This chicken tinga recipe is tender shredded chicken simmered in a zesty tomato-chipotle sauce, great for tacos, tostadas, or burritos, all in one pot!
The Best Chicken Tinga Recipe
Let's make some chicken tinga today, my friends. You're going to LOVE this recipe.
What is Chicken Tinga? Chicken Tinga is a classic Mexican dish of shredded chicken that cooks low and slow in a tomato-based sauce seasoned with chipotle peppers, onion, garlic, and other spices. The resulting chicken is smoky and spicy and everyone loves it.
It's a versatile dish, too, as you can serve it up however you'd like. Use it to fill warmed corn or flour tortillas for tacos. Spoon it over crispy tortillas for easy chipotle tostadas.
Fancy a burrito? Or a Mexican torta? Enchiladas? Chicken Tinga has you covered.
It also freezes wonderfully, so make extra and keep in the freezer for quick and easy lunch or dinner meals throughout the week.
Where does Tinga Come From?
Chicken tinga comes to us from Puebla, Mexico. It's a classic authentic Mexican recipe defined by it's silky and somewhat spicy sauce made primarily from tomatoes and smoky chipotle chilies in adobo sauce.
Let's talk about how to make chicken tinga, shall we? It's super easy, which I love.
Chicken Tinga Ingredients
- Chicken. I like to use chicken thighs, as they are juicier and have a higher fat content, but you can use chicken breast as well. This recipe calls for 2 pounds of chicken.
- Peppers and Veggies. I'm using one jalapeno pepper for a bit of heat and flavor, along with white onion and garlic cloves. Cooking them down adds a lot of extra flavor to the final sauce and shredded chicken. If you'd like a bit more heat, use a serrano pepper or two instead.
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce. Use a typical 7-ounce can that you can find in most stores. There are usually several brands to choose from. Go for the actual chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, as the chipotles add to that smoky flavor in the shredded chicken and the sauce. However, you can also use adobo sauce alone, if that is all that is available.
- Tomato Sauce. Tomato sauce adds body to the final sauce. This recipe calls for a typical 16 ounce can, though you can use crushed tomatoes, diced, or fire roasted, or the equivalent of fresh tomatoes. Just make sure to let them simmer long enough to break down, then process them to make the sauce.
- Seasonings. To spice things up and build on flavor, we're using chili powder, Mexican oregano, a bit of cumin, and salt and black pepper. If you have other preferred seasonings, like a favorite taco seasoning recipe, feel free to include it.
How to Make Chicken Tinga - the Recipe Method
Cook the Vegetables. First, heat some olive oil in a large skillet to medium-high heat and add chopped onions and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Brown the Chicken. Season some chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add them to the pan. Give them a nice sear on each side, a couple minute each. Chicken breasts work here as well, too.
Sauce Ingredients. Process the tomato sauce and chipotles in adobo sauce in a food processor, like so.
Blend until smooth.
Next, pour the mixture into the pan, covering the chicken.
Stir in the seasonings.
Simmer the Chicken Tinga. Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and easily pulls apart.
Shred, then Simmer the Chicken. Remove the chicken and shred it with a couple of forks.
Return the chicken to the pan and simmer in the sauce another 5 minutes to let the flavors develop and meld with the chicken.
You can simmer longer if you'd like, 15 minutes or more, over low heat to develop the flavor even further, until you are ready to serve.
If your sauce is too thick to your liking, you can thin it out with a bit of water or chicken broth.
Boom! That's it, my friends! Looks delicious, doesn't it? This tinga chicken is so moist and flavorful and it is HUGE on flavor. It's going to be one of your favorites. No lie.
Is Chicken Tinga Spicy?
Heat Factor: Mild-Medium. There is a low to medium level of spiciness in chipotle in adobo sauce, so be prepared. You'll get a heat level similar to an average jalapeno pepper, so if you find jalapenos hot, then expect a good kick from the sauce.
It will be distributed through the overall chicken tinga dish, however, so it may not be as spicy as you think.
I add in extra jalapenos to up that heat factor, and finish with spicy chili flakes as well. Feel free to use hotter peppers and flakes, or a nice hot sauce to finish.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Rotisserie Chicken. If you'd like to save some time making chicken tinga, pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred the meat from the bones. Then proceed with the recipe. It's a big time saver and the chicken tinga tastes great. Easy shredded chicken.
- Freezer Friendly. You can freeze chicken tinga very easily in sealable plastic baggies, with a vacuum sealer, or in freezer-friendly containers. I like to freeze mine in 6 to 8 ounce portions to serve 2 people for a quick lunch or dinner.
Crock Pot Chicken Tinga Recipe
You can easily make chicken tinga in your crock pot, slow cooker or instant pot using all the same ingredients. Here is a quick method:
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add them to the crock pot or slow cooker.
- Heat oil in a pan to medium heat and add the onions and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, chipotles in adobo sauce and stir in the seasonings. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors develop a bit.
- Pour the contents of the pan over the chicken and cover.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours, or on high for 1-2 hours, until the chicken becomes very tender.
- Finally, shred the chicken in right in the slow cooker with forks, or you can remove it to shred on a cutting board, then add the chicken back to the simmering tinga sauce.
- Serve it up with tortillas for chicken tinga tacos, or however you'd like to serve it.
Serving Chicken Tinga
As mentioned, chicken tinga is super versatile. You can serve it up pretty much any way you'd like.
Consider it for chicken tinga tacos, burritos, flautas, topping tostadas, chicken tortas, even over rice with other fixings for a satisfying burrito bowl with your favorite toppings like avocado, queso fresco, chili flakes, tomatoes, onions, and more.
Try Chicken Tinga Nachos! Add in extra ingredients like refried beans, black beans, sour cream or Mexican crema, extra sliced roasted jalapenos, shredded cheese, all your favorites.
Storage and Leftovers
Store any leftover chicken tinga in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To enjoy it again, warm it in a pot on the stove, or gently in the microwave.
You can freeze tinga chicken in vacuum sealed bags or freezer containers for 3 months or longer.
Try Some of My Other Popular Chicken Recipes
- Quick and Easy Chipotle Chicken
- Pollo Asado (Mexican Roast Chicken)
- Chicken Enchiladas Verdes with Cheese
- The Juiciest Shredded Chicken
- Grilled Harissa Chicken Legs
- Korean Chicken
- Chicken Vindaloo
- Juicy Jalapeno Chicken with Cheese
- Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Chicken
- Chipotle Chicken Nachos
- Chipotle Chili
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chicken Tinga Recipe (Mexican Chipotle Shredded Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (optional, for extra spicy)
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 pounds skinless chicken thighs chicken breast is good, too
- 16 ounce can tomato sauce
- 7 ounce can chipotles in adobo sauce (use 1/2 the can for less spicy)
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the onions and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add them to the pan. Cook them 2 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes more to lightly brown.
- Process the tomato sauce and chipotles in adobo sauce in a food processor, then pour the mixture into the pan, covering the chicken.
- Stir in the cumin, Mexican oregano, and salt and pepper.
- Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and easily pulls apart.
- Remove the chicken and shred it with a couple of forks.
- Return the chicken to the pan and simmer in the sauce another 5 minutes.
- Serve with tortillas, tostadas, on torta buns, or in a bowl with all your favorite fixings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/12/23 to include new information, photos and video. It was originally published on 1/4/19.
Banks says
Another great, easy recipe, Mike! We served it with a healthy dollop of sour cream, which added a nice creaminess that countered the heat well.
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Thanks, Banks!
Dave Kirk says
I have some friends that are not fans of the smokiness of chipotle. Is there something you would recommend using in place of chipotle?
Mike Hultquist says
Try it anchos. Here's a sauce you can try: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/sauces/ancho-chili-sauce/
Beb Musa says
Made this last night with chicken breasts and used a small poblano. Breasts were good sized so simmer them to about 160 before shredding. One thing i always do is when cooking onions and pepper at beginning i add a little bit of cumin and smoked paprika so it adds flavor. great recipe. My roomate was floored when tasted. This will bew a go to!!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Beb! Thanks for sharing this.
Amanda says
Delicious!! We used this recipe for soft tacos and I can't even count how many times my husband said these are the best tacos. I scaled back the chipotle pepper and Adobe sauce to 1 pepper and used about 1/3 of the sauce because I don't handle the heat well. My husband added more pepper on his tacos. This will be our go to for tacos now. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
So great to hear, Amanda! Awesome!
ejohn says
Really enjoyed this recipe. We made it two ways, because one of us does not like much heat. The unchanged recipe was quite hot, but by no means the hottest thing I've enjoyed. To make a portion less hot, we just added some cream in the last 10 minutes of cooking - that worked perfectly to reduce the heat but preserve the great chipotle flavor. Thanks, Mike !
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it! I love it!
James says
do you use boneless thighs as well?
Mike Hultquist says
You can if you'd like, James. Perfect for this recipe!
Chris says
I absolutely love this recipe! It is better than what I have had in a local restaurant. It is easy to make, too. Freezing it in portions works great! Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes! Enjoy, Chris!
Sara says
I first tried chicken tinga in a torta years ago and loved it. Your recipe made me want to try making it at home and even had all the ingredients except the jalapenos. It still came out pretty spicy but good! I even found similar rolls to the one I had before and going to get some avocados to help cool it down a little. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Sara! I love to hear it!
Nicole S. says
This was incredibly delicious! I used a rotisserie chicken and it was still amazing. We ate it on homemade macaroni made with queso cheese sauce, roasted corn and peppers and sliced avocado. Thank you for the recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Nicole! I appreciate it!
ROBERT REHBERG says
Have made this twice, one with cooked rotisserie chicken, once with raw thighs. Makes a great dish and freezes well. Making it using unchanged recipe will burn your gizzard out but a cut back using only the chipotle peppers without the sauce and no jalapeno cooled the heat index to a level even Goldilocks enjoyed--just right. I have learned to temper Mike's recipes to a lower level since all are hot and some are hotter! But they all are good and enjoyed by everyone who have put their feet under my table. Thx, Mike
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Robert. Yes, best to adjust to your own preferred heat levels. Super happy you enjoyed it!!
Kathryn Newport says
Robert
Thank you for explaining HOW hot it will be. Going to make this weekend. So excited!
Val says
I have some already shredded chicken breast in package just needs to heat up can I use it for this recipe?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Val, absolutely. A nice time saver!
Elizabeth says
You hit it out of the park again, Mike! My husband said these were the best tacos he's had yet. Your recipes have yet to fail me. Thanks Again
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome!!! Thanks, Elizabeth!
Cindy O says
I am not a chicken thigh person but they are amazing in this dish. I made this last week and it was requested again this week. Very delicious.
The Korean chicken recipe was delicious as well.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Cindy. Super happy they were enjoyed!
Dez says
Made this last night, great dish. Couldn't get the Chipotle in odobo sauce from local supermarket so substituted with Chipotle paste & adjusted the rest to serve two. Will go a bit lighter on the oregano next time but will definitely be making it again. Will try it with savoury rice next time. Cheers Mike.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Dez. Good way to substitute. I appreciate it.
Mike says
Made this tonight in the crockpot absolutely amazing!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Thanks, Mike!
Christian Wiergowski says
That looks absolutely great! I would love, to make this dish. But - a problem here is - I live in Germany. We don´t have these chipotles in adobo sauce here in the supermarked... And I am asking myself, how I could substitute this...
Greetings from Germany!
Christian
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Greetings, Christian! You can try it with my Adobo Sauce Recipe here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/adobo-sauce/. But you'll need to obtain those dried peppers. See if you can find dried chipotle peppers to rehydrate.
Lavina Datwani says
Looks super tasty and I can't wait to make it (and the nachos!)! For Mexican oregano, what can I substitute? Would lemon or lime zest combined with regular oregano work?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lavina! Yes, a perfect substitute! I appreciate it!
Maraleta Swenson says
What are your suggestions for making this in my Instant Pot?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Maraleta, you can add all of the ingredients to your Instant Pot or pressure cooker and pressure cook it together for 15-20 minutes. Do natural release and then shred up the chicken and mix it all together. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Janet Bradley says
Do you think I could change out the 7 ounce can chipotles in adobo sauce; for 2 cans of green chili peppers? Other than that there is nothing else I would change in this recipe. I just don't want it too spicy. I love spicy, but others eating this not soooooo much ;o}
Thanks Jan
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Janet, you can definitely make it that way, but it will have a very different flavor. The chipotle sauce has a distinctive smoky flavor with other ingredients that is hard to get anywhere else. It will be tasty using the green chilies, just very different. Let me know how it goes for you.
Andrea Shields says
Hi! I really want to make this tonight. Wondering how I could do it in the crock pot though. Any tips?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Andrea, this would absolutely work in the crock pot. I would still season and sear the chicken, but then toss them into the crock pot with the liquid and slow cook them low and slow until fork tender, probably a couple hours. Let me know how it turns out for you.
NC says
Any tips for freezing this? Expecting our first in a few weeks and looking for some tasty freezer recipes. Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Conggrats, NC! Yes, this can freeze easily. I like to vacuum seal it in portions in plastic bags and just keep them in the freezer. You can use ziplock bags as well. If you want to keep it longer, you can double wrap it. It's also easy to freeze in freezer ready plastic containers. Let me know how it goes! Enjoy.
Corrie cooks says
Hi Mike
I cooked this the other day exactly as you have described here. My friends loved it 🙂
Thank you so much for the lovely recipe.
It was delicious and easy to cook
Happy new year to you and your family 😀
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's GREAT, Corrie. Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
John Shotsky says
Might want to check that sodium....I get about 490 per serving, less than 4000 for the whole recipe...
I will be cooking this, probably today...
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thank you, John. You are correct. My software miscalculated the chipotles in adobo sauce. I hope you enjoy it.