Chicken Tinga
Total Time: 1 hr, 25 min
Active Time: 55 min
Cooking Schedule
| Prep | 20min | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Cooking | 10min | 25min | ||
| Passive Cooking | 30min |
Equipment
large cooking pot
large prep bowl
small prep bowl
sharp chef's knife
cutting board
Ingredients and Prep
| Ingredient | Amount | Prep |
|---|---|---|
| skinless, boneless chicken breast | 1 lbs | place into large cooking pot |
| bay leaf | 2 large leaves or 3 medium leaves | place into large cooking pot |
| white onion | 2 large | one onion cut into chunks and placed into the cooking pot, the other onion thinly sliced and placed into large prep bowl |
| garlic | 7 whole head | peeled. half of the cloves whole and placed into large cooking pot, half minced and placed into prep bowl |
| salt | 2 tbsp | one tablespoon placed in large cooking pot, the other reserved for seasoning at the end of cooking |
| neutral oil (vegetable, grapeseed) | 3 tbsp | measured and set aside in small prep bowl |
| chipotles in adobo/td> | half the whole peppers and sauce from of a 7oz. can | chipotles peppers minced and blended back with the sauce or blended, then placed into prep bowl |
| tomatoes (the best quality you can find) | 2 cups - about 3 beefsteak or 5 roma | rough chopped and placed into large prep bowl |
| tomatillos | 1 cups - about 2 large tomatillos/td> | outer husk removed, rough chopped and placed into large prep bowl |
| tomato paste | 1 can | marinade - measured and placed in blender |
Cooking Instructions
Step 1 (20min) Prep ingredients according to ingredients list. Place the ingredients in the large prep bowl into the refrigerator for later.
Step 2 (10min) Set a stove burner to medium heat. In a pot, combine chicken, bay leaves, onion halves, whole garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Add water to cover the chicken completely and bring the pot to a simmer.
Step 3 (30min) Cook the chicken for 30 minutes until cooked through.
Step 4 (3min) Pull out the chicken and place on a cutting board or sheet tray to cool.
Step 5 (2min) Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl.
Step 6 (5min) In the same pot, heat the oil at medium heat and add sliced onion and sliced garlic. Cooking for about 5 minutes.
Step 7 (2min) Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, tomato paste, chipotle chiles, and the strained cooking liquid (up to 1 cup).
Step 8 (2min) Shred the chicken, which should be cool enough by now to shred by hand or with forks.
Step 9 (10min) Add the chicken into the pot and cook until the chicken is warmed through and the tomatoes have broken down completely.
Step 10 (1min) Taste the chicken and season with salt and lime juice until well balanced. Add more of the strained cooking liquid if needed.
To Serve Serve in fresh, high quality corn or flour tortillas that have been warmed on a flat top then allowed to steam for a few minutes in a tortilla warmer. Top with raw white onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese.
More About This Recipe
Chicken Tinga is a ubiquitous dish across Mexico for good reason - its simple to make, can be held at temperature for a long time, and holds up well to reheating.
Many recipes I've tested have come across as quite bland - probably due to the low quality of tomatoes available in the USA. In this recipe, I've punch of the flavor with a can of tomato paste, tomatillos for acidity, extra herbs, and more generous seasoning.