Tinga Chicken

This Chicken Tinga recipe is one of the easiest dinners you will ever make – on your table in less than 25 minutes! 

Chicken Tinga, or tinga de pollo, is a Mexican dish consisting of shredded chicken in a saucy, smoky, spicy tomato chipotle sauce. Itโ€™s not only quick and easy, but healthy, exploding with flavor and wonderfully versatile.  Itโ€™s the ideal weeknight dinner and can be made into tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, tortas, tostadas, etc. or serve it buffet style and let everyone choose their chicken tinga adventure.  This Chicken Tinga recipe also freezes and reheats beautifully for meal prep lunches or dinners the whole family will love!

two tongs scooping up chicken tinga to serve


 

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CHICKEN TINGA

You know I love my Mexican Chicken recipes from my Crockpot Mexican Chicken, Salsa Verde Chicken, Chipotle Chicken, Cilantro Lime Chicken,  and Fajita Chicken โ€“ and now you can add this Chicken Tinga to the list!  Of all my Mexican Chicken recipes, this Chicken Tinga is certainly the quickest and belongs in your back-pocket arsenal of easy dinners.

This Chicken Tinga recipe is my uber quick and easy version of Chicken Tinga without sacrificing any of the flavor.  It utilizes a couple shortcuts to make dinner (AKA your life) easier while still boasting tinga’s characteristic robust, smoky, spicy flavor. 

Authentic Chicken Tinga begins by cooking a whole chicken and then shredding it whereas this recipe uses shredded rotisserie chicken (with directions to make your own shredded chicken if you wish).  It also uses canned fire roasted tomatoes instead of roasting or boiling your own, which I personally prefer.  The resulting Chicken Tinga recipe is a spectacularly QUICK AND EASY, flavorful answer to all your dinner woes!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS TINGA CHICKEN RECIPE

  • FLAVOR.  Onions, garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, chipotles, adobo sauce simmer together to create layers of saucy flavor that envelop every nook and cranny of your tender, juicy shredded chicken.
  • QUICK AND EASY.  This Chicken Tinga recipe will literally have you eating Chicken Tinga tacos/tostadas/rice, etc. in 20 minutes while everyone sings your praises!  Itโ€™s not only fabulous for weeknight dinners but fun to serve friends because itโ€™s SO easy but tastes AMAZING, looks fancy but requires minimal effort โ€“ and everyone can choose their own toppings!
  • PANTRY FRIENDLY.  If you’re craving some authentic-tasting Chicken Tinga, this recipe is just the ticket to satisfy your cravings.  The ingredients are easy to find at most grocery stores so you an keep them stocked and ready to go.
  • PREP AHEAD FRIENDLY.  It also reheats beautifully so you can make some on Sunday and be grateful for leftovers all week long. 
  • VERSATILE.  Remember those leftovers?  You can reinvent Chicken Tinga every time you serve it for the perfect impromptu meal loaded with flavor.  Itโ€™s fabulous just with rice, beans and lettuce or wrapped in tortillas, burritos, tacos, flautas or piled on tostadas, tortas or nachos.  Itโ€™s seriously delicious every way you serve it! 
  • FREEZER FRIENDLY.  Whether you want to prep ahead or stash leftovers, Chicken Tinga freezes beautifully.  Now, just grab some from the freezer for quick and easy lunches or dinners throughout the week.
top view showing how to serve chicken tinga with a line up of tortillas, guacamole, refried beans, red onions, sour cream

What Does Chicken Tinga mean?

โ€œTinga,โ€ literally means stew and refers to shredded chicken, beef or pork that stews in a combination of tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers, and oregano.

Chicken Tinga, or tinga de pollo, is the chicken version resulting in shredded chicken in a smoky, tomato and chipotle-based sauce.  It is most commonly served on tostadas with a layer of refried beans then piled with your choice of toppings.   

Where does Tinga come from?

