19/11/2025
Tinga de Pollo. A classic Mexican dish of juicy pulled chicken simmered in a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce, perfect for tostadas, tacos or just with rice and beans on the side.
For the chicken:
1 kg chicken breast (yields approx. 600g cooked and shredded)
Water for boiling
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 white onion
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro
For the salsa:
5 tomatoes (approx. 600g)
2 tbsp chipotles en adobo (or more if you like it more spicy)
2 raw garlic cloves
To finish off:
2 white onions (sliced)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Corn tortillas (to fry, or use store-bought tostadas)
Avocado slices and cheese (I used feta but ideally queso fresco) for serving
How to make it:
Cook the chicken breast with water, salt, peppercorns, onion, garlic cloves, and cilantro. Once cooked, let the chicken cool and shred it—using a hand mixer makes shredding easier.
For the sauce, cook the tomatoes in the chicken broth. Let them cool and blend with chipotles en adobo, raw garlic, and salt (never blend hot ingredients).
Slice two white onions and cook them in olive oil until soft and starting to turn yellow. Stir in the shredded chicken and chipotle-tomato salsa. Add extra chicken broth if needed for saucy consistency (about 1 cup is usually good).
Be sure to let the tinga boil for about 5 minutes after combining everything—this helps all the flavors come together and makes the sauce richer and more delicious.
Deep fry corn tortillas to make crispy tostadas, or skip this step and use store-bought tostadas if you can find them.
Serve your chicken tinga on the tostadas, topped with avocado slices and cheese. Feta works well if queso fresco isn’t available.
Enjoy, and let me know in the comments what Mexican dish you’d like to see next.
