• Carnitas
• Beef Barbacoa
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Mexican Chicken Casserole

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Chicken Tinga

This easy chicken tinga recipe keeps it nice and simple using leftover shredded chicken, fire roasted tomatoes, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Great for parties or everyday dinner!

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings: 6 servings

25 minutes mins

Calories: 186

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound cooked, shredded chicken
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 cup chopped onion
• ▢ 14 ounces fire roasted tomatoes not drained
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chicken base
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons black pepper
• ▢ ¾ cup water

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Large heavy bottomed skillet
• ▢
  Mini food chopper or food processor
• ▢
  Whisk

Before You Begin

• You can use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or you can poach a couple of raw chicken breasts for this recipe.
• A can of fire-roasted tomatoes adds another layer of spiciness to this dish. You can easily substitute with a can of regular diced tomatoes if preferred.

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Add garlic and onion and saute for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  1 Tablespoon minced garlic, 1 cup chopped onion
• To a mini food chopper add tomatoes, oregano, chipotle with adobo, cumin, chicken base, salt, pepper, and reserved onion mixture. Blend until smooth.
  14 ounces fire roasted tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon dried oregano, 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chicken base, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper
• Empty contents of food chopper into skillet and add the water. Whisk together.
  3/4 cup water
• Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through.
  1 pound cooked, shredded chicken

Expert Tips & FAQs

• Store cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1 cup) | Calories: 186cal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 1017mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg

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