Tinga de Pollo (Chicken with Chipotle and Onions)
Published Dec. 23, 2020
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus cooling time
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds bone-in chicken legs, breasts or a combination
- ½medium white onion
- 1celery stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2small carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- ¼cup vegetable oil
- 1medium white onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ¾cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 3chipotles in adobo with sauce (⅓ cup)
- 2garlic cloves, peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Chicken
For the Sauce
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
659 calories; 51 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 875 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cook the chicken: Combine the chicken, onion, celery and carrots in a large saucepan and add 4 cups cold water. Add more water if needed to cover the solids. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the chicken is very tender and falling off the bones, about 45 minutes.
- Step 2
Transfer the chicken to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, then pull the meat into very fine shreds. Strain the broth and reserve for Tamales de Pollo or another use.
- Step 3
While the chicken cooks, make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. While the onion cooks, puree the tomatoes, chipotles and garlic in a blender until smooth. Add to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the chicken to the sauce and gently fold to evenly coat and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately or cool to room temperature to use a filling for Tamales de Pollo.
Private Notes
Comments
This sauce is delicious. But use your Instant Pot for the chicken: I cooked bone-in thighs with the prescribed veggies and 3 bay leaves under pressure for 12 minutes 5 minutes natural release. Came out perfect. Served the tacos with 1:1 avocado & mango in a vinaigrette with lots of cilantro. Also served with queso casero. Huge hit.
I cook the chicken in the sauce, once cooked it can be shredded and added back to the sauce.
Easy and good! Instant pot for even easier chicken: half a cup of water, big squeeze of lime juice (acid helps keep chicken tender), chicken in pot for 12 min 5 natural release. Don’t bother with the extra veggies you won’t miss them. You can shred chicken in a stand mixer with with the paddle attachment (after deboning)! Sauce is easy, I noticed tastes best with some acid on the taco - squeeze a lime or similar
It was good, but needed lime (or some other acid) for the sauce. Was much better when I added that!
For those concerned about blandness (which good tinga de pollo would never be), follow Kenji’s recipe on serious eats, which is similar to this one but includes tomatillos, oregano (Mexican is preferred if available), cider vinegar, and some bay leaf.
Delicious! Added carrots to the onion mixture to balance the heat of some of the chipotle peppers. Doubled the recipe and froze the leftover sauce before adding chicken. Can’t wait to have again!