Chicken Tinga – Nicky’s Kitchen Sanctuary

Spicy shredded chicken cooked in a smoky chipotle chilli and tomato sauce. Pile into soft corn tortillas (I’ve got a recipe for those too) and top with your favourite toppings.

A tall, overhead shot of chicken tinga in a large black bowl. The chicken is topped with sliced coriander and in the top left of the bowl, you can see a silver spoon sticking out of the dish. On the left of the background, there is a light blue napkin tucked underneath the dish, and above that on the top left, there is a small stack of homemade tortillas on a white napkin. In the top right corner of the image, there is a dark green dish filled with crumbled feta, and to the right of that, there is a light grey/brown dish with chopped white onion. In the bottom right corner of the image, you can slightly see two lime wedges on the surface. This is all set on a dark wooden surface.

Rich, tomatoey, tangy Chicken Tinga may be one of my new favourite summer dinners! My favourite way to serve this is as tacos, but it also goes amazingly on rice, nachos and even flatbreads! You name it!

This does require a few specific ingredients, but trust me it’s totally worth it to get that unique, spicy-tangy taste!

📋 Ingredients

Oregano – Use Mexican oregano if you can get your hands on it, if not plain oregano works just fine.

Chicken Thigh – I prefer to use chicken thigh for recipes like this as it can hold up to high-heat cooking without drying out and it absorbs all the flavours perfectly!

Chipotle Chillies in Adobo

A wide, overhead shot of a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The can is placed, labelled-side-up on a wooden cutting board.

Peppers in Adobo Sauce – I recommend using whole chipotle chillies in adobo sauce if possible. However they can be hard to find in the UK.

If you can’t find them, substitute with 3 tablespoons of chipotle paste – BUT! – make sure you use a chipotle paste that has tomato, onion and vinegar in. We like the Sainsburys inspired to cook spicy chipotle paste (pictured below). You may need to add some chilli flakes for extra heat too.

Chipotle Paste

Chipotle Paste – If you’re using paste, make sure it’s got tomato, onion and vinegar in it. You may need to add some chilli flakes for extra heat.

How to make it:

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

This is actually quite a simple recipe and can be done in only one pan! First, you want to fry the onions in a little oil, and then add in garlic, oregano and those lovely chipotle chillies and heat whilst stirring continuously.
Then we add tinned tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, sugar and lime juice and bring to a bubble.
Submerge the chicken thigh fillets completely in the sauce and leave to simmer for about an hour until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
Once cooked, remove the chicken to shred on a cutting board, before popping it back into the sauce.
Give it all one last mix together and you’re ready to serve!

Pro Tip

Why not try making your own corn tortillas to serve as a vessel for this chicken tinga!

Not only is this a fantastic Friday-night meal, but it’s also a show-stopper at any family get together!

A tall shot of chicken tinga served in homemade tortillas.

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🍽️ What to serve it with

I love a recipe without huge piles of pans to wash up at the end! 😆

A tall, overhead shot of chicken tinga served on homemade tortillas. The tortillas are on a large blue plate in the bottom left of the image, they are topped with the chicken tinga, chopped coriander, crumbled feta, and chopped onions. Surrounding the tortillas are four lime wedges and some more chopped coriander. In the bottom right corner of the image, you can slightly see a blue dish filled with crumbled feta. In the top left corner of the image, you can see the remaining chicken tinga in a large black bowl, to the left of that, there is a light grey dish with diced onions in it and in the very top left-hand corner of the image, you can see a white napkin with a stack of homemade tortillas on it. This is all set on a dark wooden background.

🍲 More fantastic Mexican-inspired recipes

Can I make it ahead/freeze it?

Yes! This actually reheats really well!
Just cool, and store in an air tight container in either the fridge (for up to 3 days) or in the freezer.
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
When you want to reheat, just heat in a skillet/pan, stirring often, until piping hot throughout – you may need to add in a splash of water or stock to loosen while reheating.

Ingredient Swaps:

Chipotle Chillies in Adobo Sauce – I recommend using whole chipotle chillies in adobo sauce if possible. However they can be hard to find in the UK. If you can’t find them, substitute with 3 tablespoons of chipotle paste – BUT! – make sure you use a chipotle paste that has tomato, onion and vinegar in. We like the Sainsburys inspired to cook spicy chipotle paste (pictured above).

Oregano – If you can’t get your hands on Mexican oregano, the plain version will work just fine.

How to scale up and down this recipe:

You can double the recipe to serve a crowd or halve to serve a few, just make sure you are sticking to the same ingredient ratios. Bear in mind that if you want to double the recipe, you may need a larger pan.

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Heat the oil in a large cast iron casserole dish or heavy based saucepan over a medium to high heat.

2 tbsp oil
Add the diced onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft.

1 onion
Now add the garlic, oregano and chopped chipotle chillies and cook for further minute, stirring continuously.

4 cloves garlic, 3 tsp dried oregano, 4 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce
Next in goes the tinned tomatoes, stock, smoked paprika, bay leaves, sugar and lime juice. Stir everything together and bring to a gentle bubble.

400 g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes, 180 ml (3/4 cup) chicken stock, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp light brown sugar, 2 tbsp lime juice
Turn down the heat to medium/low, add the chicken thigh fillets and give everything a stir making sure the chicken is submerged in the sauce.

750 g (1.5 lb) chicken thigh fillets
Allow to gently simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick on the bottom of the pan.
The chicken should now be fall apart tender and the sauce reduced by half. Now turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves and chicken, placing the chicken on a chopping board and discarding the bay leaves.
Shred the chicken with 2 forks and add it back into the pan with the sauce.
Stir it all together and you’re ready to serve. I like to serve it up piled on corn tortillas, sprinkled with coriander (cilantro), diced onion and white cheese. I also serve with extra lime wedges.

soft corn tortillas, fresh coriander (cilantro), finely diced onion, mild white crumbly cheese, lime wedges

Alternative for chipotle chillies in adobo sauce

I recommend using whole chipotle chillies in adobo sauce if possible. However they can be hard to find in the UK. If you can’t find them, substitute with 3 tablespoons of chipotle paste – BUT! – make sure you use a chipotle paste that has tomato, onion and vinegar in. We like the Sainsburys inspired to cook spicy chipotle paste (pictured above).
If you’re using chipotle paste instead of the whole chillies it’s likely that it won’t have as much heat – as it won’t have the chilli seeds in. When you’ve removed the chicken towards the end of the cooking process you can taste to see if you’re happy with the heat level and add some chilli flakes for an extra kick if you want more heat.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

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