Easy Chicken Tinga Recipe: Smoky Chipotle Shredded Chicken for Tacos
Make authentic Tinga de Pollo at home. This recipe delivers smoky, chipotle-infused shredded chicken perfect for quick weeknight tacos or tostadas.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 12 corn or flour tortillas (for serving)
Instructions
- Place the chicken, undrained diced tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper into a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the chicken broth to the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Keep the sauce mixture in the pot.
- Use two forks to shred the cooked chicken.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot with the sauce. Stir well to coat the chicken completely.
- Simmer the chicken tinga uncovered over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly and the flavors to meld.
- Warm your tortillas according to package directions.
- Serve the smoky chipotle shredded chicken in your warm tortillas. Add your favorite toppings for your chicken tinga tacos.
Notes
- For a faster method, cook the chicken in an Instant Pot: Combine all ingredients except tortillas in the Instant Pot. Cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes, then allow a Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes before venting. Shred the chicken in the sauce.
- If you are short on time, substitute the raw chicken with 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. Add the rotisserie chicken when you return the sauce to the pot in step 6.
- Serve this flavorful shredded chicken on tostadas or over rice for burrito bowls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1 cup chicken)
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 7
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 44
- Cholesterol: 115