This shredded chicken tinga tacos de pollo recipe is going to become your new chicken taco staple, it is packed with flavor and perfect for any occasion. Easy and delicious, these tacos are always a crowd favorite. Gluten-free & Dairy-free.
Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines, and tacos are on top of the list! I love making this recipe when I have guests, because is super easy and always a winner amongst guests.
For more taco recipes, try these pulled beef tacos, these leftover pulled pork tacos, these healthy fish tacos, or these jackfruit tacos for a vegan version. I promise they are all a crowd favorite.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Tacos De Pollo Recipe
- Ingredients
- What Is the Best Cut of Chicken for These Tacos De Pollo?
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make These Tacos De Pollo
- Equipment
- Storage
- Top Tips to make the Best Tacos De Pollo Recipe!
- FAQ's
- More Mexican-Inspired Recipes You Will Love
- Easy Tacos De Pollo Recipe (Shredded Chicken Tinga)
- See what other people think about this recipe!
Why You Will Love This Tacos De Pollo Recipe
- This one-pot easy chicken taco recipe brings authentic Mexican flavors to your table.
- Perfect for Taco Tuesday or a dinner party, this recipe will become a family and friends favorite!
- Ideal for batch cooking, this chicken tinga tastes even better the next day, making it perfect to cook ahead for your next taco night or quick dinner for busy weekdays.
- They’re gluten-free and dairy-free, so everyone can enjoy them!
Ingredients
This easy chicken tinga tacos recipe is made with ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store.
- Mexican spices + salt & pepper (or substitute below)
- Boneless chicken thighs
- Brown onion finely diced
- Garlic cloves finely diced
- Tomato puree
- Chipotle peppers in adobo - you should be able to find these in the Mexican section of your grocery store, they're usually sold in a small can.
- Veggie or chicken broth
- Small corn tortillas
- Olive oil for cooking
Optional toppings:
- Diced avocado
- Finely diced purple onion
- Fresh coriander
- Lime wedges
See recipe card for quantities.
What Is the Best Cut of Chicken for These Tacos De Pollo?
Boneless chicken thighs are the best cut for this recipe as they are more tender and flavorful, but skinless chicken breasts also work well. If you're looking to save time, shredded rotisserie chicken is a great option to speed up the process.
Substitutions and Variations
- Play around with spices: If you don’t have Mexican spices, make a homemade taco seasoning using garlic powder, chili powder or cayenne pepper, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Get creative with the taco toppings: Try homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, or mango salsa. Some slices of these air fryer roast peppers would also be a great addition. If you can tolerate dairy, sour cream or queso fresco would also complement well these tacos.
- Cut cooking time: Use shredded rotisserie chicken instead. Make the sauce first, and them combine and simmer for a few minutes the shredded chicken in it.
- Flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas: Note that flour tortillas are not gluten-free.
How to Make These Tacos De Pollo
Prepare the Chicken Filling
Season: Season chicken thighs with Mexican spices, salt, and pepper on both sides.
Cook: In a large non-stick pot, heat a little bit of oil. Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides, then set it aside on a plate.
Prepare the Sauce: Add the diced onion and garlic to the pot with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until transparent, then add the diced chipotle peppers in and a tablespoon of the adobo sauce, tomato puree, and chicken broth. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Optional: you can blend the sauce using an immersion blender if you prefer a smooth sauce.
Simmer: Add chicken thighs along with any juices from the plate back into the pot. Cover with a lid and simmer on low-medium heat for 30 minutes.
Shred: Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred the chicken into small pieces using two forks.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot, combine with the sauce, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Assemble Tacos
Warm the corn tortillas in a microwave, pan, or directly on the fire of the stove (check out this video for how to cook tortillas on the stove). Add a generous amount of the shredded chicken tinga, diced purple onion, avocado, and fresh cilantro.
Serve with lime wedges for a fresh squeeze of lime juice on top of the tacos.
Tip - warming up the tortillas on the pan or fire will give you a crispy tortilla which is my favorite!
Tip: You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker for an extra-tender chicken filling! Follow the steps until step 4, and transfer all ingredients into the slow cooker. Let it simmer on high for 3 hours and then go back to step 5.
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Large non-stick pot with lid
- Timber spatula
- Two forkds
Storage
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe is also suitable for freezing, so you can make extra and enjoy it later.
Top Tips to make the Best Tacos De Pollo Recipe!
Adjust the spice level to suit your taste, in this recipe I include 4 chipotle peppers for a mild-medium sauce. Increase the number to 6-7 for medium-hot, or decrease to 2-3 for mild.
