Author: Diana Vargas
This easy and authentic recipe makes for a great option for a quick week night dinner for you and your family that they will enjoy!
This delicious dish can be made into so many different dishes such as: tostadas, burritos, quesadillas fritas (deep fried corn quesadillas). To top off this delicious authentic dish you can add: shredded lettuce, sour cream, and a homemade salsa that you can find in my precious blog!
Tinga holds a special place in my heart, this recipe brings back nostalgic memories of when I visited Mexico for the very first time back in December of 2012. I visited Zacapu, Michoacan where my parents are from and the first thing we ate were Tinga de pollo fried quesadillas when arriving, everything was so new to me, experiencing the culture that we’ve been shown to embrace since we were little, seeing how things were so different in a new country and trying new foods.
When traveling to Mexico the one thing I look forward to is the food, everything made over there is made with so much love & flavor! There’s so much to explore and living a little bit of their culture when I go is so freeing for my soul.
Photo By: Diana Vargas
The history behind such an authentic dish is AMAZING! Tinga de pollo Originated in Puebla’s Colonial Era, Tinga is a beloved Mexican dish with roots in Puebla, Mexico, a region celebrated for its rich and diverse culinary heritage. Believed to have originated during the colonial era, tinga reflects the blending of Indigenous Mexican ingredients with Spanish culinary influences, a hallmark of Puebla’s traditional cuisine.
Over time, the dish became closely associated with its signature ingredient: Chipotle chiles in adobo. These smoky, slightly spicy chiles define tinga’s bold flavor and distinguish it from other Mexican stews.
Before Spanish colonization, Indigenous communities in central Mexico relied heavily on tomatoes, chiles, and onions to create flavorful sauces. When the Spanish arrived, they introduced ingredients such as chicken, pork, garlic, and cooking fats, which were gradually incorporated into local cooking. This fusion gave rise to dishes like tinga- a simple, hearty, and deeply satisfying dish.
Tinga de Pollo (Chicken Tinga)
Ingredients
- For the Chicken
- 4–5 chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ white onion
- Water (enough to cover chicken)
- For the Sauce
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 can chipotle chiles
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 cups chicken broth (from cooking the chicken)
- 1 tsp salt
- A pinch of black pepper
- For the Tinga
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp oil (vegetable, olive, or your choice)
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook the Chicken
- In a large pot, add the chicken breasts and enough water to fully cover them.
- Add the Knorr chicken bouillon, bay leaves, and ½ white onion.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-high heat.
- Cook for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Reserve the broth! (You’ll use it for the sauce)
- Step 2: Make the Sauce
- In a blender, add:
- 3 cups of the reserved chicken broth
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 can of chipotle chiles
- 1 tsp salt
- A pinch of black pepper
- Blend until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
- Step 3: Prepare the Tinga
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the thinly sliced white onion and cook until soft and translucent.
- While the onion cooks, shred the chicken using two forks.
- Add the shredded chicken to the pan with the onions and stir to combine.
- Step 4: Combine & Simmer
- Pour the blended sauce over the chicken and onion mixture.
- Stir well and let it simmer for about 2 minutes, allowing the flavors to come together.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
*For a healthier alternative: Use low carb corn tortillas and you can fry them in avocado oil until golden brown instead of using regular corn tortillas.*
Serve & Enjoy!
- Serve your Tinga de Pollo on tostadas, in tacos, burritos, or with rice and beans. Top with crema, queso fresco, avocado, or cilantro if desired.
- For a low carb option you can add half a cup of white or brown rice in a bowl, add Tinga de pollo, top it off with lettuce, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream and enjoy!
Photo by: Diana Vargas
Things you will enjoy about this recipe:
Easy to make: This recipe is easy to make whenever you are in a time crunch or super busy! The simplicity of making this dish, the ingredients it requires and such little time to prepare and the best thing?
Versatility: This dish is super versatile, you can pair it with anything you’d like, like tostadas, tacos, quesadillas, burritos, etc.
Real Authentic Mexican Flavors: This recipe holds so much authenticity from where it came from and how it originated, you get a taste of Mexico every time you enjoy this dish!
One thing you can customize in this dish is the spice level, if you want the bold, smokey and spicy kick it has to offer then you can add as many desired Chipotle chiles, if you want it less spicy with just a hint of smokey, bold flavor of the chiles then just add less of the chipotle chiles.
How to Store leftover Tinga:
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, reheat leftover tinga on the stovetop or in the microwave.
If you love spice and want to top off any of your Tinga dishes you’re preparing with a homemade salsa, check out my recipes for my homemade salsa on my website! You can pair any other Mexican dish with the homemade salsas for a yummy kick to your recipes!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! For more recipes and to keep up with blogs, future events & health webinars subscribe to our weekly newsletter!