Mexican Chicken Tinga Traybake

About This Recipe

Tinga is a classic Mexican preparation, usually made by simmering shredded chicken in a smoky chipotle and tomato sauce on the stovetop; this traybake version roasts bone-in chicken thighs directly in the sauce instead, which lets the chicken skin crisp slightly at the edges while the sauce below thickens and deepens in the oven's dry heat. The sauce's smokiness comes from chipotles in adobo — smoked, dried jalapeños canned in a tangy tomato-vinegar sauce — blended with fresh tomato, onion, and garlic into a base that's poured over the chicken before roasting. Because the chipotles are quite potent, starting with fewer and tasting the blended sauce before committing the whole batch is worth doing if you're unsure of your spice tolerance. Once roasted, the chicken can be shredded directly into the thickened sauce for tinga tacos, tostadas, or tortas, or served whole over rice with the sauce spooned on top — either way, the traybake format means less stovetop attention than the traditional simmered method while landing at the same smoky, savory result.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8 piecechicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
• 4 wholetomatoes
• 2 wholechipotles in adobo, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
• 1 wholeonion, half chopped for sauce, half sliced
• 3 clovegarlic
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 2 tbspoil
• 0.25 cupcilantro, chopped
• 1 wholelime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. 1

   Blend the sauce

   Blend tomatoes, chipotles with adobo sauce, chopped onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt until smooth.

2. 2

   Set up the tray

   Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Pour the sauce into a roasting tray and stir in the oil.

3. 3

   Add the chicken

   Nestle chicken thighs skin-side up into the sauce, and scatter sliced onion around them.

4. 4

   Roast

   Roast 40-45 minutes until the chicken skin is deeply golden and a thermometer reads 74C (165F), and the sauce has thickened.

5. 5

   Shred or serve whole

   Either serve the chicken whole with the sauce spooned over, or shred the meat off the bone and stir it back into the thickened sauce.

6. 6

   Finish

   Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges, warm tortillas, or over rice.

Variations

• •

  Use boneless, skinless thighs and shred immediately for classic tinga tacos.

• •

  Add a sliced chorizo alongside the chicken for extra richness, a common regional variation.

• •

  Swap chicken for pork shoulder, extending the roasting time until fully tender.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days; freezes well up to 3 months. Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of water or stock.

Frequently Asked Questions