Chicken Tinga originated in Puebla Mexico, the same state that the famous โ€œCinco de mayoโ€ battle took place in 1862 when the Mexican army defeated the French armada.  Puebla was a colonial town with many convents and as such is the birthplace to other popular dishes such as Mole Poblano and Chiles en Nogada.

up close of slow cooker chicken tinga recipe in a bowl garnished with cilantro
showing how to make chicken tinga by adding a whole chicken to a Dutch oven to cook and shred

CHICKEN TINGA RECIPE INGREDIENTS

In addition to chicken, the other main component to Chicken Tinga is the easy, chipotle tomato sauce. You will need:    

  • Chipotle peppers and adobo sauce:  chipotle peppers are jalapeno chiles that are picked when ripe and red. They are smoke-dried, rehydrated then preserved in adobo sauce.  They come in 7 oz. cans found in the Latin aisle of any grocery store. They have a distinct, smoky, spicy, slightly sweet flavor. The adobo sauce they are preserved in is also highly flavorful, composed of various spices such as paprika, oregano, and garlic as well as vinegar, onion and tomato which all enhance the taste of the chipotle peppers.  For this Chicken Tinga recipe, you will need 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers which is usually 2 peppers and one tablespoon of the adobo sauce.  
  • Fire roasted diced tomatoes: are located next to the traditional diced tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes have been roasted which gives them a complex smokiness which I prefer to just diced tomatoes or boiling tomatoes as many Chicken Tinga recipes call for. If you canโ€™t find fire roasted diced tomatoes, then you may use traditional diced tomatoes.
  • Onion:  one sweet onion thinly sliced.  The sweetness helps offset the spicy chipotle.  
  • Garlic:  4 garlic cloves, more or less to taste.  
  • Green chiles:  you will need 2 tablespoons from one 4 oz. can mild diced green chiles.  They are not spicy, just add tangy flavor, just take care you get the MILD vs HOT.  I have mistakenly purchased the hot diced green chiles before and they will knock your socks off!
  • Seasonings:  chicken bouillon, dried oregano, dried cumin, dried coriander and salt add a complex layer of flavor.

What Chicken is Best?

You have three options when it comes to which chicken to use to make Chicken Tinga.  You can use 1) cooked rotisserie chicken, 2) make your own shredded chicken by cooking a whole chicken or 2) make your own shredded chicken by cooking chicken breasts or chicken thighs.

  • Rotisserie Chicken.  If youโ€™re looking for the fast 20-minute Chicken Tinga experience, use a rotisserie chickenItโ€™s a big-time saver for a quick weeknight meal and taste fabulous.  Rotisserie chicken is a combination of light and dark meat so itโ€™s extra juicy and flavorful.  It is also beautifully tender, delicately seasoned and delicious plain, so it makes a fabulous starting point for Chicken Tinga.
  • Whole Chicken.  Cooking a whole chicken on the stove takes about 30-35 minutes including chopping the chicken into pieces, so it is also relatively quick, tastes great and you get the added bonus of homemade chicken stock.  You can also make the chipotle tomato sauce while the chicken is cooking, so its all ready to receive your shredded chicken when it’s done.  Instructions to follow.
  • Chicken Breasts or Thighs:  You can make your own shredded chicken with either chicken breasts or chicken thighs so you can always make this Chicken Tinga recipe with whatever chicken you have on hand.  Chicken thighs will give you juicer, more flavorful chicken, but chicken breasts will work as well.  You will need about 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs to equal the 4 cups we need for this recipe. Instructions to follow.

