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Welcome back to our last day of fake Cinco de Mayo. I promise to stop saying that ha!
I knew about chicken tinga tacos and thought they would be an amazing experience, but I had never seen them offered on a menu. Until recently at a new restaurant there they were, chicken tinga tacos. I immediately knew that I was going to order them, very excited for this moment!
They were disappointingly bland. Under salted and under spiced….just plain flavorless. BUT I loved the idea. I knew they had potential.
There was only one thing to be done. Make them myself. I bet you didn’t see that coming, did ya?
Spoiler alert: my chicken tinga tacos are pretty amazing! I may be biased, but this is my food blog after all. These babies are anything but bland.
Tender shredded chicken is hugged by a tomato-y, smoky, well seasoned, and slightly spicy sauce. I mean you could eat that chicken tinga stuff all by itself and it would be delicious.
BUT TACOS!!! They are even better as tacos. Chicken tinga tacos that are topped with salty crumbled cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, creamy avocado, and tangy crunchy quick pickled red onions!
It’s a party in your mouth! I’m pretty sure you will never want another taco again in your life!!!
Best part is these chicken tinga tacos comes together in the instant pot, they only take 30 minuets to make, and they make great leftovers! (P.S. I also included directions for a slow cooker).
It all starts with a little sauteed onion, which is done right in the instant pot. Thank you instant pot for not making me use a separate pan to saute the onions in. The less dishes to wash later the better, amiright?!
Then we put those sauteed onions in a blender along with canned fire roasted tomatoes, a pepper in adobo sauce, the appropriate amount of spices and we blend until everything is silky smooth. Then the chicken cooks in the instant pot with that yummy sauce while you prepare the rest of the toppings.
Hands off cooking, love it!
BTW if you didn’t notice I used canned fire roasted tomatoes in all three of my fake Cinco de Mayo recipes. Totally not planned. And totally not mad about it. Because tasty!
You guys! Look at that saucy goodness right there! Can you even handle it?!
Tip: once cooked put you chicken breast in a mixing bowl and either use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to shred the chicken. It seriously saves so much time and creates THE BEST finely shredded chicken. Sounds weird, but it works. Every. Single. Time.
Here we are. The most perfect chicken tinga tacos you will ever eat.
And don’t you dare skip that quick pickled red onion…out of all the toppings the they are a must. They add tang and crunch and a pretty pink color that you will love!
I am obsessed with these chicken tinga tacos. They are quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner (30 minutes, remember), yet special enough to serve to guests.
Chicken tinga taco party anyone!?! I am so ready for that party!
The perfect appetizers to go with these tacos: homemade salsa, and the best guacamole. We all know it’s not a taco party with out a little bit of chips and salsa or chips and guac action.
I officially declare every day chicken tinga taco day for eternity!
Smoky Instant Pot Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 to 7 tacos 1x
- Category: Chicken, entree, 30 minutes, easy
- Cuisine: gluten free
Description
Chicken tinga tacos are chicken tacos coated in a smokey, slightly spicy, tomato sauce and served taco style with pickled red onions, avocado, and cotija cheese. Only takes 30 minutes to make, the perfect weeknight meal or fancy enough for a party!
Ingredients
- Quick pickled red onion
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 filtered water cup water
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar (or white sugar)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- Chicken tinga taco filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 15 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 to 2 peppers in adobo sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 chicken breasts
- For the tacos
- corn tortilla taco shells
- Optional toppings
- crumbled cotija cheese
- cilantro leaves
- avocado, cubed or sliced
- lime wedges, for squeezing
Instructions
- Make the pickled onions: To a large mason jar (or other container with a tight fitting lid) add the hot water, agave nectar or sugar, and salt – shake or stir until everything is well mixed and the salt is dissolved. Add the vinegar and mix to combine. Add the onions and use a spoon to push them under the liquid so that they are submerged. If you need a little more liquid add a little more vinegar to cover. Place the onions in the fridge to pickle while you make the tacos.
