The greatest smoky, flavorful, and slightly sweet tomato sauce is mixed with this Chicken Tinga recipe, which can be made in only 30 minutes thanks to its incredibly simple preparation and preparation time. Perfect for serving in tacos, tostadas, burritos, quesadillas and more! As the celebration commemorating the Mexican triumph over the French in the First Battle of Puebla in 1862, Cinco de Mayo, is just around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect time to offer my favorite recipe for one of Puebla's most famous dishes. For a long time, this smokey shredded chicken has been one of my go-to recipes for making on weeknights when I'm pressed for time because it can be put together in a flash, requires very little effort, and tastes amazing. Tinga is normally prepared with a chipotle tomato sauce that is simply seasoned with onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf. If you've never had it before, this is how it should be cooked. 
However, I also prefer to include an additional non-traditional component, and that is honey. It is not typically included in the authentic chicken tinga that you would find in Puebla, but I find that its floral sweetness creates a delicious contrast to those smoky and savory flavors in the sauce, and I highly recommend giving it a try sometime if you'd like to. If you'd like to find out for yourself, you can head on over here. This dish is one of my favorites since it can be prepared in a variety of ways, including the Instant Pot, the Crock-Pot, or even just on the stovetop. Gluten and dairy are not present in its natural state. It is also possible to freeze any leftovers, after which they can be readily warmed in the microwave. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you make a double batch while you are preparing the dish. The nice part is that you can use this chicken that has been shredded in a variety of different ways. Tostadas or tacos filled with chicken tinga are the classic dishes that make the most use of this ingredient. 
(Be sure to check back later this week for the release of my go-to recipe for chicken tinga tacos!) However, you can also make chicken tinga burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, taquitos, salads, and more by following this recipe. If you are seeking for an excellent recipe for chicken tinga to try, the following is the method that I like to use the most. Before we get into the complete recipe down below, here are a few notes regarding the things that you will need to make this chicken tinga recipe. Garlic and onion are two ingredients that I like to soften in a little amount of oil before incorporating them into the sauce. However, many traditional recipes for tinga de pollo do not blend the onions, so you are free to use whichever method you like. Chipotles in adobo sauce: these peppers have a smokey flavor, a tangy flavor, and a little sweet flavor. They are the standout ingredient in tinga! In a usual preparation of this dish, I include approximately four chipotle peppers, in addition to at least one tablespoon of the adobo sauce that the chipotles are packed in. However, given that they have a medium level of spiciness, I would advise beginning with only two of them. If you find that this is not enough heat for you, you can always add more later on if you so choose. 
Tinga is generally cooked with fresh tomatoes, but you can instead use canned tomatoes. However, because it might be challenging to locate nice fresh tomatoes during this time of year, I choose to write this recipe with a can of chopped tomatoes as the main ingredient instead (which are always canned at their peak of freshness). If you are able to get your hands on fire-roasted tomatoes, I highly recommend using those since they add an additional layer of smoky flavor. However, ordinary chopped tomatoes will also do the trick. This will act as the foundation for our sauce, which is going to be chicken stock (or veggie stock would work too). Honey (optional): As was stated earlier, this is a totally non-traditional ingredient; however, I absolutely adore how a hint of sweet honey balances out the other smoky and savory flavors in this sauce. If you decide to add honey, keep in mind that it is an ingredient that is completely non-traditional. If you prefer not to use honey, feel free to leave it out of the recipe altogether, or adjust the amount to suit your preferences. Tinga is usually prepared with a basic seasoning mixture that consists of ground cumin, Mexican oregano, and possibly bay leaf. 
Bay leaf is not always included. If you don't have any Mexican oregano on hand, you can substitute regular (Italian) oregano with success. The Mexican oregano gives the sauce a subtle hint of additional citrus and licorice tastes. Chicken Tinga is generally made with shredded chicken that has been pre-cooked, which allows for the dish to be prepared in record time and with minimal effort. (Most of the time, I make it by shredding a huge rotisserie chicken or using baked chicken breasts that have been left over. Alternately, you might cook the chicken breasts yourself by baking, sautéing, or poaching them.) Having said that, the instructions for the Crock-Pot and the Instant Pot were written with raw chicken breasts, which will be cooked immediately in the sauce when using those cooking methods. Toppings: The contrast between the hot and smokey tinga and a generous dusting of chilled and fresh toppings brings out the best in both flavors. Therefore, I suggest including as many as you feel comfortable with! Traditional toppings that could be used include finely chopped fresh cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese, fresh lime wedges, fast pickled red onions, sliced avocado, and/or Mexican crema. These are all wonderful possibilities.
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