Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga is loaded with bold and smoky flavors! Shredded chicken simmers in a tomato base sauce to serve in tacos, enchiladas and more!
Using our slow cooker to make easy Mexican Recipes makes dinner time a breeze. This Crockpot Chicken Tinga is perfect to meal prep with to make quesadillas, chicken tinga tacos, and Oven Nachos for a quick lunch or dinner.
Everything is tossed into the slow cooker to let it do all the work. That means no fuss, no stress – just the best flavor! If you love the flavor of this chicken you may also love this Mexican Shredded Chicken Recipe and Crockpot Mango Salsa Chicken.
What's in this post: Authentic Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga – Fiery Taco Filling
What is Chicken Tinga?
Chicken Tinga is a classic Mexican dish that is cooked in a smoky, tomato base sauce. Chicken Tinga originates in Puebla, Mexico and is sometimes called Tinga de Pollo. This Mexican Chicken can be used in many dishes such as tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas and more.
We love to meal prep this chicken dish on the weekend so we can enjoy it all week long for quick lunches. It is also perfect to serve at your next family gathering.
Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – You can also make with boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Yellow Onion – Dice the onion ahead of time. Learn How to Freeze Onion
- Minced Garlic – Learn How to Mince Garlic Cloves
- Cumin – If you are out, see Best Substitute for Cumin
- Dried Oregano – If you are, you can also use Italian Seasoning Recipe
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes – You can also use regular diced tomatoes
- Chipotle Peppers – With the Adobo Sauce
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
How to Make Chicken Tinga in the Slow Cooker
- Step 1 – Add the chicken breasts to a crock pot (at least 6 quart in size).
Step 2 – In a food processor or blender, add in the kosher salt, black pepper, onions, garlic, cumin, dried oregano, tomatoes, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Blend until smooth and combined.
Step 3 – Pour this mixture over the chicken in the crock pot. Cover and cook on for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken shreds easily.
Step 4 – Remove the chicken from the crock pot. Shred with 2 forks.
Step 5 – Then mix the chicken back into the sauce in the crock pot. Serve as is or over tortillas or rice. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Chipotle Peppers – I use chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce. Pull 2 peppers out of the can and 1 tablespoon of the sauce and refrigerate or freeze the remaining to use in future recipes. If you are sensitive to spice, only use 1 chipotle pepper instead of 2.
- Shredding Chicken – Shred the chicken with two forks or Learn How to Shred Chicken with a Mixer.
- Combining Sauce Ingredients – We used a food processor to blend the ingredients together but you can also use a blender.
- Instant Pot – Yes, you can make this recipe in the instant pot. Cook on high for 10 minutes with a natural release. Then shred the chicken and serve.
How to Serve Chicken Tinga
This Chicken Tinga is so versatile that you can serve it many different ways. These are some of our favorites.
- Tacos – Make Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe or Corn Tortillas and add in the shredded chicken then top with dice avocado, fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro.
- Tostadas – Buy some crispy tostadas shells and top with Easy Crockpot Refried Beans Recipe, chicken tinga, shredded lettuce and shredded cheese.
- Bowls – Make Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls with Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe with Black Bean Corn Salsa. Top with cotija cheese for even more flavor.
- You can even add make Chicken Quesadillas Recipe or Chicken Enchiladas for a delicious dinner idea.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is perfectly fine placing raw chicken in the slow cooker. We often place frozen chicken in the slow cooker and it always cooks juicy and tender.
The addition of the chipotle peppers can cause the Chicken Tinga to have a hint of spice. If you are sensitive to the spice level, just reduce the amount of peppers that you are adding. You can even add more if you like it more spicy.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can even store in individual containers for a quick lunch.
Yes, this is a great recipe to double the recipe to meal prep with. You can store the leftovers after they have cooled in a freezer storage container and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to serve.
Reheat the leftovers on the stovetop in a saucepan or in the microwave.
More Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Recipes
If you make Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review. We love to hear from you.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (approximately 3-4 chicken breasts depending on their size)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves Minced Garlic or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes 14.5 ounces
- 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Adobo Sauce from the can of chipotle peppers
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Place 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add 1 diced medium yellow onion, 4 cloves minced garlic (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic), 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano on top.
