Tinga de Pollo

If you have watched my channel at all on Youtube, you know that my husband is from Mexico. He had just moved here when we met and when we started dating it became apparent to me how much he was missing his home and his family. He would tell me stories (as best he could as he was learning English and I was learning Spanish) about his favorite foods and his experiences from childhood. I went home and sat and thought about ways that I could make him feel more at home here in the United States. Then it came to me... I needed to give him the TASTE of home.

One of the stories I remember hearing most frequently was about how he used to get to travel from his hometown to Mexico City to visit his grandparents on his birthdays. They would always make him Tinga and his Aunt would make him a birthday cake. He always seemed so happy when he told me this story - so I decided to try to make Tinga de Pollo in hopes of serving him something that would remind him of home.

It took me a few go's to perfect this recipe, but it is now tried and true and 100% Mexican husband approved. This dish remains one of Daniel's favorites today. We serve it up on tostadas topped with sour cream, lettuce, and cotija cheese. See how I make this recipe in real time, in real life, for our actual dinner in my video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5y2mfC9ncw

Tinga de Pollo

Ingredients for Tinga:

5 (small-ish) chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

6-8 Roma Tomatoes

2 Tomatillos

2 tablespoons oil (your choice)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, sliced

1-2 chipotles en adobo + 1-2 tablespoons of the adobo liquid from the can

1 Tablespoon of KnorSuiza (or substitute salt TO TASTE)

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Oregano

1/2 teaspoon Marjoram

1/2 teaspoon Whole Cumin Seeds

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Ingredients for Tostadas:

Tinga, prepared.

Tostadas - we like El Milagro or El Ranchero brands

Sour Cream - we prefer LaLa Mexican Style sour cream

Cotija Cheese

Avocado - if you're feeling crazy :)

Salsa - green is preferable as the chicken is cooked in a red salsa

Method:

1. Boil a medium size pot of water. Add your tomatoes and tomatillos. Boil 8-10 minutes or until cooked through and the skins are starting to peel. Drain and add tomatoes/tomatillos to a blender.

2. Add your chipotles en adobo to the blender. I use 2-3 actually but they can be spicy so please make it according to your family's taste. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid from the chipotles en adobo, along with your thyme, oregano, marjoram, whole cumin seed, KnorSuiza, and black pepper. Blend on high for about 2 minutes or until completely smooth.

NOTE:I use KnorSuiza (or powdered chicken bouillon) to add the saltiness to most mexican dishes, but you can use regular salt if you prefer.

3. Heat your pan back up over medium heat. Add your sliced onions and saute until they brown and become caramelized. This adds LOADS of flavor to the dish - so make sure they're actually brown and not just translucent. Add your garlic to the onions and stir fry for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

4. Add your blended salsa to the pan with the fried onions. Add a small amount of water to the blender carafe to get all the goodness out and into the pan. Simmer over medium heat while you finish shredding your chicken.

5. Add your shredded chicken to the pot. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes so the flavors can meld and get all friendly in the pot.

Serving Suggestion: Take a tostada, spread sour cream over it. Load that with your Tinga and top with shredded lettuce, cotija cheese, and top with avocado and salsa. Tinga would also make a delicious topping for nachos, salads, or filling for tacos!

I hope you've enjoyed my recipe - thanks for stopping by!