Tinga de pollo or chicken tinga is a Mexican comfort food staple that comes together quick and can be used in a wide variety of delicious ways…
Tinga is shredded chicken simmered in a chipotle tomato sauce that is seasoned with all of the best Latin flavors like garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano and adobo sauce.
The flavors are warm, comforting and just a little bit spicy. Whether you add your tinga de pollo into tortillas, over nachos or a tostada or over a big bed of greens, you are going to love it.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering your ingredients. You will need 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), some neutral oil, a large white onion, 4 cloves of garlic, some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, tomato paste, a can of fire roasted tomatoes, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt and black pepper.
There are several ways that you can make tinga de pollo. I have been making it in a pressure cooker and love how quickly everything comes together, but you can also bring it together on a stovetop in a skillet or simmered in the oven in dutch oven. The results all turn out the same, so use what you have on hand.
Season your chicken generously with salt and black pepper. Add a few tablespoons of neutral oil into your pressure cooker on sauté mode or into a skillet over medium high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides and then transfer it onto a plate and set it aside for now.
Add a large diced onion and 4 cloves of finely minced garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly softened.
Add 2-4 chipotle peppers (depending on how spicy you want your tinga) along with 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 15 ounces of fire roasted tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and mix until combined.
Add the seared chicken into the skillet or pressure cooker and mix until the sauce and chicken are nicely combined.
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If cooking stovetop in a skillet, set the heat to medium and cover the skillet. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chickens internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
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If cooking in the oven, transfer the covered skillet or dutch oven into a 375 degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chickens internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
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If cooking in a pressure cooker, set the heat to pressure cook high and cook for 15 minutes.
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Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer it onto a cutting board and shred it into bite sized pieces. If the chipotle peppers did not break apart during the cooking process, chop them up fine and add everything back into the sauce.
Mix the shredded chicken in the sauce until everything is evenly distributed. Now that everything is cooked, you will be faced with the tough decision of just how you are going to enjoy your tinga de pollo.
Tinga tacos are one of my favorite ways to enjoy this delicious chicken and instead of your standard sour cream situation, I highly suggest whipping up a batch of my cilantro lime crema to drizzle over each taco.
Whether you are looking for a simple, but flavorful chicken dish to serve a group or want to make this weeks meal preps a little more exciting, I would love for you to give this tinga de pollo a try. You are going to love it!
Tinga de Pollo
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs)
- 2 tablespoons of a neutral oil
- salt and black pepper
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 15 ounces of fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions
- Season chicken generously with salt and black pepper
- Add 2 tablespoons of a neutral oil into a large skillet over medium high heat or a pressure cooker set to sauté
- Sear the chicken on both sides and then transfer it onto a plate and set aside for now
- Add the diced onion and finely minced garlic and cook until softened (5-7 minutes)
- Add 2-4 chipotle peppers (depending on how spicy you want your tinga to be) along with 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 15 ounces of fire roasted tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and stir to combine
- Add the seared chicken into the skillet or pressure cooker and mix until everything is completely combined
- Cooking Times: If cooking stovetop in a skillet, cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If cooking in the oven, transfer the covered skillet into a 375 degree oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If cooking in a pressure cooker, set to pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Shred the cooked chicken and return it to the sauce
- Toss until fully incorporated
- Serve warm
