This easy chicken tinga recipe is the bold-flavored, slow-cooking family dinner everyone wants! You’ll get the best smoky flavor and ultra juicy texture without all the work in this perfect crockpot recipe.
What Is Tinga Chicken?
Chicken tinga is the perfect Mexican recipe if you want something vibrant, bold, and anything but boring! Chicken is simmered in a bright red sauce featuring tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers, so literally every bite is exploding with flavor. Serve on tostados, in tortillas, over a salad, or as enchiladas for the perfect dinner. Through all my testing and tweaking, you can be sure you’ll make the absolute best tinga chicken on the very first try whether you’re making it in the slow cooker or on the stove!
Why You’ll Love This Tinga Chicken Recipe
- Super Flavorful. Because the chicken simmers in such a bold-flavored sauce, you’ll find this one has outstanding flavor all the way through without a ton of work.
- Extremely Versatile. You’ll never waste a bite because you can enjoy leftovers in a dozen different ways, AND it’s freezable.
- Beginner Cook Friendly. Nothing complicated, just simple cooking methods great for beginners or busy families!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless & skinless. Feel free to use thighs or tenderloins.
- Olive Oil – Any neutral cooking oil will work here.
- Yellow Onion and Garlic – Chopped. Shallots also work if you prefer a milder flavor.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes and Chipotle Pepper with Adobo Sauce – From the canned goods aisle. If you want more heat, feel free to use spicy tomatoes and an extra chipotle pepper.
- Chicken Stock and Apple Cider Vinegar – Creates the sauce and adds a nice tang. Homemade stock and white vinegar can be used instead to save money.
- Spices: Taco Seasoning, Oregano, and Cumin
How to Make Chicken Tinga
- Season & Brown Chicken. Sprinkle your taco seasoning over both sides of the chicken while a large skillet warms up over medium heat. Add oil to skillet, then brown the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side. Once both sides have a little color, place chicken into the slow cooker.
- Make Sauce. Add the rest of the oil to the skillet, then saute your chopped onion and garlic. Once the onion has softened, add in the tomatoes, pepper, adobo sauce, vinegar, spices, and broth. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then blend until smooth.
- Cook Chicken in Sauce. Pour smooth, blended sauce over the chicken in the Crock Pot and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Shred, Coat, & Serve. Pull cooked chicken from the slow cooker and shred on a cutting board. Return to the pot and toss in the sauce until every inch is well coated.
Authentic Chicken Tinga Recipe Tips and Variations
- Brown the chicken. Technically, you could skip the browning and the chicken will cook fine. However, I included this step because the Maillard reaction adds SO much flavor!
- Try it with toppings. Anything you like on your average taco, you will like it with this tinga chicken!
- Serve it in different ways. Traditionally this is served on tostadas with sour cream, cabbage, and avocados. It’s great on nachos, in burritos, as enchiladas, as a rice bowl, or on salad. To keep it low carb, try keto friendly tortillas.
Make this Tinga Chicken Recipe on the Stovetop
If you’re in a hurry, you can make this chicken tinga in a Dutch oven on the stovetop! Simply follow all instructions as directed, then instead of adding everything to the slow cooker, add it to the Dutch oven. Cover and cook about 25-30 minutes over medium heat. Once the chicken reaches 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer, you can shred it before tossing into the sauce to coat.
Serving Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga
We love tinga chicken on our favorite tortillas and topped with cotija, red onions, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, etc. Here are some great sides to help bulk up the meal:
- Salsa Rice
- Sweet Potato Tots
- Corn on the Cob in Instant Pot
- Pressure Cooker Beans
- Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing
How to Store Leftover Tinga Chicken
Allow chicken to cool completely, then store in airtight containers in the fridge up to 3-4 days. To reheat, microwave individual servings (50% power, 1-minute increments) or place the entire recipe in a casserole dish, cover, and reheat in the oven at 350 until warmed through.
Can I Freeze Tinga Chicken?
Yes, store cooled tinga chicken in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating for the best texture.
More Popular Recipes:
- Chicken Crockpot Recipes
- Chicken Cauliflower Recipe
- How Long to Air Fry Chicken Breast
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
- Honey Sesame Chicken
Authentic Chicken Tinga Recipe
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Equipment
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6 Quart Slow Cooker
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non-stick frying pan
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Blender
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
- 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning of your favorite all purpose seasoning
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 medium size yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic mashed or roughly chopped
- 1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 chipotle pepper
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ⅓ cup chicken stock
Instructions
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Start by seasoning both sides of the chicken breast with taco seasoning or your favorite all purpose seasoning.
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Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Brown the chicken on each side about 3 minutes (not cooking it through, just giving it some color) Remove from the skillet and place in a slow cooker.
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Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion has softened.
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Add the undrained can of fire roasted tomatoes, the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, spices and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until mostly smooth.
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Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook up to 3 hours on high or up to 6 hours on low.
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When ready to serve shred the chicken in the sauce, toss to coat.
Video
Notes
- Dutch Oven Stove Top Instructions: Follow steps 1-4 as directed, except use a Dutch oven instead of a skillet. Cook chicken in the sauce in a covered Dutch oven over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until cooked to 165 degrees F.