Chicken Tinga is a Mexican dish in which chicken is braised with smoky, spicy chipotle peppers, savory tomatoes, and sour tomatillos. The chicken is slow-cooked in the sauce and then shredded for the perfect taco texture. We put together a simple side of pinto beans, which you can leave whole or mash up to create a refried beans texture. Spread some beans on the warm tortillas, top with the spicy shredded chicken and top off with some cheese and fresh cilantro. This easy dish works all year long and will be a great addition to your taco Tuesday lineup.

Chicken Tinga Tacos

Please always check your food to ensure your food has been cooked to safe serving temperatures. Please see our guide here for recommended FDA Time & Temperatures.
  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: 6 hours and 30 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 oz tomatillo puree
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 chipotle peppers
  • 2 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 (15.5 oz) cans pinto beans
  • 8-12 small corn or flour tortillas (warmed)
  • 1 small bunch cilantro
  • 2 oz cotija cheese or queso fresco
  • 1-2 limes for garnish

Directions

1) Thinly slice ¼ of the red onion and reserve for garnish, dice the remaining portion and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the cumin and oregano. Add 1 tbsp of the spice mix and 1 can pinto beans (with liquid) to a Suvie pan. Drain and rinse the other can of pinto beans and add to the pan. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place pan in the bottom zone of Suvie.

2) Heat 1 tbsp olive oil In a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, minced garlic, and the rest of the cumin-oregano spice mix and sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened and fragrant. Transfer mixture to a second Suvie pan and add the tomato paste, tomatillo puree, and minced chipotle peppers (note: if you want to reduce the heat, only add one chipotle pepper), stirring to combine.

3) Add the chicken thighs to the tomatillo mixture, stirring to evenly coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place pan in the top zone of Suvie.

4) Input settings, and cook now or schedule. 

Suvie Cook Settings

Bottom Zone: Slow Cook Low for 6 hours

5) After the cook is finished, remove the chicken and beans from Suvie.

6) Shred the chicken with two forks and stir into the sauce; season to taste with salt and pepper. Mash the beans with forks until smooth, but leave a few beans left whole for texture.

7) Crumble or grate the cotija cheese for garnish. Rinse and finely chop the cilantro. Build your tacos by spreading a spoonful of the beans on a warmed tortilla, top with shredded chicken and sauce, then top with cheese, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!

Note: If you would like to make this recipe in Suvie 1.0, insert pans into the top zones of Suvie, fill reservoir, and set to Slow Cook on Low for 6 hours.

Wine Pairing

A good glass of Sauvignon Blanc will go down a treat with this smoky and spicy dish. Sauvignon Blanc pairs beautifully with chicken and will really bring out the flavor of the herbs and spices.

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Sherri Lynn Herrmann
Sherri Lynn Herrmann
2 months ago

It would be great if you had a way that we could save these to our app for later use. It’s too easy to forget the name of the recipe and have to look it up. Much easier to be able to save it. Thank you I look forward to making this tomorrow.

Caroline Pierce
Admin
Caroline Pierce
1 month ago

Hi Sherri, we hope to add this feature in the future. This is one of our most requested options.

Sherri Lynn Herrmann
Sherri Lynn Herrmann
1 month ago

What the heck happened to the tomatillos? You said about the tomato paste but not once said about the tomatillios!! Also you really should note what the top zone is supposed to say… I realized after put it in and automatically puts the top zone on. But you really should bring that up so people aren’t so confused when they first read it.

Peace

Caroline Pierce
Admin
Caroline Pierce
1 month ago

Hi Sherri, thanks for catching that typo. We’ve updated the recipe to reflect the inclusion of the tomatillos.