HOW TO MAKE TINGA

  1. Cook onions.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once hot, add the onions and sautรฉ for 4-5 minutes.   If youโ€™ve made your own shredded chicken, you can skip sautรฉing the onion and instead use a slotted spoon to scoop out the onion simmered with the chicken (which is what I did here).  If this is your plan, then use a sweet onion when cooking the chicken.
showing how to make chicken tinga by cooking onions in a skillet
  1. Add sauce ingredients.  Add garlic and sautรฉ for 30 seconds. Stir in chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, fire roasted diced tomatoes, green chiles, chicken bouillon, dried oregano, dried cumin, dried coriander and salt.  Bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
showing how to make chicken tinga by adding chipotle chile peppers in adobe, green chiles, cumin and oregano
showing how to make chicken tinga by cooking onions, garlic, chipotle pepper together in a skillet
  1. Blend sauce ingredients.  Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, taking care to let some of the steam escape or it can explode.
showing how to make chicken tinga by blending tinga sauce in a blender until smooth
showing how to make chicken tinga by adding smooth sauce from blender to skillet
  1. Add chicken.  Return sauce to the skillet and stir in chicken.  Heat over low heat for 3 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper or chopped chipotles.

TINGA CHICKEN RECIPE VARIATIONS

HOW TO MAKE SHREDDED CHICKEN WITH A WHOLE CHICKEN

If youโ€™ve never cooked a whole chicken before, itโ€™s easy!  You will need:

  • 1 4 5-pound whole chicken cut into pieces
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

You can ask the butcher to cut the chicken up into pieces or you can do it yourself.  If youโ€™ve never cut up a chicken before, do a quick google search and watch a HOW-TO video.  You really canโ€™t go wrong and you donโ€™t need to worry about it being pretty because we are shredding the chicken anyway.

To make:

  • Add chicken, onions, garlic, salt and pepper to a Dutch Oven or large stock pot. 
  • Add water until it reaches about 1-inch above the chicken.  Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred, about 25 minutes.
  • Transfer chicken pieces to a cutting board using tongs.  Once cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and shred chicken with your fingers into bite size pieces.

HOW TO MAKE SHREDDED CHICKEN WITH THIGHS OR BREASTS

  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add chicken and cook 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side.
  • Flip chicken and add 2 cups chicken broth or water.
  • Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, then flip chicken over and continue to cook 10 minutes (thighs will take less time) or until chicken is cooked though and tender enough to shred. Add additional chicken broth or water if the liquid absorbs before the chicken is cooked through.
  • Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of chicken and actual temperature. If your chicken does not shred easily, then continue to cook, adding additional broth/water if needed.
  • Remove chicken from skillet and let rest 5 minutes before shredding.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TINGA

This Chicken Tinga can also be made in the slow cooker using boneless chicken and the same sauce ingredients/method.

  • Lightly grease slow cooker with cooking spray. Add two pounds of raw boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once hot, add the onions and sautรฉ for 4-5 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
  • Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour over chicken and stir to coat.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours, or on LOW for 6-7 hours or until the chicken is tender enough to shred. 
  • Shred chicken directly in the crockpot (or you can shred on cutting board) and turn heat to LOW. Continue to let chicken cook an additional 20-30 minutes.

CAN MAKE CHICKEN TINGA LESS SPICY?

I would say this Chicken Tinga recipe is medium spicy but may taste more or less spicy to you depending on your heat tolerance and your particular peppers.  Chipotle peppers, like jalapenos, can vary widely in heat, so your two tablespoons might be more or less spicy than my two tablespoons.  If you are cautious about not making it too spicy, then start with 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle pepper.

This Chicken Tinga recipe is mellowed out by the fire roasted tomatoes and the chicken.  It is further mellowed by serving with rice, beans, etc. so it ends up tasting less spicy than you might think.

showinig how to make chicken tinga recipe by simmering chicken in tomato chipotle sauce

