Chicken Tinga Tacos are going to be your new go to dinner!
Shredded chicken cooked in the most crazy delicious spiced sauce on the planet and then stuffed in a tacoā¦. Ummm yes please. The Tinga sauce is pretty much out of this world. Youāll want to slather it on top of everything ā rice, quinoa, pasta, vegetables, you name it, it works on just about everything! But when itās folded up in taco and topped with some avocado to balance the sauce, itās absolute perfection.
Chicken Tinga Tacos
Shredded chicken cooked in the most crazy delicious spiced sauce on the planet and then stuffed in a taco is absolute perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 yellow onion small dice
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 large tomatillo husk removed, rinsed, and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- One 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped chipotles plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt
Toppings
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Avocado diced
- 1 white onion diced
- Cilantro roughly chopped
- Scallions sliced
- Cotija crumbled
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs and cook until well browned, about 6 minutes. Flip thighs and continue to cook until other side is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, leaving fat in pan, and set aside.
- Add onions and garlic to the same Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add tomatillo and cook until browned around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add oregano and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, chipotle, and adobo sauce and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- Transfer sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour sauce back into pan, stir in chicken stock and bay leaf, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Nestle chicken thighs in sauce, reduce to a simmer, and cook until chicken is fully cooked and easily shredded, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and let sit until cool enough to handle. Remove sauce from heat and discard bay leaf.
- Pull chicken meat into strips. Stir chicken into sauce and cook over medium heat until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt to taste.
- Warm the tortillas over an open flame to char, prep the white onion, avocado chopped cilantro, sliced scallions, crumbled cotija cheese, and lime wedges for serving
- Spoon chicken into warm tortillas and top with avocado, onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese. Serve with lime wedges.
Photo byĀ Matt ArmendarizĀ /Ā Food Styling byĀ Adam PearsonĀ / Recipe by Whatās Gaby Cooking
Gorgeous new site and no joke- I was just making chicken Tinga tacos for my kids AS I OPENED THIS!! Great minds think alike š
Those tacos look so good!
YOUR NEW SITE LOOKS AWESOME!!! CONGRATSSSSSSS!!!
The tacos look pretty snazzy too!
Congratulations on the new site, Gaby. Everything looks fabu!
LOVE the new site, girl!! Congratulations! It’s so clean and vibrant and so very Gaby!! xoxo
The new website looks and feels really good and easy to navigate.
The tacos sound delicious. I think my two cats would be very glad to lick the plate clean – but they have to suffice with the Fancy Feast!! Great combo for the girls!!
Congrats on the new site launch! xo
Love the new site! The recipe looks yummy too! I must try it š
New site looks FAB! Yeah! And gimme all of these tacos STAT!
These sound wonderful, these will be great for the game day weekends.
I love your new layout! This recipe looks delicious too!!
The new site is gorgeous! Congratulations!! xx
Love me some tinga!!! The site is gorgeous too, congrats!
You’re right Tinga Tacos did make me giggle lol. Love the colours and photography in the first photo.
That name. . . I still can’t stop giggling. Giggles or not, these tacos look mighty tasty. And topped with avocado . . I think I have entered taco heaven. I’ll take 2 with my margarita. . .on the rocks, please!
This looks delicious! Do you think it’d work in the slow cooker?
yes!
Yummmm! Any ideas on how to convert this to a slow-cooker process?
I recently discovered your blog and I really love it! You have so many recipes that I can’t wait to try. Thanks for all of the hard work!
Best chicken tacos I’ve ever made!
I made these over the weekend and they were a hit! I increased the amount of chicken thighs because the recipe makes a lot more sauce and I wanted to balance out the sauce to chicken ratio. I also added a little extra cheese š – this is a great make-ahead meal and I will be making this again and again. Thank you Gaby
yay!! love it
I made this recipe tonight and it is so good! That sauce is amazing, definitely will be on repeat!
How long do you recommend letting the chicken cook in the sauce?
15-20 minutes
Yum,yum,yum, These are so delicious. I am afraid they will be gone by the time my kids get home. Everything I have cooked on your site has been amazing. I am obsessed with your food,
Any tips for preparing this in advance? Hosting a taco night and was hoping to make these in advance…just wondering how far in advance? Would they freeze well?
yes they freeze great!!
Hi! If Iām using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs would you still brown them first or do you think they will dry out?
you can skip browning them off first! Would still be delish
Hey Gaby! Making these tonight for Cinco de Mayo, but I don’t have tomatillo. Could I just throw a little salsa verde in at some point as a replacement?
totally
This chicken was delicious- I havenāt cooked a lot with tomatillos but making this sauce was pretty easy- I enjoyed it nice and smooth from the blender. The process of browning the thighs and then braising and shredding made it very moist- just enough spice from the smoky adobo. Itās nice to add your own toppings, so everyone got just what they wanted! Iāll make again for sure. I did use 2 packs of chicken and doubled it. Also had a skinny margarita to go with it.
This is my new favorite way to eat tacos! Soooo yummy! I will definitely add this in regular rotation for dinner. What’s Gabby Cooking never disappoints!
These are just as great leftover as they are the night of! Will definitely be making them again and again!