Easy Chicken Tinga Tacos

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.

EQUIPMENT

• 1 large (12-inch) skillet

• Blender

INGREDIENTS

For the Poached Chicken and broth (can substitute with rotisserie chicken):

• 6 chicken thighs, bone-in & skin-on

• 1 large onion, roughly cut up

• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

• 1 tsp. Kosher salt

• Water

For the tacos:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 cup onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp. dried oregano, preferably Mexican

• ½ tsp. ground cumin

• 1 14.5-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices

• 1 cup chicken broth, reserved from poaching, or store-bought

• 2 Tbsp. chipotle peppers, chopped with some seeds removed

• 2 Tbsp. adobo sauce from chipotle can

• 1 tsp. Kosher salt

• 2 Bay leaves

• 6 flour or corn tortillas, heated over
gas flame and then covered

• ½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese, for topping (optional)

•  ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro, for topping (optional)

• ½ cup red onion chopped, for
topping (optional)

• hot sauce for topping (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

For poaching the chicken: 

1. Place the chicken, roughly cut onion, pressed garlic, and salt in a large skillet. Add enough water to just cover the chicken.

2. 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.

3. Carefully strain the broth through a colander into a heat-proof bowl and reserve 1 cup of the broth to use for cooking the tinga chicken. Save the remaining broth for another use. (It freezes perfectly!)

For the tacos: 

1. In a large skillet (can be the same one used to poach the chicken), 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.

2. Stir in the oregano and cumin. Cook for about 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, peppers, and adobo sauce. Stir in the salt and bay leaves. Simmer 15 minutes.

4. Remove the bay leaves, then carefully transfer the 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.

5. Serve at once with warmed tortillas (see notes below), cheese, cilantro, red onions, and hot sauce, if desired.

Notes:

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 grill them or 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.  

For more recipes and tips, visit: HowToFeedALoon.com