Recipe for Tinga de Pollo

Welcome to the third installment of my recipes series (previous recipes here). This week I made tinga de pollo, a traditional dish here in Mexico.

I got the recipe as I do many things - I just kind of happened upon it. A couple of years ago, Tere, a member of one of our churches, brought it to a potluck. Mike just loved it. I mentioned this to Tere, and she said, "Oh it's so easy you could make it."

I was a bit skeptical, but as it turns out, it is really easy! It uses only four ingredients. Here's how I make it, followed by some thoughts on mealtime at the Hartman house.

Ingredients
1 kilo of chicken pieces (or about 2 pounds worth of chicken - I usually use chicken breasts with the bone still in them)

1 small onion

4 tomatoes

1 chipotle pepper


How to Make
1. Boil the chicken in a large pot of water for 30 to 40 minutes or until done. Let cool. Then remove the chicken from the bone and shred it into small pieces.

2. Slice the onion into long, thin strips, like so:


3. Fry the onion and chicken together in a frying pan over medium heat for three to four minutes. (You can add some oil for this part. I usually just use PAM).

4. Chop the tomatoes into large chunks and place them in a blender. Add the chipotle; then blend until smooth.

5. Add the tomato/chipotle sauce to the chicken and onion. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more water if needed.


6. Serve with tortillas or tostadas.


7. If you have small children, give them tortillas to munch on while you make dinner :)


Quick notes
- Like most of my recipes, this one can be varied according to taste. You can make it spicier (or less spicy) by adjusting the amount of chipotle added.

- This can also be made with pork or beef instead of chicken.

- I sometimes serve the tinga over beans and rice.

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and check back next week for some more Mexican food and fun!