Instant Pot Chicken Tinga makes for the best version of chicken tacos….EVER! A meal that resembles restaurant quality, but comes together so quickly at home in the Instant Pot! 30 minutes is all you need! Paleo and Whole30 friendly.
Chicken Tinga: A Must for Taco Tuesday!
Yes, these are the absolute best way to enjoy chicken tacos! Yes, they are ridiculously easy! And yes, I did just post another taco recipe last week: Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos.
Do you guys mind? I didn’t think so. Especially after reviewing so many reader requests on my Instagram that you all want more Instant Pot and more chicken. Definitely two of my specialties 😉
So let’s talk Chicken Tinga…
What is Chicken Tinga?
What is Chicken Tinga? I’m glad you asked. Because honestly guys, this Mexican food loving girl born and raised in California didn’t even know what it really was until last month. Not going to hold anything back here. After a double header baseball game in Richmond, VA, we decided to eat out at the closest and authentic sounding/looking Mexican restaurant we could find.
It’s the best thing to do after you’ve been sweating all day in baseball clothes. It’s several levels above fast food, deliciously tasty, and no one judges your baseball outfits. We’ll be back soon to visit.
But but. The best part about this gem of a restaurant? They had an entire section of “Mexican bowls”. Totally my jam. One of the dinner options was chicken tinga with lots of vegetables over a bed of rice. They also served you a nice portion of guacamole, and a Mexican salad.
EXACTLY what I wanted for dinner.
I discovered after my first bite, that Chicken Tinga was a chipotle tomato infused braised pulled chicken. And that if I had to name this recipe a few months ago, I would have called it: Instant Pot Shredded Chipotle Chicken.
But now I know better. It has a proper name. And it is everything you want for dinner!!!!
Making Instant Pot Chicken Tinga:
- To make this recipe have more of that chipotle flavor, use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I have yet to find one that is Paleo/Whole30 compliant because most brands contain trace amounts of sugar. BUT, you can easily swap with chipotle spice powder.
- The Instant Pot works wonders in this dish, giving you that pulled tender chicken in just 10 minutes!
- It tastes even more delicious after it sits for a day, which also allows the sauce to thicken (hello leftovers)
- DO NOT forget about all of the goodies: salsa, avocado, guacamole, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, etc.
Can you make this in the slow cooker?
Oh yes! Saute the onion and garlic in a regular saucepan before making the sauce, this helps to bring out more flavor. Now add this onion/garlic mixture to the blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients. You could cut the chicken broth to just 1/2 cup. Add the chicken breast to the bottom of the pot, then top with sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours, then shred with a fork.
Serving:
So many ways to eat Chicken Tinga!
- In a bowl with Cauliflower Spanish Rice or Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- In a tortilla wrap
- Over a bed of rice as a salad (meal prep, oh yes!)
Other taco recipes you will love:
We eat tacos all the time. Here are a few family favorite variations:
ENJOY!!
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Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
10 Minutes of prep time is all you need for this easy Instant Pot Chicken Tinga! Flavorful shredded chicken that tastes delicious in a taco, wrap, or over a bed of 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
-
Select the saute function on the Instant Pot. Once hot, coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Toss in onion and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant. Select cancel. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a high powered blender or food processor. Clean the bottom of the pot (this will help to prevent a burn message when you bring the chicken to pressure).
-
Now add the diced tomatoes, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, ground cumin, salt, and chicken broth to the onion/garlic in the blender. Pulse until smooth.
-
Pour the sauce into the Instant Pot. Add the chicken, and secure the lid. Select manual (or high pressure) and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Use a quick release.
-
Once steam has been completely removed, remove the lid and take out the chicken. Dice or shred using a fork and knife. Return the chicken back to the pot. At this point you can select cancel, and let the sauce cool and thicken. Or serve immediately.
-
Serve with rice or cauliflower rice, or tortillas. Top with tomatoes, avocado, onion, or fresh cilantro.
Recipe Notes
*If following a Whole30 or strict Paleo diet, you can use 2 tsp chipotle spice powder in place of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
**You can quickly saute the cauliflower rice to cook, or buy frozen rice and heat in the microwave.
Sounds so good! What level of spiciness would you say this is? Wanted to serve to the kiddos.
It’s medium spiced. With the chipotle powder in place of actual chipotle peppers, its very mild. You can cut the peppers to 1, and just about 1/2 tbsp of adobo sauce to make it mild. My kids love it!
No instant pot but I love the flavor of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce! To convert to a slow cooker, just through everything in at once and cook on low for approx 6hrs? Thanks!
Yes! Also cut the broth to 1/3 cup.
In the pot right now!
Can’t wait for dinner ????
This recipe freezes exceptionally well! Delicious and easy.
So happy to hear that!
Hi thanks for the recipe! When you say “adobo sauce” do you mean the sauce from the can of adobo chipotle peppers or a separate adobo sauce? We don’t have sauce but we do have Adobo powder seasoning so wondering if we can make a sauce out of that. Excited to make this tonight!
Yes! I mean the adobo from the can of chipotle peppers. If you don’t have that, you can use the powder seasoning with a little apple cider vinegar and tomato paste. Let me know if that helps!
We’ve made this recipe a few times, everyone loves it! We leave some chicken out after shredding but before we put back into the adobo sauce and it’s not too spicy for the kids. I’ve shared this recipe many times and everyone has loved it! Thanks for all your hard work!
So happy to hear that, Amanda!! Glad you love it.
I’ve made this many times and the whole family loves it! I leave out some chicken after we shred but before adding back into the adobo sauce and it’s just the right amount of flavor for the kids! I’ve shared your recipe a few times since so many people love it! Thanks for your hard work and a great recipe!
Thank you, Amanda!! Glad your whole family loves it!
Hello!
I’ve had my IP for a week and still feel a little intimidated so I love the way you write out your instructions! I can’t wait to check out the rest of your page.
Tinga is my daughter’s favorite. So excited to try it this way. I also appreciate your organization and how easy it is to figure out if its a W30 or IP recipe.
Keep up the amazing work!
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Thank you Guenda for your kind words!
This recipe is perfect! I’ve been trying to find one that really hit the spot like the chicken tinga I’ve enjoyed at restaurants. This is the real deal. Unbelievably simple and fast, and it really is delicious. I trimmed up my chicken breasts prior to cooking, so I could shred every morsel without getting bites of fat or tendon. And that was the toughest part.
I agree, just like the restaurant style! Glad you loved it.
This sounds yummy! Do you think you could start with frozen chicken (breasts)? If so, how long would you suggest cooking? Thank you!
WOW, is all I can say. This is a fantastic recipe. Deeelicious! I did add juice from 1/2 lime and used pineapple juice with the chicken stock to equal the correct listed amount. Yummy! Thank you so much, this is a keeper.
I love the addition of lime and pineapple juice!
OMG! This is delicious! I’m on the Whole30 and used the chipotle spice powder in place of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. I was afraid that it wouldn’t turn out…I have to say it’s way way better than others recipes I have tried with the canned sauce.
I also used the crockpot and man this chicken is juicy to the Max! Thank you so much for helping me through this journey and being able to find a recipe that IS Whole30 compliant. Xo
Forgot to leave my five stars
So tasty and so easy!
DELICIOUS!!! The adobo peppers and sauce give it so much flavor. I love how detailed the instructions are.
Would this be good with beef? If so, what cut?
I loved this robust flavored recipe. THANK You!
I just added more garlic powder and a dash of taco seasoning.