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protein

Chicken Tinga

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Prep
20 minutes
Cook
45 minutes
Total
1 hr 5 min
Serves
4 servings
Shredded chicken tinga in smoky chipotle tomato sauce

Smoky, saucy, and packed with orange-and-chipotle flavor, chicken tinga is one of the most useful things you can make in large batches. Pulling the chicken by hand and mixing it back into the sauce means every piece gets coated.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 g) chicken thighs
  • 12 oz (340 g) potato, finely diced and cooked until just barely tender
  • 1 lb (430 g) onions, peeled and cut into thin strips
  • 3 oz (85 g) garlic, minced
  • 1½ oz (45 g) chipotle in adobo, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup (240 ml) orange juice
  • 1 lb (450 g) canned tomatoes, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3¼ oz (90 g) lard

Instructions

  1. 1
    Place the chicken thighs in a pot and cover with cold water. Add the bay leaves.
  2. 2
    Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
  3. 3
    Remove the chicken from the stock. Set aside to cool slightly. Keep the stock.
  4. 4
    In a separate large pot, heat the lard over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden brown.
  5. 5
    Add the crushed tomatoes, orange juice, and chipotle. Stir to combine.
  6. 6
    Simmer for 15–20 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavors come together.
  7. 7
    While the sauce simmers, pull the chicken into small pieces by hand.
  8. 8
    Add the pulled chicken, cooked potato, and a splash of the reserved chicken stock to the sauce. Stir to combine.
  9. 9
    Remove the bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Cook's Note

Pull the chicken while it's still warm, it shreds much more easily than cold chicken and the pieces come apart cleanly. Cold chicken tears unevenly and the texture in the finished tinga is stringy.

Best Served With

Corn tortillas, sour cream, crumbled queso fresco, and pickled jalapeño.

Why This Recipe Works

Cooking the chicken in water first gives you a clean stock that seasons the sauce when you add it back. The orange juice keeps the chipotle from tasting too heavy and one-dimensional.

Make It Yours

  • Skip the potato for a leaner version.
  • Add a handful of fresh cilantro stirred in at the very end.
  • Simpler production version: swap thighs for breast, drop the OJ and crushed tomatoes, use 2 cans chipotle in adobo (400 ml each) as the entire sauce base. Less layered but faster and scales well for large batches.

Leftover Strategy

Keeps refrigerated for 3–4 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen.

Want to impress guests with this dish? Ask Jeff →

Pairing

Cold Mexican lager or agua fresca. A light fruity rosé also works.