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A row of easy chicken tinga tacos sitting next to each other on a wooden platter topped with crumbled cheese and garnish with lime wedges.

Easy Chicken Tinga Tacos

Course: Entree
Cuisine: Mexican / TexMex
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 491kcal
Author: Kris Longwell
Chicken Tinga Tacos are so easy to prepare and perfect for a weeknight taco dinner as well as a fun taco party. The poached chicken thighs are wonderful, but you could also go with a rotisserie chicken from the store, just be sure to grab some chicken broth, too.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 large (12-inch) skillet
  • Blender

Ingredients

For the Poached Chicken and Broth

  • 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
  • 1 large onion roughly cut up
  • 4 cloves garlic pressed, or minced
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Water

For the Chicken Tinga Tacos

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon oregano dried, preferably Mexican
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 cup chicken broth reserved from the poaching, or purchased
  • 2 tablespoon chipotle peppers chopped with some of the seeds removed
  • 2 tablespoon adobo sauce from the chipotle can
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 flour tortillas or corn, heated over a gas flame and then covered
  • ½ cup Cotija cheese crumbled, for topping (optional)
  • ¼ cup cilantro fresh, chopped, for topping (optional)
  • ½ cup red onion chopped, for topping (optional)
  • hot sauce for topping (optional)

Instructions

Poach the Chicken with Broth

  • Place the chicken, roughly cut onion, pressed garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large skillet. Add enough water to just cover the chicken.
    6 chicken thighs, 1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, Water
  • Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a platter. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Use your fingers, or two forks, to remove the skin and then pull the meat from the bones and roughly shred it. Set aside.
  • Carefully strain the broth through a colander into a heat-proof bowl and remove 1 cup of the broth to use for cooking the tinga chicken. Save the remaining broth for another use. (It freezes perfectly!).

Make the Chicken Tinga Tacos

  • In a large skillet (can be the same one use poached the chicken in), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, for another 30 seconds.
    1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 cup onion, 3 cloves garlic
  • Stir in the oregano and cumin. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
    1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • Add the tomatoes (with juice), chicken broth, peppers, and adobo sauce. Stir in the salt and add the bay leaves. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.
    1 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoon chipotle peppers, 2 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 bay leaves
  • Remove the bay leaves and then carefully transfer the tinga sauce to a blender (a ladle helps). Purée for about 1 minute until smooth. Add the puréed sauce back into the skillet. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
  • Serve at once with warmed tortillas (see NOTES), cheese, cilantro, red onions, and hot sauce, if desired.
    6 flour tortillas, ½ cup Cotija cheese, ¼ cup cilantro, ½ cup red onion, hot sauce

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.
If you use rotisserie chicken, then you'll need to grab some chicken broth. In a pinch, you could just add 1 cup of water to the sauce. 
We love to place each tortilla over a gas flame on our stove and lightly char the edges. Then place them on a plate with a dampened kitchen towel to steam them. You could also do this on your grill. Or, just heat them in damp paper towels in the microwave. 
The tinga sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance.  Reheat in a large skillet and stir in the chicken. 
Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in a medium skillet over medium heat (you may need to add a little more broth). Leftovers can be frozen for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 3612mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 229mg | Iron: 4mg