Chicken Tinga

March 17, 2023

Chicken tinga is a simple Mexican dish consisting of braised, shredded chicken in a chipotle, tomato, and onion sauce. The addition of orange juice and our Mexican-style Adobo blend lends sweetness and tang that helps balance the smoky heat of the chipotle. While this recipe shows you how to make tinga from scratch, you can skip a few steps and use leftover rotisserie chicken in lieu of chicken thighs. Serve on a tortilla with a smear of refried beans, shredded lettuce, and crema.

The recipe produces extra sauce, which can be reused to make chilaquiles, enchiladas and more.

Thanks to our Albany Store Manager, Ray Seraphin, for developing this delicious recipe!

Serves 4-6

Time: 1.5-2 hours

Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided 
1.5 lbs Roma tomatoes, cored and halved
2 yellow onions, peeled and halved
6-7 garlic cloves, smashed
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
½ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon Mexican-style Adobo
½ can or 3.5 oz chipotle in adobo (La Morena brand recommended)
2 tablespoons Pacific Flake Sea Salt or Diamond Crystal Salt, divided, more to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 450. Prepare vegetables for sauce. Toss tomatoes, onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon salt. Lay them on sheet tray and put in the oven until highly caramelized — almost black. Approximately 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. 

While vegetables are roasting, prepare chicken. Heat remaining oil in a skillet, season chicken thighs with remaining 1 tablespoon salt, and brown thighs on each side. Place partially cooked chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.

Once vegetables are roasted and relatively cool, place in blender along with liquids, chipotle in adobo, Mexican-style Adobo, oregano, coriander, and salt. Blend on high until a smooth sauce forms.

Turn oven down to 350. Pour sauce over chicken and cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Cook for approximately one hour. Remove foil and cook for another 20-30 minutes uncovered. Remove pan from oven, allow chicken to rest, and shred chicken with tongs or two forks.

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