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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga for Weeknight Tacos

Close-up of perfectly shredded chicken tinga coated in a vibrant, savory red chipotle sauce on a white plate.
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Make authentic, smoky Chicken Tinga with minimal effort using your slow cooker. This recipe yields tender, shredded chicken perfect for tacos, tostadas, or bowls.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use 3–4 peppers plus 1 tablespoon sauce for medium heat)
  • 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • For serving: warm tortillas, avocado slices, cotija cheese, cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken breasts or thighs into the basin of your slow cooker.
  2. In a blender or food processor, combine the diced tomatoes, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Blend until the sauce is mostly smooth.
  3. Pour the chipotle tomato sauce mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth.
  4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
  5. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken completely.
  6. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it well to coat it thoroughly with the smoky chipotle sauce. Let it simmer for 10 minutes to absorb the flavor.
  7. Serve the smoky chipotle chicken mixture hot over warm tortillas for Chicken Tinga Tacos or use it as a Tostada Topping.

Notes

  • For a thicker sauce, remove about 1 cup of the sauce mixture before adding the shredded chicken back in. Thicken it separately on the stovetop with a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water) and then stir back into the slow cooker.
  • This shredded chicken recipe freezes well for easy meal prep. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
  • If you prefer a quicker stove top method, sear the chicken, then simmer it in the sauce mixture for 20 minutes until cooked through before shredding.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://delishsymphony.com/chicken-tinga-slow-cooker-smoky-chipotle-recipe/