It turns out Tinga de Pollo is better at home. With this recipe, you can outshine even the best Mexican food restaurants. Bank on this: juicy, shredded chicken in a rich, delicious tomato sauce (not to be confused with birria) flavored with chipotle chiles in adobo, onions, garlic, and a simple mix of spices on the table in less than one hour.
This chicken tinga recipe will get you from start to finish with zero hiccups and deliver perfectly authentic flavors to the table fast because around here, we know Mexican flavors. Having developed over 100 quality-tested Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes on this site, we consider ourselves experts in the cuisine, and so do our readers!
"Our whole family loved your chicken tinga. It was so delicious! This recipe's a keeper."
Denay D.
TAK Reader
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why This Tinga de Pollo Recipe Works
This tinga de pollo recipe is not only twice as fast as other recipes out there, but it'll also soon become a weeknight favorite everyone loves.
With this dish, there is less time prepping and less time cooking than other recipes. A quick sauté of the onion and garlic with powerhouse spices like cumin, oregano, and parsley, authentic flavors are guaranteed quickly. You also don't have to cook the chicken and then make the sauce. The chicken is cooked with the sauce. The result is a heartier flavor and extra juicy chicken.
Love chicken recipes? Try our Chicken Street Tacos!
What is Tinga?
At its most basic form, tinga de pollo is chicken coated in a tomato-based sauce flavored with chipotle peppers. A dish that originated in Mexico, "tinga" embodies the components of the dish, as well as the cooking method. In this case, shredded meat braised in a smoky tomato sauce, spiced with chipotle peppers.
While the tinga cooking method can be applied to chicken, pork, and beef, chicken is the most popular of the three meats.
Literally any time is good time for chicken tinga. This dish is ideal for a new Taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo ritual but is truly great for any night of the week or occasion.
For more authentic Mexican cuisine, make our Bistec Ranchero next!
Tinga de Pollo Ingredients
- Chicken | Boneless, skinless chicken breasts that shreds beautifully and is the perfect protein for letting big flavors of our tinga sauce shine.
- Onions and Garlic | THE aromatic powerhouse! Perfect for adding big, savory flavor to food; umami and subtle sweetness.
- Crushed Tomatoes | Provides perfect consistency for a sauce that clings to the chicken in all the right ways. It's not runny and you don't have to cook it down for long period of time.
- Chipotle Peppers | Chipotles are dried smoked jalapeños that give this dish a smokey kick!
- Spices | This blend of spices gives Chicken Tinga the perfect mix of smokey, earthy, and savory flavors. You'll need Kosher salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and paprika.
- Cilantro | Fresh and zesty, this herb brings a light, fresh flavor to the dish.
How to Make Tinga de Pollo
Sauté Onion and Garlic | Add oil to a Dutch oven or large frying pan and allow it to come to temperature over medium-high heat. Then, add the onion and sauté until softened. Once the onion has cooked through, add some minced garlic and cook for about one minute more. Remove the pan from the heat.
Blend | Add crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and spices to either a blender or a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Spoon in the cooked onion and garlic, pop on the lid, and process the mixture until it is well-blended and completely smooth.
Simmer | Add the sauce to the pan, along with the raw chicken breasts. Place the lid slightly ajar and simmer for about 45 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through the cooking process.
Shred | Once the chicken has cooked through, remove it from the sauce, transfer it to a work surface, and shred it using two forks (or your hands if the chicken has cooled down cool enough). Then, return the shredded chicken back to the sauce and simmer for about 10-15 more minutes.
Crockpot lovers, rejoice! To make tinga de pollo in the slow cooker, follow steps 1 and 2 above, but instead of adding the sauce back to the frying pan, add it to the slow cooker along with the chicken breasts.
Then, add the lid and cook on low for a total of four hours. When it's finished cooking, shred the chicken as directed above and that's all there is to it!
How to Serve Chicken Tinga
There is no wrong way to serve tinga de pollo. Get creative with sides and toppings -- the more, the merrier!
- Main Dish with Mexican Rice | Tinga de Pollo is delicious served over a mound of Mexican rice with a side of charro beans.
- Tostada | Add chicken tinga, shredded lettuce, queso fresco, sliced avocado, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice to the top of a tostada and get ready for Mexican food bliss.
- Taco | Take your favorite tortilla (corn or flour) and fill it with tinga components, diced onion, sliced avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. If tacos are a staple in your home like mine, shredded chicken tacos, tacos al carbon, or tacos de barbacoa are a must!
- And more Tex-Mex dishes everyone loves: quesadillas, flautas de pollo, burritos, tamales, or nachos!
How to Store Chicken Tinga
Store | Tinga de Pollo leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days. If you'd like for your chicken to keep beyond this timeframe, it freezes very well.
Freeze | Add the dish to a freezer-safe, zip-top bag, remove as much air as possible, and lay it flat in the freezer. You could also freeze it in a freezer-safe container, just make sure there is minimal headspace between the chicken and the lid.
To safely thaw out, transfer to the refrigerator overnight and enjoy the next day!
5 More Mexican Recipes You'll Love
Tinga de Pollo (Chicken Tinga)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado or canola oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 4 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Add oil to a large frying pan (you'll need one with a lid) or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and allow to come to temperature. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, just until softened. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove from the heat.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers, salt, cumin, pepper, oregano, and paprika to a blender or a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add the softened onion and garlic as well, secure the lid, and process until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the sauce has reached a simmer, add the chicken breasts. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat (as necessary) to maintain a simmer.
- Allow the chicken to simmer for 45-50 minutes, turning the breasts about half-way through the cooking process. Do not allow the bottom to burn.
- Once the chicken has fully cooked through, remove it from the sauce, transfer it to a work surface, and shred it using two forks. Then, return the chicken to the sauce and allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes more. Garnish with fresh cilantro (if using), serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing!
Denay DeGuzman says
Our whole family loved your chicken tinga. It was so delicious! This recipe's a keeper.
Mia says
Amazing, spicy, smoky deliciousness. Thank you!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Mia! 🙂