Chicken Tinga

[lunchman]

I was at the market a few days back, picked up a bag of "getting somewhat ripe" tomatoes from the markdown cart. I wasn't quite sure what I'd make with them but whatever I decided upon, I only had a few days to do it. I wasn't in the mood for turning these into the usual Italian tomato sauce, so this morning I googled Mexican Tomato Recipes. OK, this one looks interesting:

Chicken Tinga aka Tinga de Pollo

Essentially it's Shredded Chicken in a spicy tomato sauce. Easy, I can do that even if I've never made it before.

This can be served in Tortillas, on rice, over refried beans, on lettuce, etc. My choice is to make some Tortilla Bowls which I've posted here before -

Let's get the sauce ready. The diced and seeded tomatoes,

a Chipotle Chile Pepper in Adobo Sauce, Oregano and Garlic go into the blender. This goes into the fridge for a while as I prepare the Chicken.

Almost all the recipes I reviewed suggested poaching the chicken breasts or thighs in either water or chicken stock. Umm, no. Not happening in my kitchen. My chicken gets grilled. We'll make use of some Duck Fat spray and Blackstone Tequila Lime which I'm using for the first time -

Just about ready to come off to be shredded. I used two of the three chicken breasts -

I sauteed some onions and garlic prior to adding the sauce to the Dutch oven. I also added a little bit of Chicken Stock. I let that reduce a while before adding the chicken -

Dinner is served with Shredded Romaine, Cotija Cheese, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Lime, Cilantro -

My bowl -

Good to the last bite -

This was as good as it looks, actually better! There was a bit of a kick to it, thank goodness I only added a single Chipotle pepper. We've got leftovers, we've got 2 more taco bowls and are looking forward to lunch or dinner tomorrow!

If you've never made this give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for checking in on today's What to Do with Marked Down Tomatoes Experiment and tonite's dinner!

Regards,
-lunchman

 

[MisterChrister]

Dom, you kill it! Every. Single. Time!

 

[ronbrad62]

That looks as good as anything on the menu at a Mexican restaurant. Absolutely nailed it, once again!

 

[tom b]

Interesting Dom, I may try this. Did you make the tortilla bowl?

 

[BGEChicago]

Dom,

Do you have a makeshift mold to fry the shells?

Btw, that cook is:

[/IMG]

Thanks for posting!
Greg

 

[WilliamKY]

Are any homes for sale in your neighborhood? Asking for a friend. :-D
I'm afraid my tortilla bowl wouldn't have survived. Your cook looks amazing.

 

[Titch]

Did it again:thumb:

 

[Big George's BBQ]

That looks like something I need to Try

 

[Stingerhook]

That is mighty fine Dom.

 

[lunchman]

Thanks all. This was a load of fun to make and turned out fantastic. It's always a treat to take on and try out new recipes.

As far as the Tortilla Bowls, I first followed a Chef John video and made them according to his directions. But I found that it requires a lot of unnecessary steps like flipping multiple times and wrapping foil around the top edge which is a major pain in the butt. So here's my much easier method.

These are store brand (Market Basket) 10" Flour Tortillas, nothing special. To make them pliable I microwave them for about 30 seconds or until they're soft enough to fold into the proper shape and maintain it. I do make use of Chef John's method of forming these upside down over a ramekin. Two per baking sheet on top of my silicone mats, but parchment paper will work as well.

I brush them lightly with EVOO, then into a 375F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Pull them out, remove the bowls and carefully remove the hot ramekins with potholders. Place the taco bowls back on the sheet right side up, sparingly brush the inside with a light coating of EVOO and back into the oven for another 5 or 6 minutes. I keep an eye on them to make sure the edges don't burn. Remove from oven and let them cool on a wire rack upside down so any excess EVOO won't pool in the bottom.

That's it. Check out Chef John's video for reference, but I've made these using my easier method a few times and it's so much simpler.

-Dom

 

[ssv3]

What an awesome meal Dom. Oh man!

 

[HogGrog]

Tinga Tinga Terrific!

Cha-Ching!

 

[lunchman]

One other first for me on this cook - Cotija cheese. Chef Tom from atbbq.com always uses and recommends it. Many recipes I looked at included it in their toppings.

I thought I'd have a difficult time finding it but Market Basket carried it in their specialty cheese section. Sometimes Feta is used as a substitute but there's a world of difference. My wife isn't a Feta fan, but she loved this. Salty flavor, crumbly texture, perfect for this dish.

I will definitely be using this in future Mexican dishes I make vs. the usual shredded cheddar or Colby Jack.

 

[Shiz-Nit]

looks good

 

[4ever3]

Looks FANTASTIC!

 

[LongTong]

Nice looking Tinga Tostada!

 

[ModelMaker]

Bueno.
Ed

 

[Chett. L]

Hi Dom,

Looks First Class All The Way!

 

[Smoking Piney]

I am SO in with this!

Awesome! :thumb: