Chicken Tinga

Why This Is Strictly Keto

Poached chicken thighs and a sauce of fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic and chipotle peppers — all whole foods, with no flour, sugar or thickener. Tinga is usually piled onto tortillas or tostadas; serve it in lettuce cups, over cauliflower rice or on sliced avocado instead. A serving has about 6g of net carbs.

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2–3 chipotle peppers in adobo
• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the can)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ cup chicken broth (reserved from poaching the chicken)

To serve (optional)

• Lettuce cups, sliced avocado, cotija or queso fresco, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream

Instructions

1. Poach and shred the chicken: Cover the chicken with water in a pot, add the salt, pepper and bay leaf and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

2. Caramelize the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the sliced onion for 8–10 minutes until soft and lightly caramelized, then add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

3. Make the sauce: Blend the tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, oregano, cumin and reserved broth until smooth. Pour into the skillet and simmer for 5–7 minutes.

4. Combine: Add the shredded chicken, toss to coat and simmer for about 5 minutes so it absorbs the sauce.

5. Serve: Spoon into lettuce cups or over sliced avocado and top with cilantro, cotija and a squeeze of lime.

Nutritional Info (per serving, approximate)

Tips

• For a milder tinga, use just one chipotle pepper; for more heat, add an extra spoonful of adobo sauce.
• Keep the sauce thick for lettuce wraps so it doesn’t drip; thin with broth for serving over cauliflower rice.
• Slow cooker: combine the raw chicken, onion, garlic and blended sauce and cook on low 4–6 hours, then shred and stir back in.
• Rotisserie shortcut: simmer 4–5 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken in the sauce until heated through.
• Keeps 4–5 days in the fridge and freezes well for up to 3 months.