Tostadas De Tinga
Tostadas De Tinga : Tinga, tinga, tinga. Isn’t that fun to say? Tinga is the Andy Bernard of Mexican food. Under-appreciated, yet ready to take center stage at any moment. Its primary flavor component is chipotle chili which is quickly becoming a very popular ingredient north of the Mexican border. Tinga is a great dish made of a yummy chipotle sauce, sautéed onions and shredded chicken, all piled up on a crispy tostada. It’s basically the Mexican version of a BBQ beef sandwich. Tostadas De Tinga
I use whatever chicken I have on hand. Whole chickens or breasts will give you the most tender meat but I don’t think it’s worth the trouble. Rotisserie chicken meat is a really great option.
This recipe takes 3-4 onions so make sure you have some goggles on hand. You may get laughed at but it’s better than having mascara streaked cheeks!
Slice enough onions to fill a large sauté pan. They’ll really cook down so don’t stress!
Puree the tomatoes and chilies together in a blender. I used one and a half chilies for this batch and it didn’t overpower the dish. If you like heat you’ll want to up the ante a bit. It’s all up to you; I take no responsibility for your tingling tongues!
Add in the sauce and let it simmer. I keep the chicken back until the bitter end to avoid over-cooking it. You can add chicken broth as necessary to keep it at the desired consistency. Think BBQ beef.
Alright, time to serve up. Take the tostada, smear it with sour cream generously, scoop on the tinga chicken mixture, top with cilantro and a sprinkle of cheese. Purists will reach for the Cotija from the Mexican cheesy section. I used feta because the flavors are similar, especially up against the powerful chipotle.
Then finish with a squirt of delightful lime and sit back and enjoy your meal with the satisfaction that you’re at the front of the Tinga bandwagon. It’s almost as cool as being one of Justin Bieber’s fans before he had millions of views on YouTube.
Ingredients
- 4-5 chicken breasts
- 3 large or 4 med yellow onions
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1-2 chipotle chilies plus adobo sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
- chicken broth as needed
- For Serving
- tostadas
- sour cream
- cilantro
- cotija or feta cheese
- lime
Instructions
- Boil, cool and shred chicken.
- Slice onions (1/4 inch thick) and sauté over in a large frying pan over medium heat for 30 minutes or until translucent.
- Puree tomatoes and chilies.
- Add sauce and bay leaves to cooked onions and simmer over med-low for 20-30 minutes, adding broth as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Add shredded chicken and salt to taste.
- Cook until chicken is warmed through and mixture is well combined.
- Serve with tostadas, sour cream, cilantro, cheese and lime.
Tostadas de Tinga
Alison says
Oh that looks good!
Peggy says
OH this was one of my favorite dishes years ago! I had completely forgotten about it until I read your recipe. Thank you for reviving a delicious which had been forgotten for far too long!!
Andrea L says
Yum, we love Mexican. Thanks for a new recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Sarah says
You are certainly welcome. I love Mexican also. Every time I cook it I wish I did more often.
Joan says
This has become one of our family favorites. YUM!
Shelley says
Sarah, ALL of your recipes rock. I’ve seriously loved each one I’ve tried. Looking forward to trying this one out this week.
iliana says
I LOVE tinga! I only have it when my mother in law makes it though so thanks for the recipe! !:-)
Denise says
This looks so good and easy. I never thought of using chicken instead of pork which is used in the traditional recipe. I like chicken better. Thanks for the recipe.
Sarah says
I’ve never tried pork. Thank you for the idea. I’m going to try that out next time.
Dayanara Garcia says
yummmm…i am mexican but just recently discovered tinga..im from baja california (so barely mexican like my friends like to say) but i had never heard of or tried it..until my friends from other mexican states brought it to work for a potluck..i love it its delicious!
Brooke says
We tried these the same day you posted this recipe, we had all the ingredients on hand. We are huge tostado lovers, and the chipotles in this were fabulous. Everything tasted divine, we truly enjoyed this! Great recipe, mouthwatering photos and fabulous stuff!! Thank you!
Sarah says
Thank you! This was the inaugural post with my new camera so I’m glad the photos turned out.
Missy says
Thanks for another great recipe! I think this will be a new staple. 🙂
Sarah says
Joan makes a mean Tinga. I’ll tell her to invite you over next time she makes it. 🙂
Randi says
Haha, I make this all the time but never knew it had a name. In South Texas we use pork or beef instead of chicken, but everything else seems to be the same. Also i sometimes add very thin slices of avocados.
Natalie says
Looks sooooooooo good! Can’t wait to try!
Shannon says
Found this on pinterest – so simple, but really wonderful. I used one pound of chicken, one can of fire-roasted tomatoes, and 2 chipotles (along with some adobo sauce). Thank you, we will be making this regularly 🙂
Sarah says
This is almost identical to my friend’s recipe she shared with me. We add finely shredded lettuce on top of the tinga, and make some mexican creme using the sour creme and half & half. We drizzle over the top instead of under the meat. So yummy!! She told me to tell my kids they are mexican sloppy-joes. I’m glad to have your recipe, I keep losing the one she gave me!
Alex says
Just made this based on “allrecipes(dot)com/Recipe/Mexican-Tinga”, the directions were the same save the chipotles, your advice of adding them piecewise would have been good, and the cilantro/lime garnish is a great idea 🙂 Thanks for the help
MaryAnn Downard says
Do you sautée the onions in oil or butter?
Karen Wolfe says
So is it can Chipotle adobo sauce? Or Chipotle CHILIES and the CAN Chipotle chili sauce?
Alyse says
Did you mean 4-5 lbs of chicken?
Sarah says
No, 4-5 chicken breasts… about 2 pounds.
Rosemary says
Would I be able to make this in the crockpot?