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Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga: Authentic Flavor for Weeknight Dinners

Close-up of shredded chicken tinga coated in a rich, red, spicy sauce, served in a white bowl.
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Make authentic Tinga de Pollo with minimal effort using your slow cooker. This recipe delivers tender, smoky chipotle chicken perfect for tacos, tostadas, or bowls, solving your weeknight Mexican dinner dilemma.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken breasts or thighs into the basin of your slow cooker.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sliced onion, minced garlic, minced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir these ingredients together well to create the tinga sauce.
  3. Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the chicken in the slow cooker.
  4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
  5. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken completely.
  6. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce until the chicken is fully coated.
  7. If the sauce seems too thin, remove the lid and cook on high for the last 30 minutes to allow some liquid to evaporate.
  8. Serve your smoky chipotle chicken immediately over warm tortillas for Chicken Tinga Tacos or on crispy tostadas.

Notes

  • For an extra layer of flavor, briefly sauté the sliced onion and minced garlic in olive oil before adding them to the slow cooker mixture.
  • If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can blend the tomato sauce, chipotles, and spices before adding them to the slow cooker.
  • This shredded chicken is excellent for meal prep; store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cheffinity.com/chicken-tinga-slow-cooker-authentic-recipe/