Tinga de Pollo, Authentic Mexican Tinga

I first encountered this dish when I was working at a Mexican grocery store. I was working in the takeaway kitchen. We used to make this every day and I would actually sneak some home when nobody was looking 😉
I don't ever condone stealing but it's one of those dishes that you'll want over and over again. So instead, here's my recipe on how to make this beautiful dish at home. Not only does it taste fantastic, but I feel it introduces people to another side of Mexican Cuisine. I can also say with confidence that this is my go-to dish whenever I have guests over.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb of chicken
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
About 4 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 lb of tomatoes or about 8
1 pint of stock
A good pinch of cilantro
1 Chipotle pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
Pinch of salt
A few dashes of black pepper

Here's how to do it;

• I usually start chopping my vegetables; chop one onion in half, and take one half and cut it again. Now, chop two cloves of garlic.

• Take your chicken and place it in water with the chopped onion, garlic, a tablespoon of cooking oil and some salt; bring to a boil. Cover and cook the chicken for about 15 minutes or until it has thoroughly cooked.

• We start on the sauce; heat a pan slightly on medium heat and place the tomatoes on dry heat along with the onions. You will let them char slightly but keep an eye on them, you don't want them to burn or smoke out your house, just give them a slight char. I usually know they're ready once the tomatoes start dancing.

• Once you have removed the tomatoes from the fire, place them in either a food processor or blender and mix the ingredients with a pint of stock.

• Here is the part where we add the chipotle peppers. I love these peppers, I usually add 2 to my dish. However, if they are too spicy feel free to use just one. Once this has been blended set aside to rest.

• In a deep pan, I heated the rest of my oil and I sautee onions that were chopped "fajita style" with minced garlic. I add some salt, pepper, the cumin, and oregano.

• Once the onions have browned, I add the beautiful sauce we have just created.

Now, you're almost to the end here. Your chicken should have cooked and cooled down to a point where you can handle it. You just move it onto a dish and shred it however you want. I usually just use my hands.

In Spanish, you would say "desmenuzar" which means to break apart by hand. Honestly, the finer the better. I am a bit impatient about this so I have made the chicken bite sized. Place this into your sauce.

• You're done! This is one of my favorite recipes ever. You can garnish this dish with Mexican fresh cheese and also add freshly chopped cilantro. This dish goes perfect with a side of rice and beans. I hope you enjoy! Check back for more recipes.

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xRichie