If you’re craving bold, smoky chicken tacos without spending hours in the kitchen, this Instant Pot Chicken Tinga will change your dinner game. Tender shredded chicken soaked in a chipotle-tomato sauce—spicy, tangy, and packed with flavor—all ready in just 30 minutes. It’s perfect for tacos, bowls, tostadas, and even nachos. Plus, it’s naturally low-carb, dairy-free, and fits well into Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 lifestyles.
Chicken Tinga: Your New Taco Night Favorite
When you’re thinking tacos, this is the kind of chicken that deserves center stage. It’s bold, juicy, and infused with smoky chipotle flavor. The Instant Pot makes this recipe weeknight-friendly, but the taste feels like something out of your favorite Mexican restaurant.
As someone who often relies on shredded chicken for everything from meal-prep bowls to salads, this has become a reliable go-to. I love how quickly it comes together and how versatile it is once it’s ready. From tacos to rice bowls, it just fits into any kind of meal plan you’ve got going.
What is Chicken Tinga?
I’ll be honest—I didn’t grow up eating chicken tinga. But after stumbling upon it in a little Mexican joint that served it over rice with guacamole and a side salad, I was hooked. The flavor? Deep, smoky, and tomato-rich, thanks to chipotle peppers and fire-roasted tomatoes.
Chicken Tinga, as I learned later, is a traditional Mexican dish that originated in Puebla. It’s typically made with shredded chicken braised in a sauce of tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and onions. And once I made it at home, I knew it had earned a permanent spot on my dinner rotation.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what goes into this bold and beautiful chicken tinga:
- Chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Avocado oil or olive oil (any neutral cooking oil works)
- Small yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Chicken broth
- Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- Ground cumin
- Sea salt
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes
How to Make Chicken Tinga in the Instant Pot
- Sauté the base: Start by setting your Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add a bit of oil and toss in your chopped onions and garlic. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and fragrant, then hit cancel.
- Deglaze: Pour in the chicken broth and give everything a good stir, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom. This step helps avoid the dreaded burn warning later.
- Blend the sauce: Pour the onion, garlic, and broth into a blender. Add chipotle peppers (plus a spoonful of that adobo sauce), cumin, salt, and the diced tomatoes. Blend until smooth.
- Cook the chicken: Place the chicken into the Instant Pot, pour the sauce over it, and secure the lid. Set to high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Shred and serve: Use a quick release, then shred the chicken directly in the pot using two forks. Let it soak in that flavorful sauce.
Tips for the Best Chicken Tinga
- Want more heat? Use an extra chipotle pepper or a bit of chipotle powder if you’re avoiding canned sauces.
- Make it ahead: The flavor deepens after a day in the fridge, making leftovers even better.
- Toppings matter: Don’t skip out on fresh toppings like avocado, cilantro, pico de gallo, or a squeeze of lime. They brighten everything up.
Can I Make This in a Slow Cooker?
Yes! Just sauté the onion and garlic in a pan first to get that flavor started. Blend up the sauce as usual and pour it over chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, then shred. The result is every bit as delicious and even more hands-off.
How to Serve Chicken Tinga
There are endless ways to enjoy this flavorful chicken. Here are a few favorites:
- Rice bowls: Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice with black beans, avocado, and cheese.
- Tacos: Load up soft corn tortillas or charred flour ones for that little extra punch.
- Tostadas: Spread refried beans on crisped tortillas, top with chicken tinga, avocado, and cotija.
- Salads: Great over a big green salad with a lime vinaigrette.
- Nachos: Perfect way to use up leftovers. Pile it on tortilla chips and melt some cheese on top.
Flavor Variations
This dish already brings a lot to the table, but you can tweak it depending on what you love. Try adding:
- A pinch of chili powder or cayenne for extra spice
- A bay leaf while cooking for a deeper aroma
- Mexican oregano for a herby twist
- Cracked black pepper or lime zest for brightness
How to Store Leftovers
Keep any leftover chicken tinga in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. It reheats beautifully on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or broth.
Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
Only ten minutes of prep time are required to make this simple 30-Minute Instant Pot Chicken Tinga. This flavorful shredded chicken is perfect for tacos, wraps, or served over rice.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Tinga:
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce*
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce*
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
- 2 lbs chicken breast or thighs
For serving:
- 3 cups cauliflower rice
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Turn the saute setting on in the Instant Pot. Once heated, coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Add onion and garlic, cooking for a few minutes until fragrant. Cancel the saute setting.
- Move the onion and garlic to a high-powered blender or food processor. Be sure to clean the bottom of the pot to avoid a burn warning later.
- Add diced tomatoes, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, cumin, salt, and chicken broth to the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended sauce into the Instant Pot and add the chicken. Close the lid and cook on manual or high pressure for nine minutes. Perform a quick release once done.
- Remove the lid and take out the chicken. Shred or dice it, then return it to the sauce in the pot. You can cancel the cooking function now and let the mixture thicken as it cools, or serve right away.
- Serve the chicken over rice, cauliflower rice, or with tortillas. Add toppings like tomatoes, avocado, red onion, or cilantro.
Notes
- If following a Whole30 or strict Paleo diet, replace the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce with chipotle spice powder
- Cauliflower rice can be quickly sautéed or use a frozen variety that heats in the microwave
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 323Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 422mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 41g
Chickenrecipes.blog, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although allchickenrecipes.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
FAQs
Can I use frozen chicken?
Yes, just add 2–3 minutes to the pressure cook time. Make sure the chicken pieces aren’t clumped together.
What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?
No problem—use your slow cooker as mentioned above or simmer everything on the stove for about 30–35 minutes, covered.
Is it spicy?
It does have a smoky heat from the chipotle peppers. You can scale the spice up or down based on how many peppers you use.
Can I double the recipe?
Absolutely. Just make sure you don’t exceed the Instant Pot’s fill line. Cooking time stays the same.
This 30-minute Chicken Tinga is one of those meals that checks all the boxes—quick, healthy, and exploding with flavor. Whether you pile it into tacos or load it onto a big bowl of rice with all the fixings, it’s one of those dishes that makes you feel like you’ve done something special… without spending hours in the kitchen.
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