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    Home » Slow Cooker » Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga

    Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga

    August 26, 2019

    2518 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This slow cooker chicken tinga cooks low and slow with chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and onions. This shredded chicken tinga recipe is perfect for making chicken tinga tacos!

    overhead photo of chicken tinga on corn tortillas, refried beans, lettuce, avocadoes on a rack with limes

    Ingredients

    ingredients for chicken tinga on a cutting board

    If you’ve made some of my other Mexican inspired dishes, you know my love for using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These peppers not only pack some heat, but so much flavor. When I found out that was the primary driver of flavor for chicken tinga, I knew I would love this dish.

    Prep

    sautéd onions in a skillet

    Although we are using the crockpot/slow cooker, I take 5 minutes to sauté my sliced onions and garlic. Sautéing the onions give them an extra depth of flavor rather than just a raw onion taste. I toss the garlic in for the last minute until fragrant.

    Slow Cooker

    series of photos in a crockpot of onions, chicken, tomatoes, herbs and spices

    After adding the onions, garlic, and chicken breast, I added fire roasted tomatoes. I love using fire roasted tomatoes over regular tomatoes in this recipe, because the fire roast adds another level of flavor. With the chipotle peppers in adobo, we LOVE spicy so I chopped up 4 peppers, if you only like mild use two chipotles. Add cumin, oregano, pinch of salt, and fresh ground pepper, then use tongs to toss all together.

    chicken breasts post slow cooking on a cutting board

    Set your crockpot/slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours and go about your day! You can cook the chicken on high for 3-4 hours if you’re in a time crunch, but I’ve found that the chicken sometimes gets dry/tougher when cooked on high.

    Shredded Chicken

    shredded chicken on cutting boards

    You can’t have chicken tinga without shredded chicken, so time to shred! I simply use two forks to easily shred apart the chicken. I like to do this on the cutting board and then add the chicken back into the sauce afterwards. Since the crockpot is hot, it is challenging to shred it while in the pot.

    chicken tinga in the crockpot overhead shot

    Once you add the shredded chicken back into the crockpot, give it a good stir to coat all of the chicken. Let it soak in the sauce on the warm setting for a few minutes.

    Chicken Tinga Tacos

    grilling tortillas on a grill pan

    Chicken tinga is typically served as a taco or tostada. I used a grill pan to grill my corn tortillas, you can also fry them to make them tostadas.

    close up of shredded chicken tinga on corn tortillas with refried beans, lettuce, and avocado

    Along with the corn tortillas, I spread refried beans on the bottom, followed by shredded lettuce, then the chicken tinga, avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.

    overhead photo of chicken tinga on corn tortillas, refried beans, lettuce, avocadoes on a rack with limes

    After this recipe, I had left overs and boy did I put them to good use! This slow cooker chicken tinga is so versatile you can also make nachos with them, quesadillas, a burrito/burrito bowl, it’s so great for meal prep.

    close up of shredded chicken tinga on corn tortillas with refried beans, lettuce, and avocado

    I hope you enjoy this slow cooker chicken tinga recipe!

    Love Mexican inspired dishes? Try these:

    • Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
    • Stuffed Poblano Peppers
    • Shredded Chicken Fajitas
    • Mexican Garden Chicken Salad
    • Mexican Shredded Chicken
    close up of shredded chicken tinga on corn tortillas with refried beans, lettuce, and avocado

    Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga

    This Mexican inspired slow cooker chicken tinga is full of flavor and so versatile!
    4.75 from 16 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Chicken
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: chicken tinga, chicken tinga tacos, crockpot, slow cooker
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 7 hours
    Total Time: 7 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 4 -6 servings
    Calories: 250kcal
    Author: Stephanie

    Equipment

    • Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker 
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Chicken Tinga

    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 ½ lbs
    • 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped (see note)
    • 14.5 ounces crushed fire roasted tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

    Serve with

    • Corn tortillas
    • Refried beans
    • Shredded lettuce
    • Sliced avocado
    • Cotija cheese
    • Fresh cilantro chopped

    Instructions

    • In a medium skillet, over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and sliced onions. Sauté for 4 minutes until they begin to soften. Add in the minced garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. 
    • Add the onions and garlic into a crockpot/slow cooker, followed by the chicken breasts, fire roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Using tongs, mix ingredients until all combined. Set crockpot on low for 6-7 hours.
    • Remove chicken breasts after time is complete and set on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and mix with all of the juices. 
    • You can make tacos with the shredded chicken tinga by grilling the corn tortillas or you can fry them to make tostadas. Then spread refried beans on the tortilla, followed by shredded lettuce, then the chicken tinga, topped with avocado, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.

    Notes

    • If you do not like very spicy, only use 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
    • Time crunch? Cook on high setting for 3-4 hours, internal temperature of chicken should be 165 degrees F. I recommend utilizing the low setting and longer cooking time for flavor and texture purposes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 851mg | Potassium: 790mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg
    Made this recipe?Mention @GirlWithTheIronCast or tag #girlwiththeironcast!
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    2518 shares

    Originally Published: August 26, 2019 Post Updated: November 16, 2022 Filed Under: Chicken, Dinner, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Tacos Tagged With: Avocado, Chiles, garlic, Legumes, Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alix

      January 27, 2021 at 12:55 pm

      We made this yesterday. So easy and full of depth and spice. The chipotle really makes the difference. Delicious on a cold winter night!

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        January 27, 2021 at 1:49 pm

        I’m so glad you loved the recipe! I always have a can of chipotles on hand in the pantry 🙂

        Reply
    2. Anne

      May 06, 2020 at 7:42 pm

      Does the cooking time change if I use boneless thighs ?

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        May 06, 2020 at 7:44 pm

        Hi Anne, the cooking time shouldn’t change if they are boneless.

        Reply
    3. Lesleay

      April 07, 2020 at 6:45 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight for dinner. AMAZING!!! Could literally eat this every day. Will never use another recipe.

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        April 07, 2020 at 6:45 pm

        I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for making it

        Reply
    4. Heather F

      January 09, 2020 at 1:31 pm

      I was wondering in the top photos you have a carton of chicken stock but I don’t see it in ur recipe notes did I miss something? I just started it in the crockpot so I have time to add it if it’s needed! Can’t wait for dinner tonight looks and smells so good! 😊

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        January 09, 2020 at 1:34 pm

        Hi heather! That’s an error I’m so sorry, I’ll replace the photo! Thanks for catching that and I hope you enjoy it.

        Reply
    5. Julia

      September 25, 2019 at 3:27 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is my new favorite for Taco Tuesday! It’s super easy to make, I do a quick prep in the morning with my breakfast and let the chicken cook all day when I’m at work. I’ve made it for friends and family and they love it too!

      Reply

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