This delicious Chicken Tinga recipe has tender chicken in a bold, chipotle sauce. Use it for tostadas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, loaded quesadillas and more.
Add chicken, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and bay leaf to a pot. Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat for around 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through; 165 degrees F. Scoop off foam that may rise to the top while cooking. Remove chicken to a plate to rest, and reserve 1 cup of broth from the pot (discard the rest).
Return the emptied pot to the stove over medium-high heat. Add oil and once hot, add whole tomatoes, cooking for 2 minutes. Add onion chunks and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and onion to a blender, along with ½ cup reserved broth, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, 2 garlic cloves, adobo sauce and chipotle chile, oregano, and cumin and blend until smooth. Pour mixture back into the pot over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt additional adobo sauce, more seasonings, or reserved chicken broth, as desired, to taste.
Shred chicken and add to sauce, tossing to coat.
To Serve as Tostadas: Spread tostada shell with a thin layer of refried beans. Add a scoop of chicken tinga on top. Top with lettuce, queso freso, cilantro, avocado, and a drizzle of crema.
To Serve as Tacos: Serve in a warm corn or flour tortilla, topped with shredded lettuce, cotija, crema, cilantro and avocado.
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Notes
Spice Level: The recipe as written is fairly mild, unless you add a very large adobo chile. Add more chiles, for more heat.To Use Rotisserie Chicken: Skip the first steps of cooking the chicken. Make the sauce, adding ½ cup chicken broth. Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken at the end.Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare the chicken tinga and store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Heat when you are ready to use. These leftovers are delicious! See recipe notes for Slow Cooker or Instant Pot instructions.Freezing Instructions: Let the chicken cool completely then place in a freezer safe container or bag and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Alternately, make the sauce and pour into a ziplock bag with raw chicken. Freeze, and when ready to use, thaw completely and add to slow cooker, following the slow cooker instructions below. I love to make a big batch of this recipe and freeze half of it to use for chicken tinga tacos on a busy weeknight!Slow Cooker: Make sauce as instructed in recipe. Place chicken in a slow cooker, and pour sauce on top. Cook on LOW for 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2. Shred chicken and toss in sauce, then serve.Instant Pot: Make sauce as instructed in recipe. Pour sauce in the instant pot, then add fresh chicken breasts. Place lid on Instant Pot and cook on manual for 9 minutes, with a 5 minute natural pressure release. Remove chicken to shred, then place back in Instant Pot and toss with sauce.