Are you looking for a fast and easy 30-minute dinner idea? I have so many in mind it’s hard to write them all up. This one came to me when I bought some rotisserie chicken from the store last week. It was very hot so I didn’t want to turn my oven on at home. I bought whole roasted chicken instead.

I used the roasted chicken to make a tinga that I further used as a filling for tacos. A taco is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of small, hand-sized tortillas, topped with fillings. Corn or wheat tortillas are typically used.

Chicken tinga was a popular option in a taco bar at the restaurant I used to work in. I like to make chicken tinga by shredding the roasted chicken and then simmering it with a sauce I make out of canned Rotel tomatoes, onions, and a variety of spices. The ready-made chicken and tomatoes save a lot of time.

These tacos are a wonderful dish to serve for yourself or for a large gathering. You can have one platter of assorted toppings, cheese, chips, and dips for everyone to help themselves. Bonus is easy clean up.

You can also use chicken tinga to fill quesadillas or tostadas, some other wonderful Mexican-style dishes. I normally have some taco shells and flour tortillas on hand, so this gives me lots of options depending on my mood.

Ingredients

Tinga Sauce

• 1 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 1 tbsp mild taco seasoning (I used McCormic)
• 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh jalapeno, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Chicken Tinga

• 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
• Tinga sauce

Chicken Tinga Tacos

• Chicken tinga
• 6- inch corn or flour tortilla warmed up
• Avocado, sliced
• Red onion, sliced
• Pickled jalapeno
• Cilantro leaves
• Green onion, thinly sliced
• Queso fresco, crumbled
• Lime wedges

Instructions

Tinga Sauce

Place all tinga sauce in a blender or food processor. Blend until the sauce is smooth. Taste for seasoning.

Chicken Tinga

Place shredded chicken and tinga sauce in a sauce pan. Simmer the chicken and sauce in a medium low heat for 10- 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer chicken to a serving dish. Serve the chicken along with all the fixing for the tacos.

Chicken Tinga Tacos

To make chicken tinga tacos, top the tortillas with the chicken and garnish with the avocado slices, cilantro, red onion, green onion, pickled jalapeno, and queso fresco. Serve with a lime wedge for squeezing.

Makes 8 tacos

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram.