Spice up your taco night with this Spicy Chicken Tinga recipe. Shredded chicken is cooked in a spicy red chipotle sauce to create the perfect taco filling. A protein like this Spicy Chicken Tinga is the foundation for a delicious taco. The Spicy Chicken Tinga can be the star of the show in a build-your-own taco or burrito bowl spread.
You only need five main ingredients to make this Chicken Tinga: chicken breasts, white onion, chipotle peppers in adobo, crushed tomatoes, and garlic cloves. It’s that simple. This recipe requires minimal active time, so you can set the table and prepare toppings for taco night. Most of the hard work is done in the blender while the chicken boils.
This Spicy Chicken Tinga is a medium level of heat. The chipotle peppers make it spicy but not too hot where your eyes start watering. I’ve tested the recipe to varying degrees of spiciness to make sure it’s just right. The final recipe brings the heat while still leaving room to add a hot salsa verde on top. If you want to turn down the heat, only use one chipotle pepper instead of two.
Most of the ingredients are shelf stable making it an easy and affordable main. You can substitute 1.5 to 2 lbs of chicken breasts for the same weight of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If you prefer a more saucy Chicken Tinga use less chicken to have a bigger sauce-to-chicken ratio.
Spicy Chicken Tinga
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts (1.5 to 2 pounds)
- 1/2 white onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and drop in 2 large chicken breasts. Allow the chicken breasts to boil for about 30 minutes until they are fully cooked.
- While the chicken boils, make the spicy tinga sauce. Add 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and 2 garlic cloves (peeled) to a blender. Blend on the medium setting until smooth. To turn up the spice level, you can add extra adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers.
- Thinly slice 1/2 white onion. Then, heat 1/4 cup avocado oil (or similar oil with a high smoke point like vegetable oil) in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook it for 6-8 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the spicy tinga sauce from the blender to the pan. Fold the onions into the sauce and reduce heat to low allowing it to simmer until the chicken is ready.
- When the chicken breasts are fully cooked, transfer them to a plate or cutting board and shred them using two forks. It is easier to shred when the chicken is hot out of the pot, so shred it immediately.
- Fold the shredded chicken into the pan with the spicy chipotle sauce and onions.
- Add salt to taste and serve with warm tortillas or with rice.
Building the perfect taco
The perfect taco doesn’t exist because tacos can be customized in so many delicious ways. But, my preferred taco starts with a corn tortilla. In my house, we spread refried beans on our tortillas before adding anything else. From there add your protein (in this case Spicy Chicken Tinga). After, you add all your toppings.
Authentic Mexican tacos stick to the basics, adding only cilantro and onion on top. Because this Spicy Chicken Tinga already has onions it, you really only need to add cilantro. I like to add Cotija cheese, avocado, and spicy salsa verde to level up my taco and add some freshness.
What are Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce?
This recipe calls for “Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce,” but what exactly is it? Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapeños. The chipotles in adobo sauce are rehydrated and canned with tomato puree, vinegar, garlic, and other spices. Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce add a smoky heat to your Chicken Tinga sauce.
You’ll find canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce in the Mexican or international aisle of your grocery store. My preferred brand is La Morena but Goya also sells it. A 7 oz can is more than enough chipotle peppers to make this recipe.
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