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Chicken tinga, served as tacos with pico de gallo, avocados and cheese - Diversivore.com
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Chicken Tinga

You can make this amazing, authentic meal without venturing beyond the average grocery store. It makes amazing tacos, tortas, quesadillas, tlayudas and more. Adapted from Pati Jinich's version in Pati's Mexican Table.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Mexican, North American
Keyword authentic, easy, mexican tomato sauce, tacos, tinga sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 327kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 roma tomatoes (about 2 lbs/900 g)
  • 3 medium tomatillos (about 7 oz/200 g)
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cup white onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp oregano preferably Mexican
  • 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • 1.5 tsp salt (less if you use a salt-added chicken stock)
  • 2 tsp piloncillo (or brown sugar)
  • 1-4 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped (see note about spice)
  • 1 tbsp sauce from chipotles in adobo
  • 5 cups cooked shredded chicken (a grocery store rotisserie-cooked chicken works great)
  • 1.5 cups chicken stock preferably low- or no-sodium added

To Serve (All Optional)

  • corn tortillas
  • avocado
  • pico de gallo or other salsa
  • cotija or queso fresco cheese (substitute monterey jack, farmer's cheese, or mild feta)
  • Mexican crema

Instructions

  • Place the tomatoes and tomatillos in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil on the stovetop and cook until soft but not mushy, about 6-8 minutes. The skins on the tomatoes will most likely split open during cooking.
  • Remove the tomatoes and tomatillos from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender or food processor. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then blend until smooth and set aside.
  • Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onion and saute for about 4 minutes, or until the onions are soft and somewhat translucent - a little bit of brown or char is fine. Add the garlic and saute for another minute, then add in the pureed tomatoes and tomatillos (it will spatter, so be careful). Reduce the heat and stir in the spices, sugar, chipotles, and adobo sauce. Loosely cover the sauce and allow it to simmer over medium-low heat until it's thickened and darker - about 10 minutes.
  • Add the chicken and stock to the sauce and combine well. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or so, or until most of the sauce has been absorbed and the mixture is thick. Season to taste with salt.
  • Serve with tortillas and various toppings (see ingredient list for basics, but feel free to vary things based on your personal tastes). Quesadillas, tortas, tlayudas, tostadas, etc. are also great options.

Notes

You can easily vary this recipe in terms of spice by adding or subtracting chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. For a very mild version (i.e. the version I served my young children), you can use one or no chipotle peppers. For a smokier version with moderate heat, you can use 2-3 peppers. If you're looking for something fairly fiery, you can use 6-10 peppers, or the better part of a small can,. Although the adobo sauce (i.e. the sauce that the peppers are preserved in) does contribute a very small degree of spiciness, I wouldn't recommend removing it even for the spice-averse, as it contributes a lot of the smoky rich flavour necessary for the dish to work.
The tomatoes and tomatillos do not need to be seeded or cored - simply clean them and boil them whole.

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 925mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1350IU | Vitamin C: 34.7mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2.7mg