Chicken Tinga Tacos|Chips and Salsa
Chicken Tinga Tacos with Chips and Salsas Dish Guide
Serves 4
For the Chicken Tinga Tacos
2 large chicken breasts (or 2 lb. cooked, shredded chicken)
½ of large white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
10 oz. canned fire roasted diced tomatoes
1-4 chipotle peppers in adobo (to taste)
¼ cup water or chicken stock
½ t dried oregano
½ t ground cumin
2 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Taco shells, cotija cheese, limes, cilantro, and more diced onion for serving (use anything you like!)
Coat the chicken in 1 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 F for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool and then shred as finely as you wish.
In a saucepan over medium heat add 1 T of olive oil along with the onion and garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until translucent. Add the cumin, oregano tomatoes, chipotles, and water. Let everything cook out for 2-3 minutes and then add the contents of the pan to a blender or food processor. Process on high for 1-2 minutes or until very smooth.
Return sauce to pan over medium low heat and add the shredded chicken. Stir and cook for a few minutes to thicken sauce and warm chicken through.
Serve as desired. In our version we use corn tortillas, cilantro, onion, cotija cheese and fresh lime but you do you!
For the Homemade Tortilla Chips
Corn tortillas (as little or as many as you wish)
Oil for frying
Zest of 1 lime
Salt to taste
Cut the tortillas into quarters or sixths. Heat 1” of oil in a large skillet to 325 F. Fry chips in batches, not overcrowding the pan for 1-2 minutes each, stirring constantly and cooking until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and add to a large bowl. Season with salt and lime zest and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
For the Roasted Habanero Salsa
2 habanero peppers (more or less to taste)
3-4 large roma tomatoes
½ a medium white onion, diced
¼ cup water
Handful of cilantro, minced
2 cloves garlic
1 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cut the tomatoes in half and place them and the peppers on a sheet tray. Toss to coat in olive oil. Broil for 10 minutes or until the pepper and tomato skins blister.
Add them to a blender along with ¼ cup water and the garlic. Blend until chunky smooth.
Add the onion and some olive oil to a small saucepan and set heat to medium. Add the salsa and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the onion is just soft and the salsa has thickened. If it’s too thick, add more water. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set in a bowl to cool. Once cooled, add the cilantro and stir to combine.
For the Guajillo Salsa
20 dry guajillo peppers
1 white onion
5 cups water
1-2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1 lime
Half of one large tomato
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cut the stems off the peppers and remove the seeds. Bring water to a boil and add the peppers to the water along with ½ of the onion. Dice the other half and set aside.
Simmer the peppers and onion for 25-30 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the water is richly colored.
Add the peppers and onion to a blender along with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Blend for 1 minute on high. Add more water if needed depending on desired consistency. Add the half of the tomato and blend again for 15-20 seconds.
Add this mixture to a small saucepan and add the bay leaf. Simmer over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and place the salsa in a bowl. Add the lime juice and as much of the remaining diced onion as desired. Taste and adjust for final seasoning.
Dish Notes
Pro move? Make extra chicken. You can roll it up in some tortillas with cheese or beans, layer in a baking dish and top with the guajillo salsa and more cheese and bake for a whole new dish! *Broken Record Alert* As with all our dish guides this one is flexible and we encourage you to add or remove ingredients based on your tastes or on-hands.
