Tinga de Pollo (Chicken Tinga) is a traditional Mexican recipe for a classic dish of chicken that's boiled and shredded before being finished in a chipotle and tomato sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Mexican version of: Chicken Tinga (Tinga de Pollo).
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This authentic Chicken Tinga Recipe, or Tinga de Pollo is made with tender, shredded chicken cooked in a delicious tomato sauce with a spicy kick from chipotle chiles in adobo. It is perfect for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas and more.
Ingredients:
To cook the chicken:
675g chicken (a mix of breasts and thighs)
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion, quartered (no need to peel)
2 bay leaves (or dried avocado leaves)
¼ tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp salt
750ml water (or low salt chicken stock); enough to cover the chicken
To cook the onions:
5 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves
For the chipotle sauce:
5 roma (plum) tomatoes (or 2 x 400g tins of crushed tomatoes)
200g chipotles in adobo sauce (you can used tinned where available)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
¼ tsp dried Mexican oregano
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried marjoram
¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
Method:
To cook the chicken, bring a pan of 750ml salted water (or chicken stock) to a boil. Add the quartered onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves (or avocado leaves), Mexican oregano and salt. If using chicken stock, omit the salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Make sure you skim the foam that forms on top of the water as it starts boiling. When the chicken is cooked, take off the heat and set aside (do not drain).
Whilst the chicken is cooking, place the tomatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and mushy but not falling apart. If, however, you’re using tinned tomatoes, skip this step.
Transfer the tomatoes to a blender, season with salt and black pepper along with the chipotles in adobo. Process to a paste then taste the purée, adjusting the seasonings as necessary. This is the tinga sauce.
Slice the onions and garlic cloves thinly. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic. Fry until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5–6 minutes). Now pour in the blended mixture and add the oregano, marjoram, thyme, and black pepper. (Be careful as the sauce will steam and bubble).
Reduce the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for about 7–8 minutes or until the sauce thickens and deepens in colour.
At this point remove the chicken from its poaching liquid and using two forks shred the meat. Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and mix thoroughly to combine.
Bring to a simmer, cook for 1 minute and serve either over a bed of rice or on warm tortillas.
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