Tinga: How to Make the Best Mexican Chicken Stew/Taco Filling for Fall

Tinga is life. Juicy chunks of chicken in a tangy slightly spicy tomato and chipotle sauce is so, so good and I am addicted.

Recently Mike found a new-to-us super authentic Mexican place and since he was feeling like burritos we planned to spend the afternoon with some food to go and a little late-summer picnic. He had already decided on a chicken tinga burrito but I was kind of unsure. I have this thing where I’m super indecisive when it comes to food. I always want to make the best decision possible.

Anyway, Mike ordered his burrito while I waffled between ALL the other choices. His burrito was ready in a flash and I insisted that he eat it right away – because I wanted to taste it too so I could make an informed decision. One bite and I was sold. It was SO delicious. Huge chunks of juicy chicken in a tomatoey chipotle sauce. The plentiful caramelized onions were sweet and smoky and some diced potatoes added a bit of creaminess. I was dead. I had to recreate it the moment we got home.

What is tinga?

Tinga is a Mexican dish made with chicken, called tinga de pollo in Spanish. It’s made with shredded chicken and onions simmered in a tomato and chipotle in adobo sauce. Tinga is super popular in tacos or on a tostada with refried beans, lettuce, cheese, crema, and salsa. It’s smoky, with just a hint of heat. It’s SO GOOD I sometimes just eat it as a stew without rice or tortillas or anything. The best part is that it comes together super quickly but tastes like you’ve been simmering for hours.

How to make tinga

Making tinga is super easy:

1. 1. Blend the sauce. This part is easy, just pop the chipotle in adobo, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and cumin into a blender and blend until smooth.
   2. Caramelize the onions. Take your time and caramelize the onions until they are golden, soft, and drive you wild with how good they smell.
   3. Simmer the stew. Add the sauce to the pan, along with the chicken, bay leaves, and chicken stock and simmer until all the flavors meld and everything is delicious.

Chicken tinga ingredients

1. 1. • Chicken. Tinga usually uses chicken that’s already been cooked which makes it come together amazingly fast. You can use leftover shredded rotisserie chicken, or just cook some chicken and shred it especially for tinga. Or you can just shred whatever leftover roast chicken you have in your fridge. I like chicken thighs because they’re super juicy but usually I see tinga made with breast, so it’s up to you whichever you like best.
      • Chipotle in adobo. This is what adds such a huge amount of flavor to your tinga! Chipotle in adobo come in little cans and are ruby red salty-sweet-spicy-tangy-smoky deliciousness. They are the base of so many Mexican stews and marinades. You can pretty much find them in all grocery stores.
      • Tomatoes. Tomatoes add a bit of tang and sweetness to your tinga. We used fire roasted tomatoes for an extra bit of smokiness but you can use regular canned tomatoes or even just sub 4 fresh tomatoes, chopped.
      • Onions. Tinga needs onions. They add caramelized sweetness and so much flavor. Take your time where you’re cooking the onions, you want them to brown but not turn black. Caramelizing onions always takes a long time but the flavor payoff is so worth it.
      • Spices. Tinga is pretty light on the spices, but absolutely necessary is Mexican oregano and cumin. The cumin adds a warm earthy aroma and the oregano adds lemon-y citrus flavors. But only if you use Mexican oregano, which is different than the usual oregano you find in the spice aisle. Mexican oregano can be found near the Mexican food stuffs in the grocery store and it’s pretty cheap to get a bag. If you don’t have any, you can always sub regular oregano, but try and find some when you have a chance.

What are chipotles in adobo?

Chipotles in adobo are key to so many Mexican stews and marinades. Essentially, chipotle in adobo are smoked and dried jalapeños rehydrated and canned in tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and spices. Keep a couple of cans in your pantry, it’s what we do because we use them all the time. They are super versatile and add so much flavor. You can use them in sauces, glazes, marinades, braises, soups, salsas, almost anything. We usually end up using the can in one go, but you can easily just use one or two and save the rest in a container in your fridge (or freeze them) and use them to add extra umami to anything.

Instant Pot chicken tinga

1. Blend the sauce and set aside.
2. Caramelize the onions on sauté high then add the sauce, raw chicken, and chicken stock to the pot.
3. Set to 5 minutes at high pressure. Quick release when done.
4. Open the lid carefully then remove and shred the chicken.
5. Add the chicken back to the sauce and simmer on sauté high for a couple more minutes until the sauce is reduced.

Crockpot chicken tinga

1. Blend the sauce and set aside.
2. Sauté some onions in a pan on the stove and when caramelized, add them to the slow cooker, along with the raw chicken, sauce, and chicken stock.
3. Set the slow cooker to 2-3 hours on low or 1-2 hours on high. When the time is up, remove the chicken and shred, then add back into the sauce.

Chicken tinga FAQ

The key to making the BEST chicken tinga

The onions:

Caramelized onions are key. They add sweetness, depth, and umami to the dish. Lots of people want to rush this step, but caramelizing onions takes time. Pro tip: use low heat and don’t move the onions around too much.

The chicken:

How the chicken is cooked is also super important. Most tinga recipes (including this one) start with precooked chicken so it’s important that your chicken isn’t overcooked. My favorite way to cook chicken is to do it in the air fryer. You can also just poach your chicken right in the sauce, especially if you’re making Instant Pot or Crockpot chicken tinga.

The oregano:

Mexican oregano is a different plant than the usual oregano you see in the spice aisle. It’s indigenous to Mexico and has a more woodsy, citrus-lime earthy flavor compared to your typical oregano, which is from the Mediterranean. You can find Mexican oregano in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store and if you can’t, you can sub regular oregano, but try and find some, it makes a difference.

How to serve chicken tinga

What to serve with chicken tinga

Make a plate and serve it up with Mexican rice, beans, pico de gallo, warm tortillas, shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole, and tortilla chips

If you have some extra chipotle in adobo, try these recipes:

I feel like I can talk about chicken tinga forever but you probably are drooling, so I’m going to let you go so you can get started on dinner!
xoxo steph