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Chicken Tinga Tacos with Chipotle Crema

Chicken tinga tacos with chipotle crema are smoky, saucy shredded chicken wrapped in lightly charred corn tortillas. The tinga simmers until tender, then gets topped with a tangy, blended chipotle crema for bold Mexican street-food flavor at home.
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs and seasonings
  • 700 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 salt and black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
Tinga sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 white onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 400 g crushed tomatoes
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
Toppings and tortillas
  • 12 small corn tortillas
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 0.3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 0.5 cup diced white onion (topping)
  • 4 lime wedges
  • 1 salt and black pepper

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Sear the chicken
  1. Season the boneless skinless chicken thighs with salt, pepper, dried oregano, and ground cumin. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then sear the chicken for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and set aside.
Sauté aromatics
  1. Sauté the thinly sliced white onion over medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Build the tinga sauce
  1. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and chicken broth, scraping up browned bits. Nestle the seared chicken back into the sauce.
Simmer & shred
  1. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, return it to the sauce, and stir well.
Make the chipotle crema
  1. Blend the sour cream, chipotle pepper in adobo, and lime juice until smooth, then season with a pinch of salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Warm the tortillas
  1. Char the small corn tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side until lightly blistered and pliable.
Assemble & serve
  1. Spoon the chicken tinga onto the warm tortillas and drizzle with the chipotle crema. Top with the diced white onion (topping), fresh cilantro, and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Notes

Pro tip: for deeper smokiness, use the full adobo sauce from the chipotle can in the tinga step. Refrigerate leftover chicken tinga for up to 3 days (flavor improves overnight); the crema can be refrigerated separately. Freezing is not recommended for the crema, but freezing the chicken tinga is generally fine for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, swap sour cream for plain Greek yogurt while blending the crema.