Chicken Tinga - Tastes Better From Scratch

This delicious Chicken Tinga recipe has tender chicken in a bold, chipotle sauce. Use it for tostadas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, loaded quesadillas and more.

Want more Mexican recipes? Try this Beef Birria, Pozole, Wet Burrito, or Chicken Taquitos!

Why I love this recipe:

• Versatile – Perfect for tostadas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or any of your favorite Mexican recipes.
• Delicious – The homemade sauce is quick to make, and bursting with bold flavor!
• Fresh – the sauce is made from fresh ingredients, and the final dish pairs perfectly with fresh lettuce, cilantro, and avocado served on top.

What is Chicken Tinga?

Chicken Tinga is a popular Mexican dish that has shredded chicken in a delicious homemade sauce made from tomatoes, onions, adobo sauce with chilis, and spices. It is often used for tostadas, but it can be used in a number of your favorite Mexican recipes!

How to make Chicken Tinga:

Cook Chicken in Broth: 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 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked (165 degrees F). Scoop off any foam and remove chicken to a plate to rest. Reserve 1 cup of broth from the pot (discard the rest).

Sauté Onion: 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.

Blend Sauce: 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.

Simmer: Pour mixture back into pot over medium heat. Simmer for at least 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 fresco, cilantro, avocado, and a drizzle of crema. Serve with a glass of horchata if you’d like!

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: 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.

To Freeze: Let the chicken cool completely then place in a freezer safe container or bag and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. 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!

Recipe Variations:

• 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.
• Tinga Tacos: Serve in a warm corn or flour tortilla, topped with shredded lettuce, cotija, crema, cilantro and avocado.
• Spice Level: The recipe as written is fairly mild, unless you add a very large adobo chile. Add more chiles, for more heat.
• 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.