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What can you make with a whole chicken and your basic fridge and pantry staples? This is the question I found myself asking the other day . . . because I was too lazy to go to the store before the big snow storm (sigh). If only I had mushrooms or some bell peppers. Oh well, in the end, I came up with this Chicken Tinga recipe and life was good.
Notes on Snowed-In Chicken Tinga
Why did I use a whole chicken?
I’ve taken to buying whole chickens and butchering them myself. Or sometimes, I just chuck the whole chicken in the pot because, I’m lazy and I find this cooking method works pretty well. This recipe is an example of my whole-chicken-in-the-pot approach. If you like it, check out my chicken and andouille gumbo and/or my chicken tarragon stew.
Anyway, I recommend buying whole chickens for 3 reasons: (1) it’s cheaper, (2) you can make stock with the bones, and (3) it will make you a better cook. Reason one is pretty self explanatory – just check out the chicken prices at your grocery store. You will probably find that boneless breast and thighs are at least 100 percent more expensive than whole chickens (pound for pound). Reason two is the stock – a quart of chicken stock will cost you at least $2 or $3 dollars. Why not make your own? Besides homemade stock is far better – more rich flavor, less sodium. Reason three is also self explanatory – if you are making stock and butchering chickens all the time, your cooking skills are bound to improve. Mine certainly have.
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce Tip
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce are canned peppers. The cans we buy are usually 7 ounces. Most recipes will call for 1 or 2 peppers (chopped or pureed) which is only a quarter or so of the cans content. These guys can be spicy so you don’t want to over do it. The first time I used these peppers I misread a recipe and thought it called for two cans instead of 2 peppers – big mistake. Anyway, I typically puree the whole can with my emersion blender and then freeze what I don’t use. I think 1 heaping tablespoon of puree is about equal to 1 pepper.
Suggested Pairings for Chicken Tinga
Pair the Chicken Tinga with white rice or warm corn tortillas. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and green onions. For drinks, try an IPA or margarita!
Snowed-In Chicken Tinga
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Slow Coocking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Delicious served with rice or warm tortillas!
Ingredients
Chicken Stock
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 carrot, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 celery stalk chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 12 peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 dried chili de arbol (optional)
- water, about 12 cups
Tinga
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, diced
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, blended
- 1 28 0z can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 limes
- zest of 1 of the lime
- chopped cilantro for serving
Instructions
Chicken Stock
- Put the whole chicken and all the stock ingredients into a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add 12 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer over medium low for 1 hour. If chicken is not fully submerged, turn it after 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Raise heat and bring stock to a boil. Boil it down for 30 minutes or until you have about 4 cups remaining. Transfer stock to heat proof bowl and discard veggies. Spoon fat off the top. I usually pour the stock through a mesh strainer.
- When chicken is cool, shed it up. Discard skin and bones
Tinga
- Heat olive oil in large dutch oven. Add onions and cook over medium low for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in blended adobo pepper mixture.
- Add crushed tomatoes, stock, and lime zest. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken. Simmer over medium low for 1 hour. Stir in the lime juice. Adjust seasonings as desired.
- Serve with rice or tortillas and lots of fresh cilantro.
Notes
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce come in a can. Most recipes, like this one, don’t use the whole amount. I usually blend the whole can and freeze what I don’t use. I think one heaping tablespoon of the pepper puree is about equivalent to one pepper. Tip: An emersion blender is great for blending adobo peppers.
