Cook’s in the Kitchen: Chicken Tinga Street Tacos

“The thing about a good street taco is it goes together very quickly but a really exceptional street taco requires a lot of love and attention when cooking the protein.  Chicken tinga.  Carnitas.  Pibil conchinitas.  Carne asada can be executed quicker but still requires a lot of prep for the marinade and close attention paid not to let the meat burn over too high of a heat.  Having said that here is a recipe that’s cut a few corners for the fast-paced lifestyle.   Don’t forget the salsa.” - Executive Chef Michael Johnson  

Chicken Tinga Street Tacos

INGREDIENTS:

•             1 tablespoon olive oil

•             1 cup roughly chopped sweet onion

•             2 cloves garlic, minced

•             1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

•             1 teaspoon dried oregano

•             1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin

•             3⁄4 cup canned crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

•             1⁄4 cup chicken stock

•             1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

•             3 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works!)

For Serving:

•             10 (6-inch) corn tortillas

•             2 ripe avocados, sliced

•             1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

•             1/2 cup diced red onion

•             crumbled cotija

•             1 lime, cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.            Sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium. Once warm, add the oil and onion. Sauté for 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in the chipotles, oregano, and cumin, and toast for 1 minute. Add in the tomatoes, stock, and salt. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 7 minutes.

2.            Blend: Place the tomato mixture in a high-powered or regular blender, and blend until smooth.

3.            Chicken: Return the blended sauce to the pan over low heat. Add the chicken, and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

4.            Serving: Prepare the garnishes. To assemble, top the tortillas with the chicken and garnish with the avocado slices, cilantro, red onion, and cotija. Serve with a lime wedge for squeezing.

NOTES:

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Instant Pot Chicken Tinga Tacos: Blend all sauce ingredients (I did not sauté them first). Add sauce to Instant Pot along with about a pound of chicken breasts. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Shred chicken in sauce and serve.

Spiciness: I like to use two chipotle peppers for optimal “medium” spiciness. If you want a mild version, just use one chipotle pepper. If you want it hot hot hot, go for three.

Avocado Mash: I found my avocados sliding out of the tacos because I am a taco monster and things got a little messy. To make sure I got every ounce of avocado goodness possible, I mashed up the avocado, squeezed in some lime juice, sprinkled in some salt and a super light dusting of garlic powder, and spread that on my tortillas before adding the chicken.

CHAR YOUR TORTILLAS PLEASE: Place directly over a gas flame to char the edges. Place on a plate, and cover with a towel to steam. (If working on an electric stovetop, heat the tortillas on a warmed pan, and cover to steam.)