Chicken tinga tacos

Equipment

• Medium pot (4 l)
• Instant-read thermometer
• Blender
• Wide frying pan or cazuela (28 cm)
• Two forks
• Comal or dry heavy frying pan
• Clean tea towel

Before you start

1. Cut a quarter off one onion for poaching; slice the rest into thin half-moons.
2. Peel the garlic and chop the tomatoes roughly.
3. Shred the lettuce, crumble the queso fresco and cut the limes into wedges.
4. Leave the avocado whole until serving so it does not brown.

Method

1. 1

   Poach the chicken

   600 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts1.5 l water400 g white onions4 cloves garlic2 leaves bay leaves9 g salt

   Put the chicken, water, onion quarter, 2 garlic cloves, bay leaves and 6 g of the salt in the pot. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then turn to medium-low and keep at a bare simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 74 °C.

   Done when Only a few small bubbles break the surface, and the thermometer reads at least 74 °C in the thickest piece; the meat is white all the way through.

   Tip A hard boil makes breast meat stringy and dry. Keep it barely bubbling.

   Start 18 min timer
2. 2

   Rest in the broth

   600 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts

   Take the pot off the heat and leave the chicken in the broth for 10 minutes. Lift it onto a board and keep the broth.

   Done when The chicken is cool enough to handle and still moist on the surface.

   Start 10 min timer
3. 3

   Shred the chicken

   600 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts

   Pull the chicken into thin shreds with two forks, along the grain.

   Done when Long, thin, even strands with no large chunks left.
4. 4

   Blend the sauce

   500 g ripe plum tomatoes45 g chipotle chillies in adobo4 cloves garlic1 tsp dried oregano

   Blend the tomatoes, chipotles with their adobo, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, oregano and a ladleful of the poaching broth until completely smooth.

   Done when The sauce is smooth and brick-red with no visible pieces of skin or chilli.

   Tip Start with 2 chipotles and taste; add the third if you want it hotter.
5. 5

   Soften the onions

   2 tbsp sunflower oil400 g white onions

   Heat the oil in the wide pan over medium heat and cook the sliced onions for 8–10 minutes, stirring often.

   Done when The onions are soft and translucent with light golden edges, and smell sweet.

   Start 9 min timer
6. 6

   Fry the sauce

   Turn the heat to medium-high and pour in the blended sauce; it will spit. After 1 minute, turn to medium and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often.

   Done when The sauce has darkened to a deep rust colour, thickened so a spoon leaves a trail across the pan, and no longer smells of raw tomato.

   Tip Frying the sauce in hot fat is the Mexican technique that rounds out its flavour. Do not skip it by just simmering.

   Start 9 min timer
7. 7

   Simmer the tinga

   600 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts9 g salt

   Add the shredded chicken and another ladleful of broth, stir well and simmer over medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes. Taste and add the rest of the salt if needed.

   Done when Every strand is coated in sauce, the mixture is moist but not soupy, and it is steaming hot throughout.

   Start 6 min timer
8. 8

   Warm the tortillas

   12 corn tortillas

   Heat the comal over medium-high heat. Warm each tortilla for 30–45 seconds per side, then stack them in the folded tea towel.

   Done when The tortilla is soft and pliable, has a few brown spots, and puffs slightly.

   Tip Stacked in a towel, the tortillas steam each other and stay soft for 15 minutes.
9. 9

   Assemble

   12 corn tortillas100 g lettuce1 avocado120 g Mexican crema80 g queso fresco2 limes

   Slice the avocado. Fill each tortilla with tinga and top with lettuce, avocado, a drizzle of crema and crumbled queso fresco. Serve with lime wedges.

   Done when The tortilla folds around the filling without cracking.

Common mistakes

Variations