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.
Servings: 5 servings (about 12–14 tacos)
Cost: $8.00
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.
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