Spicy Chicken Tinga is flavorful, healthy, and versatile! Enjoy it on tacos, salads, or burrito bowls; for lunch or for dinner. It’s also an amazing dish to make for meal prep!
This particular recipe includes just a bit of cinnamon for a bit of warmth– it’s my favorite part!
The recipe calls for canned whole tomatoes, crushed– this is because whole tomatoes contain less preservatives and less of that canned tomato tinny flavor. 
I loooove a chicken tinga taco on a corn tortilla with cotija cheese, cilantro, sour cream, jalapenos, and pickled red onions.
Chicken Tinga Recipe
Chicken Tinga
Servings: 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp chipotle chilies in adobo, minced (about 2 large chilies)
- 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, crushed
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350F.
- Add the oil and butter to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and sear until golden, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onions to the dutch oven and cook until softened and translucent. Then, add the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt, and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Lastly, add the chipotle chilies, tomatoes, brown sugar, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts back into the pot and cover with the tomato mixture.
- Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165F.
- Remove the bay leaf, shred the chicken with forks or tongs, and serve!
Tell me what you think in the comments below!
