Salsa Verde Chicken Tinga
Tinga is chicken braised in a tomato and chilli sauce until it falls apart, and the step that separates a good version from a mushy one comes after the braise.
Shred it, then fry it again
Tinga is chicken braised in a tomato and chilli sauce until it falls apart, and the step that separates a good version from a mushy one comes after the braise. Once shredded, the meat goes back into a hot pan and gets fried until the edges catch and crisp. That contrast is what makes it worth eating in a tortilla rather than with a spoon.
Tomatillos are the backbone here. They are sharper and more herbal than tomatoes, and they hold that acidity through a long cook. Tinned ones are excellent and much easier than husking fresh ones.
Chipotle in adobo brings smoke and heat in a single ingredient. Two peppers is a moderate warmth; if you want it hotter, add a spoonful of the adobo sauce rather than more peppers, which can turn bitter.
Ingredients
Instructions
Blitz the tomatillos, chipotles and their sauce, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano and cinnamon to a smooth sauce in a blender.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken thighs in batches, about 3 minutes per side. They do not need to cook through — you are building flavour. Set aside.
Pour the blended sauce into the pot. It will spit. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until it darkens from bright green to a deeper olive colour and thickens slightly.
Add the stock and vinegar, bring to a simmer, and return the chicken with any resting juices. Cover partially and cook gently for 35 to 40 minutes, until the meat shreds easily with two forks.
Lift the chicken out and shred it. Continue simmering the sauce uncovered for 10 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon.
Return the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir to coat. At this point it is good. It gets better.
Heat the remaining oil in a wide frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, without crowding, and leave it for 3 minutes so the underside crisps. Turn and cook for another 2 minutes.
Serve in warm corn tortillas with coriander, finely diced white onion and a squeeze of lime.
Testing notes & substitutions
Thighs, not breasts
Breasts dry out long before they shred. Thighs have the fat and connective tissue to survive forty minutes of braising and still taste juicy.
The second fry is the whole point
It feels redundant and it is not. Two or three minutes on high heat turns a wet braise into something with crisp edges and concentrated flavour.
Tinned tomatillos are fine
Fresh ones need husking and give a slightly brighter result, but the difference is small and tinned ones are available year-round. Drain them but keep the liquid in case the sauce gets too thick.
Questions we get a lot
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes — brown the chicken, blend the sauce, and cook on low for 5 hours. Shred and do the second fry on the hob, which the slow cooker cannot replicate.
What if I cannot find tomatillos?
Use 600 g of tinned tomatoes plus the juice of a lime and a handful of coriander stalks. It is a different dish but a good one.
How long does it keep?
Four days in the fridge, and it freezes well for three months. Reheat in a dry pan over high heat so it crisps again rather than steaming.
Dana Reyes
Dana has cooked professionally for eleven years and has been testing recipes for Hearth & Thyme since 2019. She writes about weeknight cooking, slow breads, and the small techniques that quietly change a dish. Every recipe she publishes is cooked at least twice, in an ordinary home oven.
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