Authentic Mexican Chicken Tinga

Authentic Chicken Tinga is a classic Mexican dish made with shredded chicken, onions and tomatoes in an adobe-tomato sauce.

This quick Tinga version is flavorful and versatile that I like to serve on tostadas, as tortas & tacos, and you can also use as empanadas filling or as a main dish along with some rice & beans. Yum!

Have you had Chicken Tinga before?

If not, we MUST change this asap! This must be one of the my favorite flavorful dishes to make since it’s the perfect weeknight dish as it comes together in about 30 minutes!! Using rotisserie chicken saves a lot of time!

I used to add chorizo and boiled potatoes, as it is a common addition to tinga in Mexico, but I decided to keep this version light with less fat and calories…….It’s good to reserve some of those calories for delicious toppings like avocado or crema right?

Make it with these simple ingredients

• Onion and roma tomatoes
• Chile chipotles *
• 2 rotisserie chicken breast – use the big rotisserie chicken like the ones you buy at Costco.
• Low sodium chicken stock
• Salt, pepper and olive oil.

*The chipotle pepper is one of the key ingredients for this recipe and would not recommend trying to find an substitute. Any brand that you can find at your grocery store will work. You can even find them at Amazon.

Suggested toppings

• Avocado
• Radishes
• Mexican crema or this Cilantro Lime Ranch Crema
• Crumbled queso fresco
• shredded lettuce

Serve on

• Corn tortillas for tacos
• Bolillo bread for tortas
• Along with rice and bean
• Fill your quesadillas with this mixture
• Use for empanada filling
• Use for tamales filling

How to make Chicken Tinga

Step 1 – Over medium-high heat, cook the onions for about a minute until they start to soften up. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute.

Step 2 – Add the shredded chicken, chicken stock, chile chipotle, salt & pepper.

Step 3 – Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. All the flavors will come together at this time!

This is one of those dishes that I like to make a little extra to save some for lunch the next day. It usually tastes better as the spices get more time to marinate the chicken. Just like Chili does!

Speaking of Chili, have you made my White Chicken Chili? If you like the sound of this recipe you would love my white chicken chili!

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! I would LOVE to hear what you think of it.

Xo,

Ana

Authentic Chicken Tinga

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: adobo sauce, chipotle sauce, easy recipes, Mexican food, quick and easy, rotisserie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Ana Frias

Chicken Tinga is a classic Mexican dish made with shredded chicken and onions in an adobe-tomato sauce.

It can be served on tostadas, tacos, tortas, empanadas or as a main dish along with some rice & beans.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1/2 onion sliced
• 8 oz chicken breast (about 2 breasts) cooked & shredded (I use rotisserie)
• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
• 2 roma tomatoes chopped
• 1 chile chipotle finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 Tostadas, bolillo bread or corn tortillas for serving

Suggested toppings

• Avocado
• Radishes
• Mexican crema
• Crumbled queso fresco
• shredded lettuce

Instructions

• In a medium skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.
• Add the onions and cook until soft. About 2 minutes.
• Add the shredded chicken, broth, tomatoes, chile chipotle, salt & pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• If needed, add more salt & pepper according to taste.
• Serving suggestions: Use it for burritos, tortas, tostadas, or corn tortillas for tacos.
• Top with avocado, radishes, lettuce, Mexican crema, cilantro lime ranch crema, queso fresco, hot sauce.

Notes

This recipe is great for leftovers for when you need a quick meal or lunch the next day. Just double the recipe!  

The noted calories are just for the chicken only. Toppings have not been calculated as that can vary according to taste. 

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 682mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g

This recipe was originally published in January 2016 and was updated in May 2019 to include newer photos and more instructions.