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Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga is tangy, flavorful and cooked to perfection in a delicious homemade sauce. It's versatile and great to serve as tacos, tostadas, burritos, or over rice. The whole family will love this simple, healthy dinner.
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Check out my Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce and my Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Drumsticks for more slow cooker recipes!
This slow cooker chicken tinga recipe is an easy family dinner recipe. It’s so full of flavor and is super versatile. It can be used for everything from tacos to quesadillas to burritos and bowls. You'll love this easy shredded chicken dish.
This is the only chicken tinga recipe you will ever need!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for serving in tacos, tostadas, burritos, nachos, quesadillas and more!
- It reheats beautifully making it great for meal prep.
- The ingredients are easy to find at most grocery stores.
- It's the most juicy, chipotle sauce smothered chicken.
- This recipe is not only easy to make but loaded with bold flavors.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Roma Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are best, but canned tomatoes are great to use, especially in the winter when tomatoes are not in season.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth or vegetable broth are both great.
- Onion: I use white onion, but yellow onion will work too.
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce: These peppers are the starring essential ingredient in tinga!
- Garlic: Essential flavor enhancers to any sauce.
- Dried Oregano, Salt & Ground Black Pepper: The spices we need to make this dish.
- Chicken: The traditional Mexican recipe uses chicken breast, but thighs work too.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1:
In a blender or food processor, add tomatoes, broth, onion, chipotles, adobo sauce, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Step 2:
Pour the sauce into the slow cooker. Add chicken to sauce, making sure to coat.
Step 3:
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until chicken is tender.
Step 4:
Remove chicken, shred and return to sauce in slow cooker.
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for extra flavor and tenderness.
- For a smokier flavor, add a tablespoon of smoked paprika to the tomato mixture.
- If you prefer a spicier tinga, add more chipotles in adobo sauce to the tomato mixture.
- Serve the chicken tinga with warm tortillas or over rice for a complete meal.
- You can also use the chicken tinga as a filling for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas.
- Garnish the chicken tinga with fresh cilantro, diced avocado, sliced jalapeños, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Variations
- Pork Tinga: Instead of chicken, use pork shoulder or pork butt to make a delicious pork tinga.
- Beef Tinga: Use beef chuck or flank steak instead of chicken for a heartier beef tinga.
- Green Tinga: Instead of using tomatoes and chipotles in adobo sauce, use tomatillos, poblano peppers, and jalapeños for a tangy and spicy green tinga.
- Chipotle-Lime Tinga: Add fresh lime juice and zest to the tomato mixture for a tangy chipotle-lime tinga.
- Smoky Tinga: Add a few drops of liquid smoke to the tomato mixture for a smokier flavor.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Store the cooled chicken tinga in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Cool chicken to room temperature and place in a freezer safe airtight container or freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Recipe FAQ's
Chicken tinga is a dish that originated in the city of Puebla, Mexico. It's made with shredded chicken in a flavorful sauce made from tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo, and onions.
It has a mild heat to it and a tangy overall flavor, but it isn't too spicy.
Making tacos is my favorite, with either corn tortillas or flour tortillas.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes quartered
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 chipotles in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, add tomatoes, broth, onion, chipotles, adobo sauce, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into the slow cooker. Add chicken to sauce, making sure to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken, shred and return to sauce in slow cooker.
Notes
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for extra flavor and tenderness.For a smokier flavor, add a tablespoon of smoked paprika to the tomato mixture.
- If you prefer a spicier tinga, add more chipotles in adobo sauce to the tomato mixture.
- Serve the chicken tinga with warm tortillas or over rice for a complete meal.You can also use the chicken tinga as a filling for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas.
- Garnish the chicken tinga with fresh cilantro, diced avocado, sliced jalapeños, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- Storing: Store the cooled chicken tinga in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Cool chicken to room temperature and place in a freezer safe airtight container or freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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