CHICKEN TINGA RECIPE TIPS

  • Rotisserie Chicken: I like to purchase my rotisserie chicken from Costco because you get almost twice the amount of chicken on one bird for the same price. If you have leftover shredded chicken that you arenโ€™t going to use in this recipe, you can freeze it for later.
  • Frozen Chicken.  In anticipation of making this recipe or any other using shredded chicken, you can portion chicken into sandwich bags and freeze for later.  When ready to make Chicken Tinga, simply defrost and stir into the sauce.  
  • Customize heat.  Add 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle pepper for mild heat, 2 for medium and 3 if you love spicy.  After you add the chicken, you can taste and stir in additional minced chopped chipotle pepper if you would like it spicier.  Just make sure to finely mince the peppers so the heat is evenly distributed.
  • Add sugar:   Just like tomato-based sauces marinara and Bolognese, I find it helpful to add some sugar to mellow the acidity of the tomatoes.  You can make the sauce completely then taste and decide if you would like to add sugar or not.
  • Double Batch:  This Chicken Tinga is a fabulous recipe to double, or break out your Dutch oven and triple!  Freeze leftovers in portion size bags for a quick thaw and heat dinner.
  • Serve buffet style:  Line up chicken tinga, rice, tostadas and/or tortillas along with all the favorite toppings (lettuce, pickled red onions, cilantro, avocados, jalapenos, sour cream, cotija cheese or queso fresco etc.,).  Let family or guests pile on all their favs.  

How do I store Chipotle Peppers?

Most recipes only call for 1-2 tablespoons of minced chipotle peppers and so you are left with an open can of smoky, spicy goodness.  I love spice, but that is a lot of chipotle peppers to use up before their fridge life expires!  To make the most of your worthy investment, I suggest storing the chipotle peppers in the freezer.

First, spread out saran wrap on a small baking tray, plate, or ice tray that will fit in your freezer. Next, mince the chipotle peppers, (or you can use a food processor), and plop them onto the saran wrap in 1 tablespoon increments a few inches apart (if using an ice tray, place them in each ice cube compartment on the saran wrap).  Put the tray in the freezer and when the chipotles are frozen, cut the saran wrap apart, individually wrap each tablespoon, and find your chipotles a new home in your freezer.

It only takes a few minutes and then you always have chipotle peppers on hand and donโ€™t have to stress about them going bad in your fridge.  Win, win!

MAKE THIS RECIPE YOUR OWN

Traditional Chicken Tinga is minimalistic – just the chicken in the robust, spicy sauce.  That being said, I like to replace some of the chicken with beans, veggies or rice.  Here are some ideas:

  • Add Beans. Add your favorite beans โ€“ black beans, black, pinto, etc. directly in with the chicken.
  • Add Veggies. You can add any veggies your heart desires from corn, bell peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, spinach etc. 
  • Add cheese. Stir in shredded Mexican cheese blend, cheddar or Monterrey cheese for CHEESY Chicken Tinga.
  • Add rice or quinoa. Stir in cooked rice or cooked quinoa for added texture.
  • Different Protein:  Although this is called โ€œChicken Tinga,โ€ the sauce can be combined with shredded pork, steak, ground beef, ground turkey, etc.
two tongs scooping up chicken tinga to serve

DIFFERENT WAYS TO SERVE TINGA

The uses for this Chicken Tinga are endless!  The traditional way to eat this chicken are with white rice or piled on tostadas with refried beans and topping, but feel free to serve it up any way youโ€™d like. I always like to serve it with cooling, refrershing avocado crema or sour cream to complement the earthy spiciness. Here are just a few ideas โ€“ but donโ€™t let this limit your imagination:

