Description
This recipe for The Best Chicken Tinga Tacos offers a smoky, spicy, and vibrant Mexican dish featuring tender shredded chicken simmered in a rich chipotle tomato sauce. Perfectly seasoned and served on warm corn or flour tortillas, these tacos are easy to prepare and customizable with delicious toppings like avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
For Serving
- Fresh corn or flour tortillas
- Optional toppings: diced avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, sliced radishes
Instructions
- Sauté Onions: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced onions and sauté for 3–4 minutes, until they soften and become translucent.
- Cook Garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently to prevent burning and to release the garlic’s aroma.
- Make the Sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine the fire-roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, dried oregano, and salt. Blend until smooth to create a smoky, spicy sauce base.
- Simmer Chicken in Sauce: Pour the tomato-chipotle sauce into the skillet with the sautéed onions. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then add the chicken pieces along with the chicken broth or water.
- Cook Chicken: Cover the skillet and let cook on low heat for 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred easily.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the chicken from the skillet and shred it using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the skillet with the sauce and simmer for an additional 5–10 minutes to absorb more flavor.
- Warm Tortillas: While the chicken simmers, warm your tortillas on a dry skillet over medium heat or directly over an open flame until pliable and lightly toasted.
- Assemble Tacos: Spoon the chicken tinga mixture onto the warm tortillas. Garnish with optional toppings such as diced avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and sliced radishes as desired.
Notes
- Adjust the number of chipotle peppers to control the spice level.
- Chicken thighs offer more juiciness and flavor, but breasts can be used for a leaner option.
- For extra smoky flavor, consider adding a dash of smoked paprika additionally when simmering.
- Use warm tortillas to prevent them from breaking when folded.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
