Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Thing about Tinga



Tinga is a dish I grew up eating at a potlucks and picnics. Now that I can cook it myself, I realize why it was such a common dish to bring, it's easy to make and delicious served warm, and maybe even more delicious served cold. Imagine a chicken salad that has been bathing in a broth of spices, tomatoes, onions, with just a hint of smokiness from chipotle peppers. That's Tinga. The other great thing about it, is that it's so versatile. You can eat it in taco, on a tostada, gorditas, sopes, or quesadillas (as pictured above). Tinga can also be made from shredded pork or beef, so feel free to make substitutions.


Tinga de Pollo
Serves 3-5


Ingredients

3 cups of cooked shredded chicken
1 tbs of vegetable oil
 2 large tomatoes, roughly diced
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
1/2 tbs ground cumin
1/2 tbs dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken stock
1 canned chipotle pepper, roughly chopped
1-3 tbs of adobo sauce from the chipotles
Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions 

 Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and fall apart, about 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Add half of the chicken broth and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (except the adobo sauce), chicken, cumin, oregano, thyme, chipotle, salt and pepper , and remaining chicken stock. Stir well, making sure everything mixes together. Stir in the adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time. The more you add, the spicier it is. Taste and adjust any seasonings. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

You can serve warm or cold. Some great topping suggestions are your usual suspects, sliced avocados, queso fresco, salsa, sour cream, radishes, diced onions and cilantro.

7 comments:

  1. I noticed that you don't seem to have enough comments! I agree with cocomori, this looks amazing, like great food to whip up when you're tired. I'd also like to say thanks, because I love your stories about the recipe, they always sound so sincere and lovely! They make me nostalgic for the meals of my own youth... Thanks for posting these.

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    1. Skelly, thank you so much for your comment! I got all teary-eyed. I feel like 75% of the reason I started this blog is because I, too, am nostalgic for the meals my mom used to make for us as kids and remembering all the memories that come with those meals. Thanks again for your comment and for following the blog.

      -Maria

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  2. Excelente!, y esperamos ese pastel de tres leches =D, saludos desde Monterrey

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  3. I might, just might lose an eye making this tonight. Seriously, someone needs to point out that after touching chilli's, I can't just go right ahead and rub my eye.

    Wish me luck Palafox!

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  4. Our Pakistani neighbor, who lived in Mexico for about 20 years, just made Tinga Pollo for a breakfast she hosted a couple of weekends ago; it's now my favorite way to make chicken! <3

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