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This authentic Chicken Tinga recipe is from Jalisco, Mexico. The chicken has a smoky, spicy flavor from stewed tomatoes and chiles, and it’s perfect tucked in tacos or piled on your next burrito bowl.
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.
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.
Bonus: you also end up with a batch of chicken broth for soup or to save in your freezer. I love when that happens!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Buy a whole chicken or 4 to 5 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts. You’ll make chicken broth with it, which you need for this recipe, and then shred up the meat for the tinga.
- Organ meats: The heart and gizzard can be added to the broth if desired, but the liver should be discarded or reserved for another purpose.
- Cold water: Always start with cold water. This helps keep the broth clear, not cloudy.
- Chicken broth: It’s super simple to make full-blown chicken broth while poaching your chicken. To the pot with the chicken, add 1 carrot (peeled and chopped), 1 rib celery (chopped), and a sachet of spices (any or all of these: 6 parsley stems, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns). Cover everything with cold water and proceed with the recipe. After removing and shredding the chicken for the tinga, strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Reserve 1 cup broth for the sauce. The rest can be divided into freezer-safe containers (leaving at least 1/2-inch for expansion). Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce: If you’ve never had chipotle chiles in adobo: be warned. It’s spicy! If you shy away from spicy food, add just a little to start or omit it entirely. Use leftover chipotle chiles in adobo to make pinto beans or spicy stuffed peppers.
Step-by-step instructions
To make the chicken:
- In a Dutch Oven or large stock pot, add chicken, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt. Add cold water to cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pot. Shred chicken, discarding skin and bones (you should have about 4 cups chicken). Remove and set aside 1 cup cooking liquid (chicken broth).
To make the sauce:
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring 4 cups water to boil. Add tomatoes and boil until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to blender.
- To the blender with the tomatoes, add the 1 cup of reserved chicken broth, chipotle chiles in adobo, onion, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
To make the tinga:
- In a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until just smoking. And onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add half the sauce and bring to boil. Stir in chicken, adding more sauce if desired (the heat of the dish comes from the sauce, so use more or less sauce to taste). Boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve in tortillas with Mexican rice, shredded lettuce, and cheese.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: Depending on the exact size of your chicken and how much sauce you add to it, the recipe will make at least 6 servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: This is a great make-ahead recipe! Any parts (chicken and/or sauce) or the entire dish can be made up to 3 days in advance.
- Freezer: 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.
- Leftover chicken: To substitute leftover chicken in the fridge, skip the whole part about poaching a chicken and just shred your leftover chicken. Purée all sauce ingredients together in a blender. You won’t have the chicken broth from cooking the chicken, so just use store-bought chicken broth or water. You can throw in some bouillon if you want to. Proceed with the rest of the recipe, heating the oil in the pan for the onions, and then adding the sauce
Recipe FAQs
The overall spiciness of Tinga depends on how much sauce you add. So, if you’re concerned about the spice factor, taste the sauce before you add any, then decide how much to add to your chicken (add more for a spicier dish). Keep in mind the sauce tastes spicier alone then when eaten with food. If your Chicken Tinga winds up being a too spicy despite your efforts, serve the Tinga with a dollop of sour cream of lime wedges to counterbalance the heat.
The best toppings for Tinga are cheese (Queso Fresco is great), finely minced white onions, minced cilantro, diced avocado, hot sauce, shredded lettuce. Add to a bowl with quinoa or Mexican rice or try on a crunchy tostada with beans and guacamole.
Heat a dry skillet over medium or medium-high heat (depending on how closely you plan to watch the tortillas). Add a few tortillas in a single layer (try not to overlap) and heat until softened on one side (1-2 minutes). Flip and heat on the other side for another minute or so. Wrap in foil or a tortilla towel, then repeat with remaining tortillas.
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Chicken Tinga
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 4 to 5 pound whole chicken cut into pieces and giblets removed (see note 1 & 2)
- 1 medium onion peeled and halved
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- Cold water (see note 3)
For the sauce:
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth reserved from boiling chicken or store-bought (see note 4)
- 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce or more to taste (see note 5)
- 1/4 medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 extra large chicken bouillon cube or 2 regular cubes
For the tinga:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or pork lard (not the pure white vegetable lard)
- 3/4 medium onion sliced (the remaining from making the sauce above)
- Flour tortillas warmed, for serving
- Mexican rice for serving
- Shredded lettuce and Queso Fresco, or your other favorite toppings, for serving
Instructions
To make the chicken:
- In a Dutch Oven or large stock pot, add chicken, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt. Add cold water to cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pot. Shred chicken, discarding skin and bones (you should have about 4 cups chicken). Remove and set aside 1 cup cooking liquid (chicken broth).
To make the sauce:
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring 4 cups water to boil. Add tomatoes and boil until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to blender.
- To the blender with the tomatoes, add the 1 cup of reserved chicken broth, chipotle chiles in adobo, onion, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
To make the tinga:
- In a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until just smoking. And onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add half the sauce and bring to boil. Stir in chicken, adding more sauce if desired (the heat of the dish comes from the sauce, so use more or less sauce to taste). Boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve in tortillas with Mexican rice, shredded lettuce, and cheese.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken: Buy a whole chicken or 4 to 5 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts. You’ll make chicken broth with it, which you need for this recipe, and then shred up the meat for the tinga.
- Organ meats: The heart and gizzard can be added to the broth if desired, but the liver should be discarded or reserved for another purpose.
- Cold water: Always start with cold water. This helps keep the broth clear, not cloudy.
- Chicken broth: It’s super simple to make full-blown chicken broth while poaching your chicken. To the pot with the chicken, add 1 carrot (peeled and chopped), 1 rib celery (chopped), and a sachet of spices (any or all of these: 6 parsley stems, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns). Cover everything with cold water and proceed with the recipe. After removing and shredding the chicken for the tinga, strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Reserve 1 cup broth for the sauce. The rest can be divided into freezer-safe containers (leaving at least 1/2-inch for expansion). Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce: If you’ve never had chipotle chiles in adobo: be warned. It’s spicy! If you shy away from spicy food, add just a little to start or omit it entirely. Use leftover chipotle chiles in adobo to make pinto beans or spicy stuffed peppers.
- Yield: Depending on the exact size of your chicken and how much sauce you add to it, the recipe will make at least 6 servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: This is a great make-ahead recipe! Any parts (chicken and/or sauce) or the entire dish can be made up to 3 days in advance.
- Freezer: 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.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This is easy and delicious! My kids loved it, and the leftovers made a perfect packed lunch for school. I love that we get to use a whole chicken – how often does that happen?
Hi Adriana, thank you so much for your comment! I agree! :) – Meggan
This is seriously my favorite Mexican chicken recipe EVER. It is so delicious! I’m making it again for dinner tonight. So, so, so good!