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Chicken Tinga Tacos

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I’ve cooked with smoked paprika and chilli plenty of times, but chipotle brings something quite different. You get chilli heat and smokiness together, but with a deeper flavour that works particularly well with tomato.

Chicken tinga seemed like a good place to start.

Traditional tinga has several regional and household variations, but chicken cooked with tomato, onion and chipotle is probably the version most people recognise. For mine, I’m using chicken thigh because it stays juicy after being shredded and returned to the sauce.

The chicken is really the only part that needs much cooking. Once it’s piled into warm tortillas with avocado, coriander, lime and some quick-pickled red onion, there’s enough freshness and acidity that the tacos don’t need much else.

This is my Mexican-inspired version rather than an attempt to define the traditional one.

Chicken Tinga Tacos

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Chicken Tinga Tacos are an easy combination of tender shredded chicken and a smoky tomato-chipotle sauce. This version uses chicken thigh for a juicy filling, then keeps the toppings fresh and simple with avocado, coriander, lime and quick-pickled red onion.
Servings 4
Course Main Course, Whole Meal
Cuisine Mexican inspired

Ingredients

  • Chicken Tinga
  • 600 g boneless skinless chicken thigh
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium brown onion thinly sliced
  • 3 tsp minced garlic
  • 400 g canned tomatoes
  • 1 –2 chipotle chillies in adobo plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp dried oregano preferably Mexican oregano if available
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp salt then more to taste
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 100 ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • Quick-Pickled Red Onion
  • ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
  • 3 tbsp hot water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp honey
  • To Serve
  • 12 small corn or flour tortillas
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 1 small handful fresh coriander
  • 2 limes cut into wedges
  • Pickled red onion
  • Optional sliced jalapeño or fresh chilli

Method

  1. Pickle the onion
  2. Place the sliced red onion in a small bowl.
  3. Mix the vinegar, hot water, salt and honey until dissolved, then pour over the onion.
  4. Toss and leave for at least 20–30 minutes while you make the chicken.
  5. You can make this several hours ahead and refrigerate it.
  6. Brown the chicken
  7. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with salt and black pepper.
  8. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
  9. Brown the chicken for about 2–3 minutes per side. It doesn’t need to be cooked through yet.
  10. Remove and set aside.
  11. Cook the onion
  12. Reduce the heat to medium.
  13. Add the sliced brown onion to the same pan and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to colour.
  14. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
  15. Make the tinga sauce
  16. Add the canned tomatoes, chipotle chillies, adobo sauce, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika and chicken stock.
  17. Stir everything together and bring to a gentle simmer.
  18. For a smoother tinga, you can blend the tomato mixture before returning it to the pan. I prefer leaving a little texture in the sauce.
  19. Cook the chicken
  20. Return the browned chicken and any resting juices to the sauce.
  21. Cover loosely and simmer gently for around 15 minutes, turning the chicken once, until completely cooked and tender.
  22. Shred
  23. Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks.
  24. Don’t shred it too finely. I like having some larger pieces of chicken left in the tacos.
  25. Return the shredded chicken to the pan.
  26. Reduce
  27. Simmer uncovered for another 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  28. The finished tinga should be juicy and heavily coated in sauce, but not watery enough to immediately soak through the tortillas.
  29. Add the lime juice.
  30. Taste before adding more salt. If you want more heat, add another little spoonful of adobo sauce.
  31. Warm the tortillas
  32. Heat the tortillas in a dry frying pan for around 20–30 seconds per side, until warm and flexible.
  33. Keep them wrapped in a clean tea towel while you finish the batch.
  34. Build the tacos
  35. Add chicken tinga to each warm tortilla.
  36. Top with avocado, pickled red onion and fresh coriander.
  37. Finish with a squeeze of lime immediately before eating.

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About the Author

Gary
Creacipes started as a place to keep track of the recipes I actually want to cook again. These days, I rarely follow recipes exactly. Between cooking at home, experimenting with ingredients and running POP UP Dumpling Bar, I’ve learned to cook more by feel and adjust things to suit my own taste. If something turns out well, this is where I write it down.

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