Easy Chicken Tinga to Make This Taco Tuesday Amazing!

Easy Chicken Tinga to Make This Taco Tuesday Amazing!

Hey guys are you ready to spice things up? Chicken Tinga is a delicious way to heat things up on your taco Tuesdays! It is made with shredded chicken, in a simmered sauce of tomatoes, chipotles, and sliced onions. Because it is traditionally served with refried beans smeared on a tostada, I think it’s only right I include my version of refried beans too!

Chicken Tinga can be topped with sliced avocado, queso fresco, crema and or salsa. Of course it is totally customizable, just like tacos! Recently, I found that there are some Tajin flavored tostada shells to break up the same old, same old. Give the old taste buds a zing!

One of the best things about this recipe is that it is done in under an hour. Start to finish in under an hour which makes it a great option for the weekday! We enjoy having it in our rotation for taco Tuesdays.

Swaps & Specs for Chicken Tinga:

• As far as swap for protein, I suppose you can try turkey. However, chicken is a lean protein and comparable to turkey already.

• Forgo the refried beans if you are absolutely opposed to them but I would suggest to try this version if you have only ever had them from a can. You won’t regret it. So smooth and creamy! Find the recipe below.

• Topping for Tinga vary just like for tacos. It is completely personal preference. We eat ours with beans, avocado,crema, cheese & a squeeze of lime!

• The cheese I like best here is queso fresco. Simply crumble it up and sprinkle over top of filled tostada. So yummy!

• Serve with elotes or esquites, Spanish rice, black beans or chips with salsa. Find the recipe for Mexican corn here.

Elotes

A flavorful corn side consisting of lime juice, mayo, seasoning and cheese.

Check out this recipe

• Control the spicy by adding or subtracting adobo chilies. I usually add 5 unless they are all really large.

• Make sure to use Roma tomatoes when making this recipe. It won’t have the same taste or texture without them.

• For another layer of flavor, boil the chicken in chicken broth instead of water. Additionally, you can also use bouillon pastes in this recipe for extra flavor.

Thank you for your continued support, it really means the world to me! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! If you have any question reach out on my social media pages for the fastest responses!

Chicken Tinga

Delicious, flavorful chicken in a chipotle adobo sauce on a tostada with refried beans, fresco cheese and crema.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 People

Calories 347 kcal

Equipment

• 1 food processor

Ingredients

  

Chicken

• 3 (2lbs.) chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp knorr chicken bouillon
• 1 tbsp knorr chicken with tomato bouillon
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 roma tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

For Assembly

• 1 bag tostadas
• 1-2 wheels queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 jar crema
• 2-3 large avocados, sliced
• 3-4 cups refried beans homemade or bought

Instructions

 

• Place chicken, onion chunks, garlic and Knorr seasonings in a pot and cover with water. Boil for 25 minutes. Once done, shred chicken and reserve the liquid.
  
• In a blender, put tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, up to 5 chipotle peppers, and about ¼ of the cooking liquid and puree.
• In the same pan that's now empty, add a small amount of oil and sliced onion. Saute about 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add puree mixture and cook for 10 minutes.
  
• Add shredded chicken, stirring to combine. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat.
• To assemble:

  Take a tostada shell and smear beans on it. Then layer the chicken Tinga. Next hit it with the fresco cheese and some crema. Enjoy with lime and Avocado if you like!

Notes

• Top however you enjoy your favorite tacos!
• Try it with seasoned tostadas for something different!
• Control the heat by adding of subtracting the amount of chipotle peppers.

Keyword chicken, chicken tinga, chipotle, tostadas

Refried Beans

Slow cooked pinto beans flavored with spices, onion and jalapeno and pureed until smooth.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 10 People

Calories 92 kcal

Equipment

• 1 crockpot
• 1 emulsion blender or potato masher

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb. bag dry pinto beans, rinsed and sorted
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. Knorr chicken bouillon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

 

• Rinse and sort beans. Then place in a crock pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 6 hours.
• Once almost all the liquid has been absorbed, check a bean for doneness by smashing it in between your fingers. If it is smooth and creamy, then you can continue to the next step. If not, add more water and continue cooking until it gets there. Check frequently.
• Now that the beans are done, take a potato masher and start smashing right in the crockpot. The smooth refried beans will start to appear. If your beans are too thick, thin them out with water or broth.

  Keep warm until ready to eat!

Notes

• You can season or spice these up to your taste!
• When it gets near the 5 hour mark check for liquid because you don’t want to run dry, but you also don’t want to add too much if it’s needed. Remember we don’t drain them we blend it all together so too much liquid at the end will make the beans too runny.

Keyword pinto beans, refried beans