AI-generated photo.
Mexican · Mexico
Chicken Tinga Tacos
Also called Tinga
Shredded chicken in a smoky tomato-chipotle sauce, in corn tortillas.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Tinga should be saucy enough to stain the tortilla and not so hot that you cannot taste the tomato. Chipotle in adobo is the smoke.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
88
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 38%
- Carbs 41%
- Fat 21%
Suits · Diabetes-friendly
Sugar, fiber, and the starch mix sit in a gentler range. Your own portion still decides the day.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Suits · Weight loss
Calories stay contained and protein is high enough to feel like a meal.
Suits · High protein
About 33.2 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 597 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
The heat is more than a gentle bowl wants.
Watch · Kid-friendly
The heat is above a mild mark.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Chicken breast150 kcal
- Corn tortilla109 kcal
- Olive oil22 kcal
- Canned crushed tomato20 kcal
- Yellow onion15 kcal
- Chipotle in adobo5 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 16.3. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 341 kcal.
Allergens. None flagged in the required list.
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 341 kcal after the change.
Use one chipotle, not two.
Still smoky, much milder. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Use flour tortillas only if you are not avoiding gluten.
Corn tortillas keep the plate gluten-free. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 341 kcal | 17% |
| Protein | 33.2 g | 66% |
| Carbohydrate | 35.4 g | 13% |
| Fiber | 5.7 g | 20% |
| Total sugars | 5.9 g | 12% |
| Fat | 7.9 g | 10% |
| Saturated fat | 1.4 g | 7% |
| Cholesterol | 91 mg | 30% |
| Sodium | 597 mg | 26% |
| Potassium | 818 mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 107 mg | 8% |
| Iron | 2.9 mg | 16% |
| Magnesium | 90 mg | 21% |
| Zinc | 1.8 mg | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 27 mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 15.2 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 2.1 mg | 14% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 22 mcg | 18% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.2 mg | 19% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.3 mg | 25% |
| Niacin (B3) | 13.9 mg | 87% |
| Vitamin B6 · estimate | 1.2 mg | 73% |
| Folate · estimate | 33 mcg | 8% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.3 mcg | 12% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
- Chicken breast1.1 lb500 g
Yellow onion, sliced1 onion150 g
Garlic2 cloves8 g
Canned crushed tomato1.25 cups300 g
Chipotle in adobo, chopped, plus a spoon of sauce2 peppers24 g
Ground cumin0.5 tsp2 g
Dried oregano0.5 tsp2 g
Olive oil2 tsp10.99 ml
Kosher salt0.75 tsp3 g
Low-sodium chicken broth0.5 cup120 ml
Corn tortilla, warmed8 tortillas200 g
Cilantro0.33 cup10 g
Lime, wedges1 lime60 g
Red onion, minced0.25 onion40 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use one chipotle, not two.. Still smoky, much milder.
- Use flour tortillas only if you are not avoiding gluten.. Corn tortillas keep the plate gluten-free.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Chicken Tinga Tacos. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh chicken breast, yellow onion, garlic, canned crushed tomato, chipotle in adobo, ground cumin, dried oregano, olive oil, kosher salt, low-sodium chicken broth, corn tortilla, cilantro, lime, red onion. Tinga should be saucy enough to stain the tortilla and not so hot that you cannot taste the tomato. Chipotle in adobo is the smoke.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Chicken Tinga Tacos is cooked in the home kitchen. Also called Tinga. Leave the lid ajar so the surface reduces instead of boiling over.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Chicken Tinga Tacos, until the edges take a little color. Keep the heat at a murmur. A hard boil beats tender food into strings.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Chicken Tinga Tacos at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 40 minutes. Chicken Tinga Tacos is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Simmer 40 min
AI-generated photo.
5Check the center of Chicken Tinga Tacos, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇲🇽 MexicoCentral Americachicken-tinga-tacos-step-5
Chicken Tinga Tacos, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Chicken Tinga Tacos for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in the home kitchen, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Chicken Tinga Tacos in this shot order and no other: brine covering every vegetable in the jar; oil or butter just starting to shimmer; a knife sliding into the potato or vegetable; the oven dial and a hot rack. Slate words for the editor: nutmeg, lacquer, glaze, amber, ridge, kettle, flake, dusk, vapor, olive.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Chicken Tinga Tacos is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Chicken Tinga Tacos looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Chicken Tinga Tacos turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Chicken Tinga Tacos, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Shredded chicken stretches into tacos and tomorrow’s lunch.
- The sauce is tomato first, chili second.
Notes
Pregnancy. Chicken is fully simmered. Chipotle is spicy, not unsafe by itself. No alcohol.
Children. Set aside chicken before the chipotle for a mild taco, or use one pepper in the whole pot.
From the kitchen. Warm tortillas in a dry pan. A cold tortilla cracks and dumps the filling.
Allergens in the required list: none flagged.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.