Chicken Tinga Tacos

5 from 3 votes

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These shredded chicken Tinga tacos are on repeat! If you love spicy dishes, then you’ll love this recipe for chicken tinga tacos. This traditional Mexican dish is packed with flavor and is easy to make. 

You can prep this Tinga sauce and save it for many other things (like a dip and tossed with shrimp, on tostadas, burritos, for some more ideas). You can save the marinade in the container for the week and pair with anything you’re making.

What are tinga tacos made of?

Tinga tacos are made of shredded chicken that has been simmered in a chipotle tomato sauce that is flavored with onion, garlic, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, paprika, oregano, and cumin. The chicken tinga is typically served on flour tortillas and topped with queso fresco, cilantro and lime juice.

Chicken Tinga Tacos

What ingredients do you need for these chicken tinga tacos?

For the tinga sauce: You will need onions, garlic, chipotle, tomatoes, paprika, oregano, cumin, water, fire roastd tomatoes and salt and pepper. 

Chicken: For this recipe, I’m shredding chicken breast, but you can also use chicken thighs!

For serving: I love to serve this with warm flour tortillas (corn tortillas work, too), queso fresco, fresh lime and cilantro.

Some other toppings you can use are fresh cubed avocado, crema, refried beans, mexican rice, place in burrito bowls, make taquitos or make quesadillas, serve with salsa and more! Save some of the tinga sauce, and use that for any dipping.

Instructions to make this chicken tinga recipe

Bake and shred chicken
 
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prep your chicken by baking it in the oven for 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Once done, shred the chicken and set it aside.
 
Make your tinga sauce

In a blender, mix your onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, diced fresh tomatoes, dried paprika, dried oregano (fresh works too, here), ground cumin, water, can of fire roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend.

 
Mix your chicken and sauce

In a large skillet, heat up some neutral oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken to the skillet and cook until warmed through, stirring occasionally.

Add the blended tomato mixture to the skillet and simmer, and stir everything together.

 
Prep your toppings and assemble! 

While the chicken and sauce are cooking, prepare your toppings. Heat up your flour tortillas by charring them on your stovetop fire or in a dry skillet. Crumble your queso fresco and chop up your cilantro. Cut up some lime wedges for serving.

Add some of the chicken tinga to each tortilla and top with queso fresco and cilantro. Squeeze some fresh lime juice to finish.

Check out the below chicken recipes for more dinner inspiration!

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Tinga Tacos
5 from 3 votes

Chicken Tinga Tacos

These shredded chicken tinga tacos are on repeat! If you love spicy dishes, then you'll love this recipe for chicken tinga tacos.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound chicken breast, shredded
  • 1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
  • 3 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 14.5oz can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons water, more as needed
  • Serve with flour tortillas, queso fresco (cotija cheese works too), fresh lime, cilantro

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prep your chicken by baking it in the oven for 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Once done, shred the chicken and set it aside.
  • In a blender, mix your onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, diced fresh tomatoes, dried paprika, dried oregano (fresh works too, here), ground cumin, water, can of fire roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well until everything is well blended.
  • In a large skillet, heat up some neutral oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken to the skillet and cook until warmed through, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the blended tomato mixture to the skillet and stir everything together. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully coated in the sauce and the sauce has thickened.
  • While the chicken and sauce are cooking, prepare your toppings. Heat up your flour tortillas by charring them on your stovetop fire or in a dry skillet. Crumble your queso fresco and chop up your cilantro. Cut up some lime wedges for serving.
  • Add some of the chicken tinga to each tortilla and top with queso fresco and cilantro. Squeeze some fresh lime juice to finish.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 142mg, Potassium: 646mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 430IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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