Enjoy Chicken Tinga Tacos with charred tortillas, saucy shredded chicken, guacamole, and pickled onions for a spicy, flavorful bite.
Pair Chicken Tinga Tacos with some fresh corn! We love this easy corn salad or elote.
author’s note
Taco Night Just Got a Whole Lot Better!
My family loves these Rotisserie Chicken Tacos—my boys seriously request them at least once a week! I love them too, not just for the flavor, but for how quickly they come together with the help of rotisserie chicken.
To mix things up while satisfying my boys’ taco cravings, I decided to experiment with different sauces and seasonings. That’s when Chicken Tinga Tacos were born.
These tacos have become a weeknight favorite over the past few months. I usually make a double batch so I can enjoy leftovers for lunch all week. They’re hearty, and the flavor only gets better as they sit!
Ingredients In Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Olive oil: Used for sautéing onions and garlic, providing a base for the sauce.
- Sweet onion & garlic: Slice the onion thin so it cooks quicker.
- Tomato paste: Cook it for a minute to bring out the flavor.
- Seasonings: Taste at the end and add more if needed.
- Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes: Regular crushed tomatoes work as well.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo: Start with a little and add more to taste.
- Rotisserie chicken: Rotisserie makes it super easy and quick.
- Lime juice: A quick squeeze brings everything together.
- Corn tortillas: I love to char them so they fold easier and taste better.
How To Make Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Pickled Onion: Mix red onion with red wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
- Sauce: Sauté sweet onion and garlic in olive oil. Add tomato paste, spices, and fire-roasted tomatoes. Simmer with chipotle peppers for 6-8 minutes.
- Chicken: Blend sauce until smooth, return to skillet, add shredded chicken, and mix well. Add lime juice if desired.
- Guacamole: Mash avocado with salt, pepper, and lime juice.
- Char Tortillas: Spray tortillas with cooking spray, char on both sides, then fold.
- Assemble: Spread guacamole on Chicken Tinga Tacos, top with chicken, pickled onions, and other toppings like cheese and cilantro.
Quick Tip
When blending hot sauces, don’t overfill the blender. Use a folded kitchen towel instead of the lid to let steam escape and catch splatters.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Chicken Tinga Tostadas: On a tostada shell, layer mashed avocado, tinga chicken, red onions (pickled or raw), crema or sour cream, cotija cheese, and cilantro.
- Baked Chicken Tinga Tacos: Use this beef taco recipe as a reference guide. Fill crispy taco shells with chicken tinga and cheddar cheese, bake, then top with red onions, crema, avocado, and cilantro.
- Nachos: Layer chicken tinga and Mexican cheese on tortilla chips, adding preferred toppings.
- Chicken Tinga Burrito Bowls: Start with cauliflower rice, add chicken tinga, beans (black or pinto), avocado, red onions, crema, and cilantro for a low-carb option.
More Taco Recipes:
Chicken Tinga Tacos
Chicken Tinga Tacos are a flavor explosion—charred tortillas piled high with saucy, spiced shredded chicken, creamy guac, and tangy pickled onions.
Equipment
Ingredients
Quick “Pickled” Red Onion
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon coarsely minced garlic 4 cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1-1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce you won’t use all of it! (I love La Costena brand)
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken like rotisserie
- 1 lime optional
- Corn tortillas and cooking spray
- Optional toppings see note 1
Instructions
- Quick “Pickled” Onion: In a medium bowl, combine the thinly sliced red onion, red wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Toss to coat. Leave at room temperature and toss every 5 minutes or so while preparing the rest of the meal.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Once oil is warm, add in the thinly sliced sweet onion and garlic. Sauté for 4–6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally (nothing should be burning/browning; lower the heat if it is). Add tomato paste and all the seasonings: ground cumin, dried oregano, chicken bouillon powder, paprika, dried coriander, and salt and pepper to taste. (I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.) Toast seasonings for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Again, lower the heat if anything is burning.
- Add crushed tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Lastly, add chipotle peppers and sauce (see note 1). Stir and heat for 30 more seconds. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 6–8 minutes.
- Transfer the sauce mixture to a large blender and process until completely smooth (see note 2). Pour the mixture back into the skillet. Add the rotisserie chicken and gently stir to coat the chicken and warm it through. If desired, stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice.
- Quick “Guac”: While sauce is simmering, I like to whip this up: Place a large, ripe avocado in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper and a few squeezes of lime juice. Mash together and set aside.
- Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and char the tortillas directly over the gas flames for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until tortillas are lightly charred and soft. Immediately fold the tortilla in half (so it will fold into a taco nicely later) and set aside.
- Spread the guac in the center of the charred tortillas. Top with a scoop of the chicken and some pickled red onions. Add your other favorite taco toppings such as some queso or cotija cheese, some fresh cilantro, and another squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Optional toppings: cilantro, cotija cheese (or queso fresco), large avocado, and additional lime juice.
Note 2: Here’s a general guideline for how much of the chipotles to add:
- Little to no spice: Use 1 tablespoon sauce surrounding the chipotle peppers.
- Light spice: Use 1 tablespoon sauce surrounding the chipotle peppers and 1 tablespoon peppers.
- Medium spicy: Use 1 tablespoon sauce surrounding the chipotle peppers and 2 tablespoon peppers.
- Spicy: Use 1 tablespoon sauce surrounding the chipotle peppers and 3 tablespoons peppers.
- (If all the peppers are large (or larger than a tablespoon measuring spoon), chop the peppers to fill the measuring spoon).
- See blog post for how to store leftover chipotle peppers.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.5g | Protein: 24.7g | Fat: 8.7g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 150.7mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 6.6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are SOOO yummy!!!! I think the cotija cheese is a must, providing a sharp creaminess that balances the flavors of the chicken. They are great with the avocado, but honestly they are perfect with just the onion and the cheese. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
I completely agree! I’m so glad you loved this Chicken Tinga Tacos! Thanks! 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight, and it tasted like I made an Italian taco. The amount of tomatoes was too heavy for my family’s liking.
I’m so sorry to hear these weren’t a hit! Did you reduce the amount of chipotle?