Mexican chicken stew based on the fantastic tinga de pollo featuring thighs cooked with tomato, onion and chipotle before being shredded.
This recipe contains instructions for both the slow cooker and the stovetop. It will take around an hour to cook on the stove and 3 hours in a crockpot.
Mexican Chicken Tinga
Mexican-inspired food is a rarity in the UK and indeed across Europe.
The spread and knowledge of foods from around the world tends to follow diaspora. Even in the age of the internet, this largely remains true.
For me, it is the true beauty of food from around the world, we take what we love wherever we go and share it with everyone!
As a result, this Mexican chicken stew is one of the few takes on Mexican food I have here on my site. It joins a spicy black bean soup and spicy sweetcorn soup with influences from that part of the world.
In fact, the other two dishes, battered fish tacos and my slow cooker chilli con carne have more of a US influence than a real Mexican influence. I also have a vegetarian chilli sans carne too!
This recipe is based on a dish called chicken tinga, a simple spicy stew of chicken, onions, tomatoes and chipotle chillies in adobo.
My version of this dish moves to chipotle paste rather than chipotle in adobo.
Primarily because it is an ingredient that is seemingly only available by mail order in my corner of the world.
A practice that really does not dominate my cooking, if I can't get stuff at a local store, then I don't cook with it!
But this dish is glorious, smokey, sweet and spicy, just add a squeeze of lime juice and off you go!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use other cuts of chicken?
I would stick to either whole legs, thighs or drumsticks for this recipe. The breast cooks far too quickly and has a tendency to dry out.
What is the best way to cook this, on the stovetop or in the slow cooker?
For me, the stovetop produces a far superior dish because a slow cooker does not reduce the sauce in any meaningful sense.
You can, of course, reduce the sauce at the end, but it adds an unneeded and faffy step. But cooking it in a slow cooker still produces a really tasty dish!
Does the size of the slow cooker really matter?
Yes, absolutely, slow cookers need enough volume in them to allow them to cook slowly.
Many problems with slow cooker or crockpot dishes are caused by using a slow cooker that is too large for a recipe, in my experience.
Can I use chipotle in adobo instead of chipotle paste?
Absolutely! Use 2 or 3, depending on how hot you want the dish, chop them up and throw them in at the same time I add the paste in the recipe below.
As I mentioned above, I only use paste because chipotle in adobo is tough to find in the UK without using mail order.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, this will sit in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container, and it will freeze for up to 3 months.
Simply reheat it over a moderate heat with the lid on until it is piping hot.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this Mexican shredded chicken stew with some lime and coriander rice and some fresh jalapeno peppers.
The dish that this is based on, chicken tinga, is often served with fresh avocado, refried beans and queso fresco.
It is also commonly seen as part of a tostada, a flat, crispy tortilla shell loaded with goodies.
You could also turn this into a "dirty fries" kinda dish or even loaded tacos.
Or just wrap it up with more goodies and use it as the base for a chicken burrito!
Equipment Used
I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- Slow cooker (optional). This is best made in a 3-3.5l slow cooker.
- Medium (24cm or 10") ovenproof saucepan with a lid or Dutch oven.
- Sharp kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Mexican Chicken Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Small-Medium Chicken Thighs 700g Total
- ¼-½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Medium Tomatoes 250g Total
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 1 tablespoon Chipotle Chilli Paste
- 125 ml Chicken Stock ½ Cup (Reduce this to 75ml or ⅓ Cup if you are using a slow cooker)
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
Instructions
- Peel the onion and cut it in half, and then cut it into 1cm (½") thick slices.
- Cut the tomatoes into a 1cm (½") dice.
- Peel the garlic and dice it as finely as you can.
- Heat a medium (24cm) saucepan over a medium heat, and when it is hot, add the oil.
- Brown the chicken thighs on all sides and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced onions, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomato puree and chipotle pasta and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the stock, add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme and cumin and stir to combine.Now is a good time to taste the sauce and add more salt if required.
- Return the chicken thighs, add a lid and cook on very low for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the chicken thighs and shred the meat, then return it to the pan and stir it through the sauce.
- Serve with jalapeno peppers, coriander and a squeeze of lime juice.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Follow the instructions above through to step 9.If I am making this in a slow cooker, I use a larger frying pan and don't batch cook the chicken thighs.
- Add the sauce to the slow cooker, followed by the chicken, pushing it down into the sauce.
- Remove the chicken and shred it before returning it to the slow cooker and stirring through the sauce. *SEE NOTE