  • Chicken Tinga Tostadas: Layer a tostada with refried beans or avocado mash, top with chicken, lettuce, red onions, cilantro, avocados, sour cream, cotija cheese or queso fresco etc. 
  • Chicken Tinga Tacos: Tacos made with tinga are called tacos de guisado. Warm tortillas then layer with chicken, black or pinto beans, and desired toppings such as lettuce, onions, cilantro, homemade guacamole, cotija cheese, and sour cream. 
  • Baked Chicken Tinga Tacos: Line a 9×13 baking dish with hard taco shells and fill each shell with 2 tablespoons refried beans (optional), followed by chicken and cheese (like this recipe). Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.  Top chicken tacos with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc.
  • Chicken Tinga Tortas:  Slice French-style bread in half horizontally, spread refried beans on each side, top with chicken, cheese, avocado slices or guacamole, tomatoes slices, pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, etc. 
  • Chicken Tinga Burrito Bowls: Layer cilantro lime rice with cheese, black beans or pinto beans, chicken, chopped lettuce, and your favorite toppings including crushed tortilla chips and either sour cream/Greek yogurt or I highly recommend either Tomatillo Avocado Ranch or Cilantro Lime Dressing.
  • Chicken Tinga Burritos: Layer a burrito size tortilla with cilantro lime rice or Mexican Rice, black or pinto beans, cheese, chicken, guacamole, sour cream and lettuce.  Serve with additional sour cream and either pico de gallo or homemade salsa.
  • Smothered Chicken Tinga Burritos:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and add a baking rack on top. Prepare burritos by adding a heaping ½ cup chicken to each burrito size tortilla, top with desired amount of cheese and roll up burrito style. Place burritos on the baking rack and brush both sides lightly with olive oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Broil to desired crispiness, flip over and broil the other side until golden.  Remove baking rack and top burritos with my wildly popular Cheesy Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce like in my Crockpot Smothered Burritos.   The creamy sauce beautifully offsets the tangy, spicy chicken.
  • Chicken Tinga Quesadillas:  Layer a burrito size tortilla with Mexican cheese and chicken and grill until golden, cheesy perfection.  Serve with your favs of sour cream, salsa, chopped lettuce, guacamole, etc.
  • Chicken Tinga Nachos:  Pile thick restaurant style tortilla chips with cheese and beans and bake.  Top with chicken and toppings such as jalapenos, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

SIDES THAT PAIR WELL WITH THIS TINGA RECIPE

STORAGE

Store chicken tinga in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

HOW TO FREEZE TINGA CHICKEN

This Chicken Tinga makes great freezer meals!  To freeze:

  1. Prepare chicken according to directions.
  2. Cool to room temperature.
  3. Add chicken to a freezer size plastic bag OR portion into smaller size sandwich bags.
  4. Press bag flat, squeeze out excess air to prevent freezer burn.
  5. Seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months.

HOW TO REHEAT

  1. When ready to use, defrost chicken in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. Remove chicken and reheat in a skillet or in a microwave-safe container in the microwave.
showing how to make chicken tinga tacos by adding chicken tinga to a corn tortilla

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two tongs scooping up chicken tinga to serve

TINGA CHICKEN RECIPE

This Chicken Tinga recipe is one of the easiest dinners you will ever make – on your table in less than 25 minutes! Chicken Tinga, or tinga de pollo, is a Mexican dish consisting of shredded chicken in a saucy, smoky, spicy tomato chipotle sauce. Itโ€™s not only quick and easy, but healthy, exploding with flavor and wonderfully versatile. Itโ€™s the ideal weeknight dinner and can be made into tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, tortas, tostadas, etc. or serve it buffet style and let everyone choose their chicken tinga adventure. This Chicken Tinga recipe also freezes and reheats beautifully for meal prep lunches or dinners the whole family will love!
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Total Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and sautรฉ for 4-5 minutes (If youโ€™ve made your own shredded chicken, you can skip sautรฉing the onion and instead use a slotted spoon to scoop out the onion simmered with the chicken.)
  • Add garlic and sautรฉ for 30 seconds. Stir in all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the chicken. Bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, taking care to let some of the steam escape or it can explode.
  • Return sauce to the skillet and stir in chicken. Heat over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper or minced chipotles. Stir in 1/2-1 teaspoon sugar if desired to mellow the acidity of the tomatoes.
  • Serve over plain rice, on tostadas or in warmed tortillas along with refried beans, sour cream, avocado slices, pickled red onions, cilantro, cotija etc. OR see the post for ALL the different ways to serve chicken tinga.

Notes

SHREDDED CHICKEN

You have three options when it comes to which chicken to use to make Chicken Tinga.ย  You can use 1) cooked rotisserie chicken, 2) make your own shredded chicken by cooking a whole chicken or 2) make your own shredded chicken by cooking chicken breasts or chicken thighs.