If possible prepare the chicken filling the day before eating. Allowing the chicken tinga to sit overnight in the fridge will maximize the flavor. It allows the spices to meld, resulting in even tastier tacos the next day.
Be generous with the amount of shredded chicken you add to each tortilla, chicken should be the main ingredient of each taco, complimented by a small amount of toppings.
FAQ's
Taco de pollo is made with chicken (pollo is the Spanish word for chicken), seasoned with spices, onion, garlic, chicken broth, tomato puree, and chipotle peppers. The chicken filling is cooked until tender enough to shred and then served over a warm tortilla with your favorite toppings.
The best type of chicken for tacos is boneless chicken thighs, as they are the most tender and flavorful. Chicken breast can also work great, or even a mix of rotisserie chicken for a quicker version of this recipe.
I recommend seasoning the tacos with Mexican spices or a homemade taco seasoning, salt & pepper before searing. Then combine with the rest of the sauce ingredients.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes You Will Love
Easy Tacos De Pollo Recipe (Shredded Chicken Tinga)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 serving 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This shredded chicken tinga tacos de pollo recipe is going to become your new chicken taco staple, is packed with flavor and perfect for any occasion. Easy and delicious, these tacos are always a crowd favorite. Gluten-free & Dairy-free.
Ingredients
- 1 kg boneless chicken thighs
- Mexican spices + salt & pepper (or substitute below)
- 1 medium/large brown onion finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves finely diced
- 4 chipotle peppers in adobo diced + 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- ½ cup veggie or chicken broth
- Small corn tortillas
- Olive oil for cooking
Optional toppings
- Finely diced purple onion
- Diced avocado
- Fresh coriander
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken Filling
- Season: Season chicken thighs with Mexican spices, salt, and pepper on both sides.
- Cook: Heat a little bit of oil in a large pot. Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides, then set it aside on a plate.
- Prepare the Sauce: Add diced onion and garlic to the pot with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until transparent, then add diced chipotle peppers and a tablespoon of the adobo sauce, tomato puree, and chicken broth. Combine and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Optional: you can blend the sauce using an immersion blender if you prefer a smooth sauce.
- Simmer: Add chicken thighs along with any juices from the plate back into the pot. Cover with a lid and simmer on low-medium heat for 30 minutes.
- Shred: Transfer chicken to a plate and shred chicken into small pieces using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, combine with the sauce, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Assemble Tacos
- Warm the corn tortillas in a microwave, pan, or directly on the fire of the stove (check out this video).
- Add a generous amount of the shredded chicken tinga, a bit of diced purple onion, avocado, and fresh cilantro.
- Serve with lime wedges for a fresh squeeze of lime juice on top of the tacos.
Notes
Adjust the spice level to suit your taste, in this recipe I include 4 chipotle peppers for a mild-medium sauce. Increase the number to 6-7 for medium-hot, or decrease to 2-3 for mild.
Get creative with the taco toppings: Try homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, or mango salsa. Some slices of these air fryer roast peppers would also be a great addition. If you can tolerate dairy, sour cream or queso fresco would also complement well these tacos.
If possible prepare the chicken filling the day before eating. Allowing the chicken tinga to sit overnight in the fridge will maximize the flavor. It allows the spices to meld, resulting in even tastier tacos the next day.
Be generous with the amount of shredded chicken you add to each tortilla, chicken should be the main ingredient of each taco, complimented by a small amount of toppings.
You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker for an extra-tender chicken filling! Follow the steps until step 4, and transfer all ingredients into the slow cooker. Let it simmer on high for 3 hours and then go back to step 5.
Tip! Warming up the tortillas on the pan or fire will give you a crispy tortilla which is my favorite!
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe is also suitable for freezing, so you can make extra and enjoy it later.
Soraya Moussaoui says
PURA DELICIA!!!
Además no lo seguí al pie de la letra por despiste, pero el resultado fue buenísimo. Super jugoso y con un sabor intenso.
El mango como topping le da un dulzor que lo complementa a la perfección.
Nunca fallan tus recetas!
alicia gonzalez tome says
Gracias Soraya!! Me alegro que te haya gustado ☺️
Marta says
the BEST tacos, they are really tasty🤪🤪🤪
Joseba says
This recipe is amazing: easy to make and delicious.
I cooked it yesterday and all my friends loved it. It was a total success!
alicia gonzalez tome says
So happy to hear Jose x
Sara says
Wow these tacos are so good!! I prepared a Mexican dinner with friends and this was the star dish. So tasty and easy to cook 😍 love them!
alicia gonzalez tome says
Glad to hear Laura! Thanks for the comment x