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Week of 7/15/24

Instant Pot (or not) Chicken Tinga Tacos
with chili-lime watermelon

Active: 40 Total: 60
Original GF Paleo Vegetarian
Instant Pot (or not) Chicken Tinga Tacos

Cooking juicy chicken thighs with a few simple ingredients yields a rich, flavorful taco filling. Top it with some cool, fresh garnishes and watch it disappear!
Smarts: Don't shy away from the chipotle chilies, as they're the key ingredient in this classic dish (although if you prefer, you can substitute good quality chili powder.)
Cooking methods: This recipe includes instructions for using the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop. Select your preferred method. 

Tags
Make Ahead, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot Friendly
Proteins
Chicken, non-ground
Cuisines
Latin
Save recipe
47

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Instant Pot (or not) Chicken Tinga Tacos:
  • Onions, medium - 1 , sliced
  • Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
  • Chipotle peppers (usually found canned in adobo sauce) - 2 , chopped (use more or less depending on your spice preference)
  • Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless - 1 1/2 lbs
  • Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
  • Tomatoes, crushed (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can
  • Stock, any type - 1/4 cup (sub water)
  • Cumin, ground - 1 tsp
  • Oregano, dried - 1 tsp
  • Paprika, smoked - 1/2 tsp
  • Cabbage - 8 oz , shredded (sub coleslaw mix)
  • Limes - 1 , wedges
  • Avocados - 1 , chopped
  • Cilantro, fresh - 1/4 cup , coarsely chopped
  • Cassava wraps - 8 (sub any paleo-friendly tortillas or use lettuce leaves)
Chili-Lime Watermelon:
  • Watermelon - 1 lb , cubed or sliced
  • Lime juice - 1 Tbsp
  • Chili powder - 2 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - 1/2 tsp

Choose Cooking Method

Prep

  1. Onions / Garlic / Chipotle peppers - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Chicken - Season chicken on both sides with some salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  3. Slow cook chicken - Heat a large skillet with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear until just golden brown on both sides (it should not be cooked all the way through). Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, tomatoes, stock, cumin, oregano, and paprika. Add chicken thighs and any accumulated juices to the slow cooker. Slow cook until chicken is tender and easy to shred, 6 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  4. Cabbage / Limes / Watermelon - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  5. Avocados / Cilantro - Prep as directed.

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Make

  1. Use two forks to shred the chicken (you can shred it on a cutting board and then put it back into the sauce, or you can shred it right in the pot if you like). Taste and season with some salt and pepper, if needed.

  2. Place watermelon on a serving plate and sprinkle with lime juice. Combine chili powder and salt and sprinkle over watermelon.

  3. Warm cassava wraps according to package directions.

  4. Set out toppings. Let everyone assemble their own tacos by filling wraps with shredded chicken, cabbage, avocados, and cilantro.

  5. Serve tacos with lime wedges to squeeze over top and chili-lime watermelon on the side. Enjoy!

Prep

  1. Onions / Garlic / Chipotle peppers - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Chicken - Season chicken on both sides with some salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  3. Cabbage / Limes / Watermelon - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  4. Avocados / Cilantro - Prep as directed.

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Make

  1. Heat a Dutch oven or deep saute pan with cooking oil over medium heat. Add chicken thighs to heated oil and saute until golden brown on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

  2. Return pan to heat and add onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers. Saute until onions begin to turn tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and slowly pour tomatoes and stock over onions and scrape up any browned bits. Stir in cumin, oregano, paprika, and some salt and pepper. Return chicken to the pan along with any accumulated juices and nestle it into the sauce.

  3. Cover the pan with a lid. Simmer the chicken gently over the lowest possible heat (boiling will make the chicken turn tough) until tender and easy to shred, 20-25 minutes. 

  4. Use two forks to shred the chicken (you can shred it on a cutting board and then put it back into the sauce, or you can shred it right in the pot if you like). Taste and season with some salt and pepper, if needed.

  5. Place watermelon on a serving plate and sprinkle with lime juice. Combine chili powder and salt and sprinkle over watermelon.

  6. Warm cassava wraps according to package directions.

  7. Set out toppings. Let everyone assemble their own tacos by filling wraps with shredded chicken, cabbage, avocados, and cilantro.

  8. Serve tacos with lime wedges to squeeze over top and chili-lime watermelon on the side. Enjoy!

Prep

  1. Onions / Garlic / Chipotle peppers - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Chicken - Season chicken on both sides with some salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  3. Cabbage / Limes / Watermelon - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  4. Avocados / Cilantro - Prep as directed.

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Make

  1. Using the saute function of an Instant Pot add the cooking oil and then sear chicken thighs until golden brown on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer chicken thighs to a plate and set aside.

  2. Add onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers to the Instant Pot and saute until the aromatics start to turn tender, 3 to 4 minutes more.

  3. Turn off the saute function. Slowly pour tomatoes and stock over the onions, vigorously scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot (getting all of those browned bits up is the key to avoiding the burn error). Stir in cumin, oregano, paprika, and some salt and pepper. Return chicken to the pot along with any accumulated juices and nestle it into the sauce.

  4. Close and lock the lid. Set the pressure valve to 'Sealing'. Cook on manual / high pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.

  5. Use two forks to shred the chicken (you can shred it on a cutting board and then put it back into the sauce, or you can shred it right in the pot if you like). Taste and season with some salt and pepper, if needed.

  6. Place watermelon on a serving plate and sprinkle with lime juice. Combine chili powder and salt and sprinkle over watermelon.

  7. Warm cassava wraps according to package directions.

  8. Set out toppings. Let everyone assemble their own tacos by filling wraps with shredded chicken, cabbage, avocados, and cilantro.

  9. Serve tacos with lime wedges to squeeze over top and chili-lime watermelon on the side. Enjoy!

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