Chicken in Tomato Pepper Sauce (Mexican Tinga de Pollo)

mexican-tingadepollo Chicken Tinga, known as Tinga de Pollo in the Puebla region of Mexico, where this easy recipe originated, tender shredded chicken in a rich, flavourful chipotle sauce creates the perfect Mexican food recipe for your next Cinco de Mayo fiesta. Serve in tacos, burritos, or quesadillas and it is also great as a dip or salad topping.

2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 Roma tomatoes
1 large yellow onion, chopped, white or red work too
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
½ tsp. ground cumin
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo
½ tsp. sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium heat. Add in the tomatoes and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add in the onion, garlic and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes.

Add in the oregano and cumin, cooking until fragrant. About 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the bay leaves, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Add in the chicken and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20-30 minutes. Set the chicken aside. Add the chipotle peppers to the pot and using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.

Shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Stir until combined and warmed through.

Cook's Notes:

For a milder sauce, use just the sauce from the can of chipotle peppers, not the peppers themselves.
If you can’t find chipotles in adobo sauce, make your own by mixing 1 Tbsp. tomato paste, 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar, ½ tsp. smoked paprika, ½ tsp. ground cayenne pepper, a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of salt. This mixture = 2 Tbsp. of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.