- Pour in 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, then add 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can.
- Cover and cook on for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken shreds easily.
- Remove the chicken from the crock pot. Shred with 2 forks. Then mix the chicken back into the sauce in the crock pot.
- Serve as is or over tortillas or rice. Enjoy!
Love chicken tinga! I’m going to have to figure out a way to let it cook for more like 10 hours, since that’s more in line with my schedule… it worked to make on a day off, but it’s nice to have a great smell and yummy food when you get home from a long day of work, too!! Thanks for a keeper recipe!
Allyson- You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed.
Love your recipes!
This sounds absolutely amazing will be trying this recipe out this week.
Teresa – Can’t wait to hear back once you try it! I think you will love it!
I am interested in making this but I have a question. Can I also add a bag of taco seasoning along with all other seasonings you mentioned above and a cup of chicken broth? I heard chicken broth makes the chicken tender and easier to shred.
Arthur – You can add the taco seasoning but I don’t think it would be needed with all the other seasoning and yes, you can add the chicken broth as well. This will add a ton of moisture and liquid to the sauce. I hope you try out the recipe and that you enjoy it!
I love anything chicken, but this is a game changer. Great flavor, versatile, and without heating up the kitchen. My first variation was to make a bowl with black beans salsa topped with avocado and sour cream. Yes, please!
Lynda – Wahoo! You made our day! So glad it was a hit.
very good
Janett – Yay! I’m so glad.
So easy & so tasty!
Lynn – Wahoo! So glad you enjoyed it!
So easy & so tasty!
Lynn – We love it too! I’m glad you enjoyed these tacos.
Love the ease of preparation!
Jacqueline – We do too! It is great for busy nights. Thanks for your feedback!
This is such an easy recipe that anyone can use its simple and very yummy.
Absolutely delicious! We ate it over rice without shredding. We made creamy coleslaw as our side. Will make again!
Kathey – Yum! Love that combination!
This looks really good, but have not tried it yet.
Can’t wait to. Could you use beef ?
I haven’t tested it with beef yet but I think it would be delicious with a beef roast or a pork roast. If you try it out, please let us know how it turns out!
I love Chicken Tinga Tacos, never made in Crockpot before! I will definitely be trying this!!
Tina – I hope you enjoy it! Let us know once you try it.
Some of my family members will like this .
Helen – That’s great! Can’t wait to hear your feedback.
Omg. Always was looking for a tinga recipe. Looks amazing.
Blake – Yay! Now you have one to try. 🙂
My best friend’s Grandma used to make this and we grew up eating as much as we could every time she made it. Sadly, her Grandma passed away and we discovered that she never wrote the recipe down. We had some really epic failures trying to figure it out on our own. This recipe is so very very tasty and so close to how we remember it as we were growing up. We are not searching any further. This recipe rocks! Thank you for sharing this.
Karyn – Oh my goodness. Your comment means a lot. Thanks for taking the time to share this story with us about your sweet friend’s Grandma.
Can’t wait to try this recipe as it looks 5 star!!!!
Nancy – Wahoo! So excited for you to try it.
I found this recipe and I had never heard of this before. It was a nice way to change up taco Tuesday around here ?? actually we eat tacos multiple times a week it seems. This was so flavorful and my husband prefers it to my typical salsa chicken tacos.
Elise – So happy to hear your family enjoyed these tacos!
Thank you for this Delicious recipe. A new recipe for Tacos
Love all your recipes you share!
Delicious
I was looking for a crock pot recipe that the whole family will eat. This is perfect! Running to the store for the peppers in adobo sauce right now!
Christina – I hope your family enjoys it. It is a favorite around here!
I haven’t tried it yet, but now that I see i can use the insta pot, it’s a must! Looks delicious too.
Millie – Yes! There are several options so you can choose the best one for you.
This looks amazing and so easy to make!! Will definitely try this!!!
Claudia – Hope you love it! It’s a favorite meal around here.
Love this easy recipe! I do love some heat and spice in this dish ! Thanks for offering
Delicious!! Will be making again soon. Family loved it!!