- Saute onions: Turn on your instant pot and hit the saute setting. Wait for the instant pot to heat up, heat the oil and add the onions. Saute the onions until tender and slightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Turn off the instant pot and transfer the onions to a blender.
- Blend the sauce: To the blender that has the onions add the cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, fire roasted tomatoes, peppers in adobo sauce, and lime juice. Blend on high until everything is well incorporated and the sauce is smooth.
- Cook the chicken: Transfer the blended sauce back to the instant pot along with the chicken breasts. use a spoon to cover the chicken with the sauce. Secure the instant pot lid and push the nozzle to sealing. Set the instant pot to pressure cook on high and set the timer for 8 minutes. Keep in mind that it will take about 6 minutes for the instant pot to come up to pressure (I timed it). Once the timer goes off move the nozzle to release and force release the steam, remove the lid. The chicken should be an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the toppings: While the chicken is cooking you can prepare all your taco toppings. Heat up the corn tortilla shells by following package instructions – I like to either heat them in a dry frying pan or directly on a low flame of my gas stove top. Place all the toppings in small separate bowls.
- Shred the chicken: Once the chicken is done cooking remove the chicken and shred it either by using two forks or by placing it in a bowl and using a stand mixer or hand mixer (a fast trick). Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.The sauce should be rather thick and cling to the chicken (see notes if it’s looking a little watery).
- To serve: Transfer the chicken tinga into a serving bowl and have all the other toppings in separate bowls for assembling. To assemble your taco add some chicken tinga followed by crumbled cotija cheese, cilantro leaves, pickled red onion, and a few chunks of avocado – give it a little squeeze of lime, if you would like, and enjoy.
Notes
Spice level: These tacos are a mild spicy with 1 adobo pepper. The pepper adds essential flavor to the sauce, I wouldn’t recommend omitting it but you could slice the pepper in half and remove the seeds to reduce the heat even more.
If you chicken tinga filling is watery: The chicken tinga filling should be saucy, yet not too watery. Watery isn’t good, it equals a soggy taco. Depending on how much juice your chicken releases while they’re cooked is why this could vary. To reduce the wateriness transfer the chicken tinga taco filling to a baking sheet that has been heated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the chicken to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. You can skip this step if your taco filling isn’t too liquidey.
Toppings: I recommend all the toppings mentioned in the recipe, but especially the pickled onions and avocado!!
Slow cooker method: Saute the onion and garlic in a skillet, transfer to a blender along with the remaining sauce ingredients (except for the chicken, of course). Transfer the sauce to a slow cooker along with the chicken breasts. Cook on low for 5 or 6 hours or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Follow the directions the remaining instructions as before. This is a rough estimation for time for the slow cooker. You also may need to add a l little chicken broth to the sauce as the sauce will boil off more with the slow cooker than the instant pot.
You must have eaten at the same restaurant I did! I love Mexican food, and was treated to an “authentic Mexican” restaurant for my 50th Bday. Having travelled to Mexico I know and love the fresh vibrant flavors they use, so I couldnt wait to taste this restaurants food. We ordered appetizers…bland no flavor ,I literally looked for a salt shaker on the table, but there were none. No lime. no cilantro, no salt. Then I ordered Chicken Tinga Tacos, I was sooooo looking forward to this dish for weeks, as Id never had it before. Bland isnt even the right word! Again I was looking for a salt shaker (even though I know its too late to add it now!) No flavor at all. I was so disappointed. Like you, I have been searching recipes to make my own, because I know I can make it better! Thank you for this recipe! PS… its kinda funny because I made pickled red onions yesterday for the first time and thought “HMM these would be good on the tinga tacos” and you confirmed that as well!
Oh, I understand how disappointing bland restaurant food can be. You know how much potential the dish has, if only they would have seasoned it properly, or cooked it in a different way lol. Glad you found my recipe, hope you enjoy them better than your restaurant experience. Let me know how they turn out. That is too funny about the pickled red onions. They are so good on many things, but the chicken tinga tacos are a must, for sure. Thanks for sharing your story. đŸ™‚