chicken tinga tacos

Oh em gee. This is one of those, going down the rabbit hole, looking for taco tuesday inspiration, recipes. I love love love taco tuesday, and I love how many varieties there are of tacos. Be it rooted in mexican history, or sourced from alternative cultures. Taco tuesday never disappoints.

After making the perfect birria, I wanted a poultry version, dripping in sauce, fried cheese, all the flavors.

Chicken tinga, seemed to be the perfect vehicle to make into a crispy dippable mini taco.

And oh, my, goodness. This is the recipe you need to make.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp avocado oil

6 bone-in-skin-on chicken breasts

1 onion, peeled and sliced

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 1/2 tomatoes, stemmed and sliced

2 chipotles, in adobo sauce

1 Tbsp adobo sauce

4 cups chicken stock

6 cups water

2 Tbsp mexican oregano

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp ground corriander

1/2 Tbsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

avocado oil

1 bunch of cilantro, leaves removed and rough chopped

shredded cheddar cheese

scallions, sliced

radishes, sliced

avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

12 street taco flour tortillas

crema

restaurant style salsa

Directions:

Add oil to a large dutch oven. Heat on high. When oil starts to simmer, working in batches, place chicken breasts skin side down. When browned, flip and brown other side. When breasts have browned, remove from pan.

Turn heat down and add tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chipotle, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and sauté for 3 minutes, to bring out the flavors of the dried spices.

Layer chicken breasts back in pan, on top of vegetables. Add stock and water, and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, cover and turn heat down to simmering. Let simmer until chicken is tender and falling off the bone about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken, skin and bones from broth.

Use an immersion blender to purée the stock and veggie mixture. Once blended and smooth, return to stove and let simmer to reduce.

In a separate bowl, remove skin and bones from chicken. Shred chicken, and ladle several large spoonful’s of sauce over chicken, and toss to coat.

Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with avocado oil. Heat on medium high.

Dip a tortilla into the sauce, coating both sides. Place in avocado oil. Top with cheddar cheese, and a spoonful of chicken mixture. Fold tortilla in half, and flip to crisp and brown both sides. Repeat for each tortilla.

Top crispy tortillas with scallions, avocado, radishes, cilantro, and drizzle with crema.

Serve with sauce and salsa on side for dipping.