Cinco Fiesta

Tinga poblana

Shredded meat in a smoky, tomatoey chipotle sauce, a dish of Puebla that has spread across Mexico. Pile it on tostadas or into tortillas.

Main · 1 hour · All recipes

Painting of a table in a Puebla kitchen loaded with bowls of cooked dishes, tortillas and a jug

Ingredients

Serves 6
  • 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 0.5 onion, plus 1 whole onion thinly sliced for the sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 120 g Mexican chorizo, casings removed (optional)
  • 3 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, plus 1 tbsp of their sauce
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt

Method

  1. Cover the chicken with water in a pot. Add the half onion, 2 garlic cloves, the bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Lift out, cool and shred; keep a cup of the broth.
  2. Heat the oil in a wide pan. Fry the chorizo for a few minutes, then add the sliced onion and cook until soft and golden.
  3. Blend the tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, the remaining garlic clove, oregano and the salt with half a cup of the broth until smooth.
  4. Pour the sauce into the pan, bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cook 10 minutes more, adding broth if it dries out. Taste and adjust the salt.

Notes

  • Serve on crisp tostadas with Mexican crema, avocado and crumbled queso fresco.
  • Pork shoulder, cooked until tender, is the other classic choice.
  • Safe cooking temperatures are on FoodSafety.gov (see the sources page).

Sources: FoodSafety.gov (US government); UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (inscribed 2010)