Jessica – YAY! Thank you for letting us know!
My family loved this
Bonnie – I’m so glad. We love it too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Best flavor. We made tacos, taquitos and enchiladas. Very easy and fast
Carol – I’m so happy that you loved it. Those sounds like delicious options you chose!
This recipe looks delicious but have not had a chance to make yet. Will make on Tuesday July 2
Norma – I’m excited for you to try it!
This sounds amazing and simple enough to make!
Tiffiny – Yay! Can’t wait for you to try it.
I will definitely try this recipe. It a recipe for during the week.
Yvette – yes! We love it for busy nights.
Can’t wait to try this. My daughter loves these at a local restaurant.
Kim – Hope you love it! It is so easy!
Looks good but I will substitute for the garlic.
Hal – Can’t wait for you to try it!
This is a great recipe. I double it, I like having precooked chicken in the fridge or freezer, it helps with meal planning
Lisa – That’s a great idea and perfect to enjoy later.
I have never made a Tinga recipe, nor even eaten it somewhere. This recipe looks so easy, and the fact that leftovers are easily frozen and reheated sounds like an ideal setup for me since I cook only for myself. The next time I buy groceries I can add a couple ingredients I would need, then I would have no excuses to not try this out. Always nice to have new recipes to try out. Thank you for this one.
YUM!! Can’t do peppers ?? but this is SMOKE’N as Nachos!!
Heather – Thanks for sharing. It means so much that you took the time to comment. I’m glad you enjoyed.
So easy, so good!
Cheryl – yay! thanks for sharing!
I love this, as it gives me another option for tacos. The ‘usual’ is great, but so nice to have another tasty recipe to choose from!
Julie – Yes! That’s how we feel. So nice to have more options.
Great recipe and very tasty!
Drina – Thanks for letting us know! It is always so nice to hear these kind comments.
Like this recipe as it can be used in different ways. Can be eaten as is on tortillas or served over rice. Very versatile.
Frances – Yes! It is so convenient with the serving options!
This a recipe I need to make in a 2 qt crock pot. I will have to reduce the fire also.
Bertha – Can’t wait for you to try it!
The Instructions make this recipe enjoyable to make and eat
Kathy – Thanks so much. We try to make it as easy as possible!
This will be dinner tonight.
Debbie – yay! I hope you love it as much as we do!
I can’t wait to try this!
Lisa – Let us know once you do!
So good and easy!
Sarah – Thanks for letting us know! It means a lot.
Solid recipe, must have in the rotation for a simple and versatile meal ?
Kali – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Sounds good will try it
Bonnie – I’m excited for you to try it!
Was delicious
Beverly – Yay! I’m so glad.
Fantastic recipe,it’s on my rotation list!
Reese -I’m so glad! We love it too.
This recipe looks so yummy! Can’t wait to make some tacos!
Kristy – I can’t wait for you to try it. Hope you love it!
So good for those that like a little spice to their chicken!
Great for hot summer days.
Patricia – yes! We love it to keep the kitchen cool.
I am definitely going to try this recipe! I want to use my crockpot more to keep meal preparation easy.
It sounds absolutely delicious and my family lives Mexican dishes!
Denise – So glad you are going to try it. The crock pot makes it so easy!
This is the first time I’ve heard of this recipe and decided to give it a try… It didn’t disappoint! We had it with rice and enjoyed dinner. ??
Karina – So glad it was a hit!
I am not a really big fan of spicy stuff, but I do love trying new things. Made this as a lunch for me and my fiance and we were quite surprised to find it more delicious than ever. I can not turn down tacos.
Dakota – So glad you tried it and enjoyed it!
This recipe is interesting. I’ll try it but I’m going to wait till cooler weather.
Randy – So glad you plan to try it!
Looks like a good change up of regular crockpot Mexican chicken. Definitely going to try it
I made this for dinner last night in my Ninja. It was very quick and easy. I used the chicken for enchiladas. It was amazing!
Athena – I’m so glad you loved it! It is such an easy dinner idea that we love too!
This was the perfect chicken to meal prep with to create delicious dishes throughout the week!