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Chicken Tinga

Published: Oct 21, 2014 · Modified: Sep 1, 2024 by Maura Wall Hernandez · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

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Chicken tinga, also known as tinga poblana or tinga de pollo, is a flavorful, authentic Mexican dish that you can get on the dinner table in less than an hour.

There are a few key ingredients to this chicken tinga recipe that help you get it on the table quickly: Store-bought rotisserie chicken, tomato sauce and canned diced tomatoes. Like many traditional Mexican dishes, tomatoes are an important flavor as the base of this recipe. And if you shred the chicken in advance or have some help shredding it, you'll really have dinner ready in no time!

How to make tinga poblana, a Mexican dish with a tomato base and shredded chicken. Great for tostadas, tacos, served with rice, or as a quesadilla! This dish is also sometimes known as tinga de pollo or chicken tinga. Recipe via theothersideofthetortilla.com

This tangy, slightly spicy, stewed dish originally comes from the state of Puebla and is sometimes also made with shredded beef or pork instead of chicken. Ingredients in this dish can sometimes vary slightly from family to family, but most recipes have a tomato base, call for chorizo and fresh tomatillos—all of which, when combined, lend a little umami flavor and texture to this popular dish.

Ingredients

Though chicken tinga has a lot of ingredients, I promise it comes together quickly, and most of them are things you should have in your pantry aside from the fresh ingredients.

  • Shredded chicken
  • Mexican chorizo
  • White onion
  • Garlic
  • Canned tomato sauce
  • Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • Canned diced tomatoes
  • Tomatillos
  • Dried Mexican oregano
  • Dried thyme
  • Dried marjoram
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Bay leaves
How to make tinga de pollo, a Mexican dish with a tomato base and shredded chicken. Great for tostadas, tacos, served with rice, or as a quesadilla! This dish is also sometimes known as tinga poblana or chicken tinga. Recipe via @MauraHernandez on The Other Side of The Tortilla.

I’ve used Hunt’s tomato sauce and canned petite diced tomatoes in my kitchen for several years because they’re grown in California, canned within hours of being picked, have no artificial preservatives and are 100 percent natural, so I feel good about feeding my family dishes that call for tomatoes when they're out of season or I don't have time to make tomato sauce from scratch.

Paired with chipotles in adobo sauce and fresh onion, garlic, and spices you surely already keep in your pantry, chicken tinga is sure to become a family favorite if it isn’t already a dish you eat regularly. And the bonus? You really only need to dirty one pan to make it! 

How to serve tinga

Chicken tinga is commonly served on top of tostadas with garnishes such as crema mexicana, avocado, shredded lettuce and queso fresco. It can also be served on its own with a side of rice, as tacos or inside of a quesadilla (sometimes known as tingadillas).

 

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How to make tinga de pollo, a Mexican dish with a tomato base and shredded chicken. Great for tostadas, tacos, served with rice, or as a quesadilla! This dish is also sometimes known as tinga poblana or chicken tinga. Recipe via @MauraHernandez on The Other Side of The Tortilla.

Chicken tinga

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  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
  • Category: Lunch/Dinner
  • Cuisine: Mexican
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Description

Tinga de pollo is a Mexican dish from Puebla with a tomato base and shredded chicken, along with chorizo, tomatillos and spices. This dish is also commonly known as tinga poblana or chicken tinga.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • ½ cup cooked chorizo (about 6-7 ounces uncooked depending on the brand)
  • ¾ cup white onion, diced (about half of a large onion)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 ¼ cups Hunt’s tomato sauce
  • 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 6 tablespoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotles in adobo)
  • 1 cup Hunt’s petite diced tomatoes
  • 3 ½ ounces fresh tomatillos (about 4 small-to-medium sized tomatillos)
  • ¾ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  1. Cook 6-7 ounces of chorizo in a frying pan. Drain grease from cooked chorizo on
  2. While the chorizo is cooking, hand-shred rotisserie chicken until you have four cups and set aside.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine cooked chorizo, diced white onion and garlic. Sautee until the onion starts to turn transparent, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. In a blender or a small food processor, add 1 ¼ cups Hunt’s tomato sauce, 2 chipotle chiles and 6 tablespoons of adobo sauce from the canned chipotles in adobo. Puree until completely smooth.
  5. Pour the tomato sauce mixture into the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Add 1 cup of Hunt’s petite diced tomatoes, Mexican oregano, thyme, marjoram, freshly ground pepper and tuck two bay leaves into the skillet so they’re submerged in the sauce. Stir to incorporate all ingredients.
  6. Add shredded chicken and fresh tomatillo wedges and stir to coat. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is completely heated through and the sauce has reduced slightly.
  7. Remove from heat and serve.

Notes

Serve on top of tostadas with crema mexicana and avocado (as pictured in this recipe); or with a side of rice, as tacos or inside of a quesadilla (known as tingadillas).

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Veronica Cervera says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:24 am

    Uy, la hago el fin de semana, Maura. Me da pena decirlo, pero siempre la he hecho con la sazón que venden ya con la mezcla.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Maura Hernández, an award-winning food and travel writer, recipe developer, and former journalist sharing my passion for all things Mexico. I've traveled Mexico extensively over the last 18 years and Mexico City is my home away from home. Here, you'll find a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cooking, along with my advice on where to eat, stay and play on your visit to Mexico!

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