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These Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos are rich with authentic Mexican flavors and completely irresistible. Once you make a batch of these easy, yet brag-worthy tacos, you’ll be in love! Perfect Taco Tuesday recipe!

The tings tacos are placed on a wooden surface.
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If you’re a fan of my favorite Cauliflower Tinga Tacos, you’re going to be obsessed with the chicken version! Unless you’re a vegetarian, or course – in which case, stick to the cauliflower!

For the rest of us meat eaters, prepare to sink you teeth into your new favorite taco. The chicken is slowly cooked to shredded, tender perfection and seasoned with traditional Mexican flavors.

These tacos are topped with ingredients like cilantro, lime juice, and cojita cheese, bringing a delicious element of freshness to the savory chicken. Every single ingredient in these bad boys is pretty much guaranteed to make your mouth water!

Elevate your taco Tuesday game with these truly Mexican-inspired chicken tinga tacos. You can thank me later!

Cilantro is spread over three tacos.

Ingredients for chicken tinga tacos

  • Chicken thighs – Make sure they’re boneless and skinless. Breasts will also work just fine!
  • Salt – Just a pinch to taste
  • Black pepper – Freshly cracked will provide the most flavor
  • Olive oil – Avocado oil will also do the trick
  • Onion – A white or yellow onion is preferred
  • Garlic – Freshly minced or pre-minced are both good
  • Cumin – This seasoning provides a level of warmth and depth to the chicken
  • Oregano – A little goes a long way
  • Tomato puree – The tomato puree provides a lot of bold flavors without making the tacos taste like tomatoes
  • Chilis in adobo sauce – Be sure to reserve that adobo sauce!
  • Tortillas – For the best tacos ever, use my Homemade Flour Tortilla recipe

Toppings I love:

  • Red onion – This thinly sliced onion will give each bite a light crunch and a crisp onion flavor
  • Cojita cheese
  • Cilantro – Stems and all, baby!
A taco is filled with cheese, chicken, onions and cilantro.

What’s the best way to make these tacos spicier?

If you want the chicken itself to be spicier, just toss in some cayenne powder or crushed red peppers to the slow cooker.

If you want to make the individual tacos spicier, then add freshly chopped jalapeños and hot sauce as toppings. Remember, if you keep the seeds of the jalapeños in there, it’ll be extra hot.

How long will the chicken tinga meat stay fresh?

Keep any leftover chicken meat in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh for up to 3 days. To reheat, you can use the microwave or slow cooker.

A white bowl is filled with chicken tinga meat.

More recipes I just can’t get enough of!

Brussel Sprout Toastadas

Homemade Crunchwrap Supremes

Chorizo Azul Tacos

Poblano Mexican Street Corn off the Cob

Crispy Shrimp Tacos

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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos

The most delicious shredded chicken tacos! Flavorful, tender, juicy and smoky, and cooking them is a breeze in your slow cooker!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 tacos

Ingredients 

  • 2 pounds (907 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 15 ounce (425 g) can tomato puree
  • 2 chilis in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce the chili’s are in, see notes
  • Tortillas

TOPPINGS:

  • Red onion
  • Cotija cheese
  • Cilantro
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Instructions 

  • Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in the slow cooker.
  • Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, add the sliced onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Transfer onions to the slow cooker. To a blender, add tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, and chilis in adobo sauce. Pureé until blended into a sauce.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken and onions. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours.
  • Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the thighs to a cutting board and shred with two forks.
  • Return the meat back to the sauce. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes on low or warm setting.
  • Serve over tortillas with red onion, cilantro and cheese.

Notes

The heat in this recipe is medium.
For mild, use 1 chili and 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce; for hot, use 3 chilis and 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce.
This can also be made with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Shredding chicken hack: If you have a stand mixer, place the thighs in the bowl of the stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, and turn the mixer to ‘stir’ or a low setting, run until chicken is shredded.
Your favorite cheese can be substituted for the Cotija cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco, Calories: 245kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 144mg, Sodium: 608mg, Potassium: 748mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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