Our Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Recipe Is Full Of Smoky Flavors
Tinga, originally from the state of Puebla, Mexico, is a smoky, spicy dish of shredded meat in a rich tomato sauce, which is seasoned with chipotle peppers in adobo and made fragrant with onions, herbs, spices, and plenty of garlic. But you don't need to travel all the way to Mexico to experience chicken tinga, and in fact, you don't even have to put in all that much work to prepare a delicious version of this saucy shredded chicken dish in your own kitchen. Thanks to the superpowers of a slow cooker, you can just toss in the ingredients and sit back and wait for dinner to be ready. Daily Meal recipe developer Kate Shungu shares this slow cooker chicken tinga recipe that's brimming with bold flavors and tells us, "I'm always on the hunt for slow cooker recipes, and this one delivers big, with extra tender chicken and smoky flavor."
Once the tinga is made, Sungu loads it onto a tostada and builds layers of flavor and texture with an array of garnishes. "It's also a dream for texture lovers, with the crunchy tostada, tender chicken, crisp raw onions, and creamy cotija cheese. I love how the cheese adds a little tanginess to complement the savory, smoky chicken. This one is going to end up in our dinner rotation!" Chances are, you'll feel the same, considering the saucy shredded chicken meat is a versatile protein to serve in all sorts of ways.
Gather the ingredients for slow cooker chicken tinga
For this slow cooker chicken tinga recipe, get a medium yellow onion, olive oil, garlic cloves (minced), chipotles in adobo, a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, dried oregano, salt, and boneless skinless chicken thighs. To serve, you'll need a package of tostadas, chopped cilantro, and cotija cheese.
Step 1: Prep the onion
Halve the yellow onion. Cut one half into slices, and finely dice the other half. Set the diced onion aside for serving.
Step 2: Heat oil in skillet
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Step 3: Cook the onion
Add the sliced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until soft.
Step 4: Add garlic to the skillet
Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Step 5: Add alliums, chipotles, tomatoes, and seasoning to blender
Transfer the onion and garlic to a blender. Add the chipotles in adobo, fire roasted tomatoes, oregano, and salt.
Step 6: Blend the sauce
Blend on high until smooth.
Step 7: Add the sauce and chicken to a slow cooker
Place the tomato mixture and the chicken thighs in a slow cooker.
Step 8: Cook the chicken
Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 6–7 hours.
Step 9: Shred the meat
Shred the chicken with a fork.
Step 10: Assemble the chicken and garnishes on tostadas
To serve, place ⅓ cup chicken on each tostada. Top with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of diced onion, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese.
Step 11: Serve the chicken tostadas
Repeat with additional tostadas, and serve right away.
What can I serve with chicken tinga?
Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Recipe
We serve our smoky, saucy, spicy slow-cooker chicken tinga on a crispy tostada and pile on the flavors with plenty of onions and tangy cotija cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 chipotles in adobo
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 package tostadas
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ⅓ cup cotija cheese
Directions
- Halve the yellow onion. Cut one half into slices, and finely dice the other half. Set the diced onion aside for serving.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the sliced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Transfer the onion and garlic to a blender. Add the chipotles in adobo, fire roasted tomatoes, oregano, and salt.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Place the tomato mixture and the chicken thighs in a slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 6–7 hours.
- Shred the chicken with a fork.
- To serve, place ⅓ cup chicken on each tostada. Top with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of diced onion, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese.
- Repeat with additional tostadas, and serve right away.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 290 |
| Total Fat | 12.3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.1 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 153.8 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 10.6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.0 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.3 g |
| Sodium | 689.6 mg |
| Protein | 33.8 g |
How else can I serve chicken tinga?
Chicken tinga refers to the shredded meat in a rich tomato and chipotle sauce, and tostadas are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways to serve this versatile dish. "While I love it on tostadas (that crunch!), chicken tinga can also be served in tortillas like tacos, or over rice as a burrito bowl," Shungu suggests. "The extra sauce from the slow cooker is particularly good over rice, so there's something to soak up all that flavor." You definitely won't want to waste any of the sauce. To jazz it up, Shungu recommends, "If you choose the burrito bowl route, try a homemade corn salsa on top with defrosted frozen corn, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice."
Shungu shares other tasty Mexican-inspired recipes for serving chicken tinga. "Use it to stuff quesadillas, roll it into tortillas for enchiladas, use it as a nachos topper, or turn it into breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs and pico de gallo." Shungu tells us that tinga is also great for freezing, so you can experiment with different presentations of the dish if you make a double batch or end up with plenty of leftovers. You can freeze the finished dish (already shredded), or you can freeze the sauce and the raw chicken. With this method, you would thaw the sauce and raw chicken in the fridge overnight before placing them in the slow cooker to cook as directed.
How can I customize chicken tinga?
Shungu's slow cooker chicken tinga recipe offers excellent flavors with little effort, but you can still enjoy this recipe if you don't have the appliance, as it works just as well on the stovetop. Simply proceed as directed and pour the blended sauce into the skillet used for sauteeing the onions. "Add the chicken thighs, cover, and cook at a simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender," Shungu instructs. Once it's ready, shred the meat and serve it as desired.
If you prefer white chicken meat, nothing is stopping you from swapping thighs for breasts. To add some fresh flavor and texture to the recipe and turn it into more of a one-pot dish, consider adding sliced bell peppers or other vegetables to the slow cooker, along with the chicken and sauce. For extra heat, sprinkle in some chile flakes or cayenne powder before setting the device.
Depending on how you're serving the chicken tinga, you may want to switch up some of the garnishes. Cotija is a well-known Mexican cheese that's hard, white, and salty, but Shungu suggests queso fresco as a substitute and you could even go with feta, though it's a little tangier and more crumbly. Chopped onions and cilantro add a fresh crunch to the dish, but a creamy and rich addition like guacamole or a dollop of crema would always be welcome.