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Tinga Poblana Tacos

Spicy and smoky Mexican tinga poblana tacos with shredded chicken, chorizo sausage, onion, garlic, lime juice and spices in a unique and smoky chipotle tomato sauce.

Servings 8

Ingredients

For the stewed chicken

  • 12 boneless chicken thighs or 4 boneless chicken breasts approximately 1kg
  • 1 small onion cut into chunks
  • 4 garlic cloves peeled and slightly smashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups cold water

For the sauce

  • 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
  • 4 fresh chorizo sausages casings removed (approximately 500g - 600g)
  • 1 large onion diced, about 1 ½ cups
  • 4 garlic cloves finely minced
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice from 2 or 3 limes
  • 156 mL tin tomato paste
  • 796 mL tin diced tomatoes
  • 2-4 teaspoons finely minced chipotles in adobo sauce as desired
  • ½ cup chicken broth use the broth reserved from making the stewed chicken
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin and ground coriander
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons liquid honey

Suggestions for serving

  • Flour or corn tortillas
  • Cooked rice
  • Sour cream
  • Sliced green onions
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Sliced avocados
  • Sliced limes
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. To stew the chicken, place whole chicken pieces, onion chunks, smashed garlic, bay leaf and salt in a medium saucepan and add 3 cups cold water. Cover and bring to a light boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool leaving the broth in the saucepan.

  2. Prepare a fine sieve fitted over another pot or large bowl. Drain the broth through the sieve into the pot or bowl. Discard onion, garlic and bay leaf. Reserve ½ cup broth for recipe. Reserve the remaining broth for another use.

  3. When chicken is cool enough to handle, coarsely shred the meat with two forks or with your fingers. Set the chicken aside.

  4. Meanwhile for the sauce, heat the oil in a large 5 or 6 qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the de-cased sausage and cook while breaking it up into small bits with a wooden spoon until browned and crumbled. With a slotted spoon remove it to a plate. Repeat process to cook remaining sausage, then return the first batch of browned sausage to the pot.

  5. Add diced onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add lime juice and tomato paste and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

  6. Add diced tomatoes, minced chipotles, ½ cup chicken broth (reserved from the stewed chicken) and shredded chicken; stir well to combine. Season with oregano, cumin, coriander, bay leaf, salt, pepper and honey. Bring to a full heat uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring often, until some of the liquid reduces, about 5 – 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.