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a row of chicken tinga tacos on a cutting board.
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4.73 from 18 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Tinga

This Instant Pot Chicken Tinga is perfect for those busy weeknights! Tangy flavorful tender chicken, cooked to perfection in a delicious homemade Tinga sauce, ready to be added to your favorite tacos, tostadas or even burritos. Best of all it's made in your Instant Pot and ready in just 30 minutes!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
NPR TIme10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken tinga, instant pot chicken tinga
Servings: 12
Calories: 357kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 small onion quartered
  • 3 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
  • 14 ounce fire roasted tomatoes (1 small can)
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste

Chicken

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2-3 pounds chicken thighs boneless and skinless

To Serve

  • 12 small corn tortillas or flour tortillas
  • 2 avocados ripe, smashed
  • 1 small red onion chopped
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped
  • cotija cheese crumbled, or crumbled feta
  • 2 limes cut into wedges
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Make the sauce: In a blender, add all the sauce ingredients together and blend until smooth.
  • Saute the onion: Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté setting and heat the olive oil. Add the sliced onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onion has softened.
  • Cook the chicken: Add the chicken and sauce to the Instant Pot and stir everything together. Close the lid (follow the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set valve to sealing and set the Instant Pot to the manual setting and the timer to 8 minutes. Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 10 minutes. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
  • Shred the chicken: Switch the Instant Pot to the saute setting (do not put the lid on). Transfer the chicken thighs to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the instant pot and continue cooking on Saute mode for another 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
  • Assemble tacos: Assemble tacos by topping the tortillas with mashed avocados, chicken tinga, red onion, cilantro, cotija cheese and a drizzle of lime juice.

Notes

  1. You can use either chicken things, chicken breast or chicken tenders.
  2. You can expand your topping selection to a variety of veggies and garnishes that can include corn, tomatoes, celery, black beans and the list can go on. Get creative with what you want to add.
  3. Instead of just plain smashed avocados, make guacamole and use that for extra flavor.
  4. Use chicken tinga for taco salads, burritos, burrito bowls, nachos, tostadas, etc.
  5. If you have leftover Chicken Tinga you can store the meat separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and just add your preferred toppings onto your tacos right before serving.
  6. The Chicken Tinga stores great in the freezer. Make sure your meat is cooled down to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container or freezer bag. It will last up to 3-4 months in your freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg