If your taco Tuesday needs a glow up, Chicken Tinga is the recipe for you! Tender shredded chicken coated in a smoky, spicy, chipotle tomato sauce that tastes like it came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Chicken Tinga
This is one of those recipes that has a truly shocking payoff considering how minimal your effort is! Easy, quick, simple steps with BIG favor is always a win in my kitchen. The homemade sauce comes together quickly in a blender, the chicken is seasoned and seared, then everything simmers until the meat is tender enough to shred right into that rich red sauce. I’ve also included instructions for both stove top and pressure cooker methods, so you can prepare it however you’d like.
Dig into more of my favorite taco recipes like shredded beef tacos, fish tacos, and mushroom tacos!
Is chicken tinga spicy?
I can be a little bit of a wimp with spice (according to my friends), so I do find these chicken tinga tacos to be on the spicier side! When serving, I like to add sour cream to my tacos to help tame the spice a little bit.
How to Make Chicken Tinga
Stove Top:
- Make the sauce. Add the chipotle chilis, fire roasted tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth and set aside.
- Season and sear. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Season the chicken evenly with the seasonings. Place the chicken in the pot and sear until golden on both sides.
- Deglaze. Remove the chicken from the pot. Pour some broth in the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. This is where the flavor is!
- Cook the chicken. Pour in the remaining broth and the red sauce. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer over medium heat until cooked through.
- Shred and serve. Shred the chicken in the pot and swirl around in the sauce to coat. Enjoy!
Instant Pot:
- Make the sauce. Prepare the sauce in the blender as listed above.
- Season and sear. Heat oil in the instant pot on sauté mode. Season the chicken evenly on both sides with the seasonings. Place the chicken in the hot oil and sear until golden on both sides.
- Deglaze. Remove the chicken from the pot. Pour some of the broth into the pot and deglaze with a wooden spoon.
- Pressure cook. Turn off the pot. Pour in the rest of the broth and the red sauce and return the chicken to pot. Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to sealing. Cook on manual (pressure cook) (high) for 8 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, allow the pot to come to pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then, do a quick pressure release.
- Enjoy! Shred the chicken and stir to coat in the sauce.
Storing and Freezing
This is a great make-ahead recipe because leftovers keep so well! Once the chicken has totally cooled to room temp, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove top.
Ingredient Notes
- Chipotle Chilis in Adobo – This is where that signature smoky, spicy flavor comes from.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes – You can use regular diced tomatoes, but you’ll be missing out on some extra flavor!
- Onion – A white or yellow onion is what you’ll need.
- Garlic – You’ll need fresh garlic, not pre-minced or powder, for the very best authentic flavor.
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil also works well.
- Chicken Breast – You could also use the same amount of boneless, skinless chicken thighs if preferred.
- Seasonings – Chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, cinnamon, and black pepper is what you’ll need! Try not to swap the smoked paprika for regular – the extra smoky flavor really compliments the chilis.
- Chicken Broth – Regular or low-sodium both work well.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Perfect Chicken Tinga
Ingredients
- 2 Chipotle Chilis in Adobo, *From a Can
- 1 14.5 Ounce Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 Medium Onion Cut into quarters
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
OPTIONAL FOR SERVING: Tortillas, Chips, Sour Cream, Lettuce, Limes, Avocado, Cheese.
Instructions
STOVE TOP METHOD:
- Add the chipotle chilis, fire roasted tomatoes, onion, and garlic to the canister of a blender or food processor. Pulse for 1 minute, until smooth, set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Lay the chicken breasts out on a cutting board and season evenly with the chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, cinnamon, and pepper.
- Place the chicken in the pot and sear for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden.
- Remove the chicken from the pot. Pour 1/4 Cup of the broth into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits.
- Pour in the remaining broth, and the chili sauce from the blender.
- Return the chicken to the pan and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
- Shred the chicken in the pot and swirl around in the sauce to coat.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
INSTANT POT METHOD:
- Prepare the sauce in the blender as listed above, set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in the instant pot on saute mode.
- Season the chicken evenly on both sides with the chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, cinnamon, and pepper.
- Place the chicken in the hot oil and sear for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove the chicken from the instant pot. Pour about 1/4 cup of the broth into the pot and deglaze with a wooden spoon.
- Turn the pot off. Pour in the rest of the chicken broth, the sauce from the blender, and return the chicken to pot.
- Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to sealing. Cook on manual (pressure cook) (high) for 8 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, allow the pot to come to pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then, do a quick pressure release.
- Shred the chicken and stir to coat in the sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe looks great! I am planning to cook in my Instant Pot Duo 8 qt. Do I need to add extra liquid to accommodate for the larger size Instant Pot to prevent a burn notice? Thanks!!
Hi! It should be ok but go ahead and add an extra 1/2 to 1 Cup broth if you are worried about it, won’t hurt anything 🙂
Is it spicy hot or just spicy??
It is pretty spicy (hot), you can cut down on the amount of chipotle peppers to make it less spicy if you want
Looking forward to making this and will use an instant pot. How do I adjust the cook time if I use chicken thighs?