TO MAKE SHREDDED CHICKEN FROM WHOLE CHICKEN

  • 1 4 – 5 pound whole chicken cut into pieces
  • 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
DIRECTIONS
  • Add chicken, onions,ย  garlic, salt and pepper to a Dutch Oven or large stock pot.ย  Add water until it reaches about 1-inch above the chicken.ย  Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred, about 25 minutes.
  • Transfer chicken pieces to a cutting board using tongs.ย  Once cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and shred chicken with your fingers into bite size pieces.

TO MAKE SHREDDED CHICKEN WITH THIGHS OR BREASTS

  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add chicken and cook 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side.
  • Flip chicken and add 2 cups chicken broth or water.
  • Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, then flip chicken over and continue to cook 10 minutes (thighs will take less time) or until chicken is cooked though and tender enough to shred. Add additional chicken broth or water if the liquid absorbs before the chicken is cooked through.
  • Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of chicken and actual temperature. If your chicken does not shred easily, then continue to cook, adding additional broth/water if needed.
  • Remove chicken from skillet and let rest 5 minutes before shredding.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TINGA

This Chicken Tinga can also be made in the slow cooker using boneless chicken and the same sauce ingredients/method.
  • Lightly grease slow cooker with cooking spray. ย ย Add two pounds of raw boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. ย Once hot, add the onions and sautรฉ for 4-5 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
  • Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.ย  Pour over chicken and stir to coat.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours, or on LOW for 6-7 hours or until the chicken is tender enough to shred.ย 
  • Shred chicken directly in the crockpot (or you can shred on cutting board) and turn heat to LOW. Continue to let chicken cook an additional 20-30 minutes.

TIPS AND TRICKSย 

  • Rotisserie Chicken: I like to purchase my rotisserie chicken from Costco because you get almost twice the amount of chicken on one bird for the same price. If you have leftover shredded chicken that you arenโ€™t going to use in this recipe, you can freeze it for later.
  • Frozen Chicken.ย  In anticipation of making this recipe or any other using shredded chicken, you can portion chicken into sandwich bags and freeze for later.ย  When ready to make Chicken Tinga, simply defrost and stir into the sauce. ย 
  • Customize heat.ย  Add 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle pepper for mild heat, 2 for medium and 3 if you love spicy.ย  After you add the chicken, you can taste and stir in additional minced chopped chipotle pepper if you would like it spicier.ย  Just make sure to finely mince the peppers so the heat is evenly distributed.
  • Add sugar: ย ย Just like tomato-based sauces marinara and Bolognese, I find it helpful to add some sugar to mellow the acidity of the tomatoes. ย You can make the sauce completely then taste and decide if you would like to add sugar or not.
  • Double Batch:ย  This Chicken Tinga is a fabulous recipe to double, or break out your Dutch oven and triple!ย  Freeze leftovers in portion size bags for a quick thaw and heat dinner.
  • Serve buffet style:ย  Line up chicken tinga, rice, tostadas and/or tortillas along with all the favorite toppings (lettuce, pickled red onions, cilantro, avocados, jalapenos, sour cream, cotija cheese or queso fresco etc.,).ย  Let family or guests pile on all their favs. ย 

HOW TO FREEZEย 

  • Prepare chicken according to directions.
  • Cool to room temperature.
  • Add chicken to a freezer size plastic bag OR portion into smaller size sandwich bags.
  • Press bag flat, squeeze out excess air to prevent freezer burn.
  • Seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • When ready to use, defrost chicken in the refrigerator overnight.
  • Remove chicken and reheat in a skillet or in a microwave-safe container in the microwave.

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20 Comments

  1. Jennifer Fulk says

    Wow, I am excited to try this! I have a question- if you are cooking a whole chicken , why does it have to be cut-up? When I use a whole chicken for something like chicken enchilada casserole, etc. I just bring the whole chicken to a boil , covered with water, spices, bay leaves, garlic and onion and then simmer for an hour or so. Do you think that would work here.? Is the cutting up part just so it cooks faster? Thanks. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Jen says

      Hi Jennifer, yes that would absolutely work here! You definitely don’t have to cut it up but it cuts the cooking time by over half.

