Chicken Tinga
The Spanish word tinga means “unruly” or “messy.” But there is nothing messy about the wonderful flavors of this dish with its layers of smoky and sweet. The browned chicken has accents of balsamic vinegar, roasted sweet peppers, and chiles—a sort of Mexican chicken cacciatore. I consider it one of Mexican cuisine’s top ten classic dishes. Tinga tacos are a perennial favorite in northern New Mexico and can have other fillings beside chicken. In addition to tacos or burritos, this filling—really a homey soul-satisfying stew—can be served in a bowl over rice. It also makes a great bocadillo, a Mexican sandwich served on a square crispy roll. To reduce the heat level of this dish, decrease or leave out the chipotle puree.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 15 tacos
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cut the prepared poblano chile and bell pepper into 1/4-inch-thick strips (rajas); set aside.
Step 2
In a large bowl, toss the chicken strips with the chile powder, salt, and black pepper and let marinate for 20 minutes.
Step 3
Toward the end of the marinating time, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken strips and sauté until just barely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from its casings, crumble it, and add it to the skillet along with the poblano chile strips, red bell pepper strips, and onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the sausage begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add the garlic, chipotle puree, juice, tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, and brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid has cooked down, about 6 minutes. The mixture should be moist but not wet.
Step 4
Remove from the heat and serve immediately, or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
Step 5
For crispy tacos, divide the lettuce slaw then the filling equally between the crispy shells, top with salsa and garnish, and arrange in a taco holder. Or, lean the filled shells in a row, propped upright, on a platter. Eat right away. To build your own, spoon some slaw and filling in a crispy shell, top with salsa and garnish, and eat right away.
