Chipotle & brown sugar tinga tostadas

Recipe by Tony Ortiz

Makes 6 -8 tinga tostadas

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Chicken tinga is a simple and cozy dish that combines my one of my favorite flavor combinations, sweet and spicy! Smokey chipotles in adobo add depth to a sauce that poached and shredded chicken is stewed in. Serve this on a tostada, tortilla or over white rice. It is definitely a crowd favorite that goes well as a main or side.

This recipe can be made plant based using mushrooms!*

Ingredients

Poached chicken

6 cups of water

3 chicken thighs bone in or out

1 head of garlic sliced in half with skin left on

3 peeled and quartered shallots

2 T of coriander seeds

Tinga sauce

3 roma tomatos medium diced

5 pieces of canned whole chipotles in adobo sauce chopped finely into a paste

3 shallots peeled, sliced in half and then sliced lengthwise into thin pieces

5 garlic cloves minced finely

2 t of kosher salt

3-4 T of brown sugar

1 cup of stock (use poached chicken liquid)

Tostadas

8 corn tortillas

3 cups of canola oil

Citrus salad with lemon vinaigrette

3 heads of red gem lettuce or any small lettuce

1 large shallot peeled, sliced in half and then sliced lengthwise thinly

3 lemons, juiced

2 cara cara oranges or any winter citrus peeled and then sliced into bite sized chunks

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and sweetener of choice to taste

Special tools

Food thermometer (optional)

Method

Poached chicken

Add cold water into a small pot. Submerge chicken, sliced garlic head, shallots and coriander seeds into the pot. Make sure the water is covering the chicken, adding more water if needed. Bring the water to a boil and then drop the heat to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for about 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 170 when pierced with a food thermometer. Pull the chicken using tongs and place on a rack to cool. Strain the stock and reserve. Shred chicken once it is warm into pieces that aren’t stringy but not huge.

Tinga sauce

With a pan on low heat. Add some olive oil in to coat pan and toss in shallots and garlic. Let the them sweat for about 5 minutes stirring them so they do not burn. Once the shallots are soft and translucent add in the chopped chipotle pepper paste and turn heat to medium. Saute the onions and chipotle for about 3 minutes on medium heat and stirring as you go, adding more olive oil if it seems like the mixture is getting too dry or sticking to the pan. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for about 4 minutes or until the tomato begins to break down and release water. Add in brown sugar and mix. Toss in the shredded chicken and sauté for about 3 minutes - letting it absorb all the flavors and color of the shallot, chipotle, sugar and tomato. Pour in the stock and bring heat to a medium high. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half which will be about 5 minutes - you should be left with a saucy liquid that is not too watery or loose.

Tostada

Pour oil into a small pot and bring up the heat gradually to 360 using a food thermometer. Using tongs place tortillas into the hot oil one by one and let them fry for until golden brown and delicious (2-3 minutes). Pull the tostada out of the oil and let it cool on a rack, sprinkle salt over the tostada while it is still hot.

Salad garnish

Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl without seeds. Toss in sliced shallots and mix. Slowly stream in olive oil while mixing with a fork or small whisk. Once everything is emulsified - Season with salt and sugar to taste. I enjoy my vinaigrettes on the sweeter and tart side with less of the oil flavor. Once the vinaigrette is ready, add your greens and sliced citrus into a small mixing bowl and pour the vinaigrette over it all. Toss salad until well incorporated. Add more salt or sugar if needed.

Assembly

Place about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of chicken tinga on a tostada and then top with a side of salad. Garnish with chopped cilantro or scallions. Serve with a lemon wedge and some reserved sauce from the canned chipotles in adobo.

Plant based option!*

Take 6 cups of whole blue oyster mushroom. Roast at 350 degrees with olive oil and salt for about 15 minutes. Pull and then shred. Follow all instructions for chicken tinga but add the mushroom instead of chicken and a plant based stock instead of chicken stock.