Chicken Tinga Tacos for Two

By Mariealicerayner @MarieRynr
 On Wednesday nights my father always goes out with his lady friends for fish and chips. That leaves my sister and Dan free to have whatever they want for supper outside of my father's taste restrictions.
Dad doesn't like anything too spicy or out of the ordinary. He has a very limited palate, although it is far beyond it was when we were growing up. Mom was only allowed to use salt and pepper to flavor things for many, many years. 
 Usually on Wednesday nights Cindy will cook them or us something which is a bit spicier than the things we would normally have.  I invited them over here this week for a Taco night! 
I had not had tacos in a while and I don't think they had either.  I also thought they would enjoy some play time with the kittens, especially Dan. (I had to count to make sure I still had two when they left, lol) 
 
I love Tacos.  I usually always my own as I have never really lived anywhere near a Mexican Restaurant.  The few occasions I have had to eat Tex Mex in a restaurant have been very rare indeed! 
But I do love the flavors so I try hard to replicate them at home, as best as I can!
 I was really looking forward to some Taco action last night. I know that Dan the man, doesn't really like to try things too far out of the ordinary either (is this a man thing?) although he doesn't mind spicy things as much as my father does.
I decided to make two kinds of tacos.  I made the ordinary beef tacos, the kind of tacos you make with the filling that you use Taco seasoning with.  My make my own Taco seasoning. You can find that recipe here, along with all of my other seasoning mixes that I make.
 I like making my own mixes because if I make my own, I know exactly what is in them.  There are no ingredients that I cannot pronounce or have no idea of what they are.
Everything is as natural as I can make it. I think they taste better, and to be honest I don't like filling my body with unknown ingredients if I can help it. Its one of my quirks. I know we all have them! 
 I also decided to make Chicken Tinga Tacos.  One because I am not fond of ground beef tacos. And two because I like Chicken Tacos best of all.
I thought it would make a tasty change from the normal for my sister as well.  So I made smaller recipes of the two so that she and Dan could enjoy some of each if they wanted to. 
 One thing I love about these Chicken Tinga Tacos is that they use relatively few ingredients.  Just a few simple things that most of you will already have in your larder, cupboard and freezer.
Boneless, skinless chicken breast. Check!  Red enchilada sauce. Check! Onions and green chilis. Check! Chipotle chili powder.  Check!  Salt and pepper. Check!
 That's it. Simple food put together in a simple and yet incredibly delicious way.
You begin by cooking some onion and a seeded/trimmed/chopped green chili in a tiny bit of light olive oil.  You add the chicken breasts as well. I used three small ones.

Once your chicken has browned lightly on both sides (and that doesn't take long), you pour over some red enchilada sauce, add some chipotle chili powder, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender.
That also doesn't take long and the chicken absorbs the flavors of the sauce as it is cooking. It comes out shred-ably, incredibly, tender and juicy. You shred the chicken with two forks, right in the sauce.

This chicken filling is incredibly juicy. The meat really tender.  The flavor spot on!  I love it.
I like to enjoy it with a soft tortilla myself. I am not overly fond of the hard ones. I broke a tooth on one once and it made me twice shy!
 
You can serve this with your favorite taco toppings, any or all that you desire.
I to spread the tortilla with some guacamole before adding the filling.  Then I top the filling with my favorites.  Sour cream, salsa, cheese, chopped onion. 
 I also like to add a squeeze of lime juice and some black olives if I have them! You can also add pickled jalapenos if you want.
These can be made as spicy or not, as you wish them to be. I, personally err on the side of caution. I am not a fan of overly spicy food.  Oh, I like it, but my gut doesn't, so I need to be careful.

In any case, these are quick, easy and delicious.  The filling is also very easy to double if you want to make extra. It freezes really well.
It also makes an excellent enchilada filling.  Simply fill flour tortillas with it and roll them up.  Schmear the top with some more enchilada sauce and load on the cheese before baking. DEE-LICIOUS!! 
I sure miss my gas powered cooktop.  It was great for doing things like searing tortillas.  Sigh  . . .  oh well.  These were still excellent, seared tortillas or not!
 

Chicken Tinga Tacos for Two

Yield: 2-3Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 MinQuick, easy and delicious. Serve with in either hard shell taco shells or soft tortillas along with your favorite taco topping for a real taste treat!

Ingredients

For the chicken filling:
  • 1 TBS light olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3/4 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast meat (about 3 medium pieces)
  • fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 green chili, trimmed seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 3/4 cup red enchilada sauce
To serve:
  • warmed taco shells or taco sized wheat tortillas
  • guacamole
  • Dairy sour cream
  • salsa (I like Newman's Own Pineapple salsa)
  • chopped red onion
  • grated pepper jack cheese
  • Sliced black olives
  • Lime quarters to squeeze over top

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Add the green chili and onion, along with the chicken breasts. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring the onion and chili and turning the chicken now and then, until the chicken is golden brown on both sides.  (3 to 4 minutes per side) Pour in the enchilada sauce.
  3. Cover, and cook over low for 10 to 16 minutes, until the chicken is tender and no pink juices remain.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces. Mix it in with the sauce and gently heat through.
  5. Serve as desired in either soft tortillas or hard taco shells. Delicious!
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