  2. Lauren says

    I made this yesterday, and though the flavors I think were wonderful, it was burn your face off hot! I should have tasted it before adding the chipotle peppers. Iโ€™m going to try it again today since I ruined that batch, only this time make my own shredded chicken and be careful with the peppers! The rotisserie I bought was pretty mushy so thatโ€™s why Iโ€™m going to make my own. *this is not a negative review because I quite liked the flavor, but thought someone could learn from my mistakes *

    • Jen says

      Thanks for your input Lauren. I hope it was perfect the second time!

    • Irma Chiota says

      I have never used or tasted the peppers before and I had the same issue with the peppers being too spicy. Next time I will only use one, and YES I will make this again. YUMMY,

      • Jen says

        Thank for your input Irma! Definitely better to start with less then add more to taste. Hopefully next time it will be perfect!

  3. Debbie says

    Hi Jen just finished eating this delicious shredded chx dish. My family loved it and Im always looking for new recipes. I make between 3-4 of your recipes a week and always a hit. Thank you thank you are my very favorite food blog. And your recipes are easy to follow and not crazy weird ingrediants that you would have to go to a sqeciality store for. Keep you the great work and Happy New year. Debbie .

    • Jen says

      Thank you so much for our thoughtful comment Debbie! I’m so pleased this chicken tinga was a win with your family and that you make so many of my recipes a week! I’m honored to be your favorite food blog! xoxoxo

  4. Mike Norman says

    Delicious chicken – thanks!! Any thoughts/tips on making this with pork?

    • Jen says

      I see from your IG that you beat me to it! I’m so happy it turned out!

  5. Mary says

    I made this recipe and it was delicious! I topped tortillas with regrows beans, the chicken tinga mixture, sour cream, and roasted peppers and onion. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Jen says

      You’re so welcome Mary, I’m so pleased it was a winner!

  6. Rahul Yadav says

    I made this last night and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

    • Jen says

      You’re so welcome, I’m so pleased it was a winner!

  7. Ames says

    So, I already have a Tinga recipe, but always look for ways to jazz it up a bit. What I love about this particular websiteโ€™s version, is that they not only give you options, but they do not discourage cutting corners with precooked ingredients. They get it,! They show you how to make it low and slow, AND quick and easy. Sometimes, you need a quick meal that doesnโ€™t taste like a quick meal, but you donโ€™t want the recipe to feel compromised. This site gives great tips for retaining almost the same flavor throughout the different cooking methods. Great recipe!

    • Jen says

      Thank you so much Ames for your awesome comment! I’m so happy you appreciate the different options I give – I know how life gets busy but we still deserve great food!

  8. Sandie says

    Oh my gosh, this chicken was amazing! I cooked mine in the crockpot because I had to work. When I got out of my car in the garage I could already smell it. I was looking for chicken for chicken tacos but honestly I think this would be great in enchiladas or even tamales. I usually tend to tweak recipes a little but I didn’t change a thing in this recipe except no coriander (only because I didn’t have any) but I will add that next time. Thank you for the wonderful recipe ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Jen says

      Thank you so much for your awesome review Sandie, I’m thrilled you loved it so much! I also love your idea of using it in enchiladas or tamales – yum!

  9. Diana says

    I added 3 extra chipotle peppers. I like it spicy. I pureed everything in the sauce including onions. Next time I will leave the sauteed onions sliced mixed with the chicken. I served mine in corn tostadas, layered with Mexican cream or sour cream, shredded cabbage, pickled onions and a mix of diced onions and cilantro. I didn’t add salsa shine I added the extra chipotle peppers. Pretty yummy, will definitely make again.

    • Jen says

      Mmmmm, your entire meal sounds fabulous! I’m SO impressed you added 3 extra chipotle peppers!