Why does this recipe for Mexican Pulled Chicken work so well? Let’s break down the key elements that make this dish a guaranteed success every time:
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts are essential for flavor and moisture. Using this cut of chicken provides a richer taste and ensures the chicken remains juicy and easy to shred.
- Precise cooking temperature is key to tenderness. Cooking the chicken breasts to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) using a thermometer guarantees they will be perfectly juicy, even after shredding and reheating.
- Adding chipotle peppers at the end maximizes their smoky flavor. By holding off on the chipotles until the final stages, their distinctive smoky essence is preserved and truly shines through in the dish.
My first encounter with tinga poblana was through Rick Bayless’s fantastic recipe in Authentic Mexican, a version inspired by the renowned Fonda de Santa Clara restaurant in Puebla. His recipe called for a spicy tomato and chipotle stew featuring both pork chunks and chorizo sausage. I always found the combination of textures a bit perplexing. He also presented variations with shredded pork and chorizo. It seemed unusual to combine ground meat with larger pieces of meat in the same stew.
The concept became clearer when I explored Alex Stupak’s perspective in his book, Tacos: Recipes and Provocations. He draws a parallel between tinga poblana and an Italian Sunday gravy – a versatile stew built upon fundamental flavors like tomatoes, smoky chipotle peppers, and meat, but allowing for endless variations in its preparation. This analogy perfectly explains the numerous chicken-based interpretations of the recipe I’ve come across over the years.
While authentic Mexican chorizo undoubtedly adds depth, sourcing fresh Mexican chorizo for a quick and easy recipe can be challenging. You would likely need to visit a specialized Mexican market or undertake the task of making it from scratch. Fortunately, it’s reassuring to know that even without chorizo, chicken tinga, or Mexican pulled chicken as we are calling it, can be incredibly flavorful and authentically delicious.
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Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
At its core, Mexican pulled chicken (chicken tinga) is straightforward: chicken breasts or thighs are simmered with tomatoes, onions, and aromatics in water. Then, the tomatoes and onions are pureed with chipotle peppers. The chicken is shredded and mixed back into the sauce. Prepared this way, chicken tinga is undeniably tasty. However, I wondered if a few simple adjustments could elevate the flavor without significantly increasing the recipe’s complexity.
Opting for bone-in, skin-on chicken was a great starting point. The skin, bones, and connective tissue enrich the sauce as the chicken simmers, adding layers of flavor. The skin also acts as a natural barrier, helping to keep the chicken moist throughout the cooking process. I chose split chicken breasts because they shred more neatly than thighs and possess a milder flavor profile that allows the sauce’s nuances to shine. Browning the chicken lightly in oil or lard before simmering also introduces another layer of flavor complexity to the dish.
Some recipes rely solely on tomatoes, while others incorporate a combination of tomatoes and tomatillos. I lean towards the latter. Tomatillos contribute a bright acidity to the sauce, along with ample pectin, which aids in creating a richer, more substantial texture. This combination of ingredients builds a more vibrant and flavorful base for our Mexican pulled chicken.
Given that I already had a hot pan ready, I considered if browning the vegetables could further enhance the flavor. Directly dicing and browning tomatoes, tomatillos, and garlic proved ineffective – they released too much moisture, preventing proper browning. However, leaving them whole allowed them to brown beautifully over a few minutes in the hot pan, developing caramelized notes that add depth to the final dish.
Next, I introduced diced onion to the pot. The moisture released by the onions helped to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits left behind by the chicken and vegetables. Once the onions softened and their raw edge mellowed, I incorporated Mexican oregano (a classic tinga ingredient) and bay leaves, stirring for about 30 seconds to release their aromas before adding canned chipotle peppers and a splash of cider vinegar. While tomatoes provide a pleasant tartness, the vinegar truly harmonizes the dish, creating a delightful contrast with the chipotle peppers’ heat.
Instead of water, I chose chicken stock as the poaching liquid. (Canned or boxed low-sodium stock works perfectly well—even water can be substituted if necessary.) Initially, I tried using enough liquid to fully submerge the chicken, which later required a lengthy stovetop reduction of around 30 minutes after the chicken was cooked to achieve a thick, saucy consistency. A much quicker and simpler approach was to use just two cups of stock, covering the pot while simmering and occasionally turning the chicken to ensure even cooking. This method efficiently cooks the chicken and concentrates the flavorful broth, creating a richer base for the Mexican pulled chicken.
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Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
When preparing chicken breasts to be served whole, I typically cook them to around 150°F (66°C) to ensure they remain juicy with a pleasingly firm texture. However, in this Mexican pulled chicken recipe, the chicken undergoes a double cooking process: first in the poaching liquid, and again after being shredded and combined with the sauce. Therefore, for the initial poaching stage, cooking the chicken to just 145°F (63°C) is ideal. This temperature is sufficiently high for easy shredding, yet low enough to prevent dryness during the subsequent cooking phase in the sauce.
As soon as the chicken was cooked, I removed it and allowed it to cool slightly while I reduced the sauce to approximately half its initial volume (which took about five minutes). Then, I pureed the sauce using a hand blender until smooth. The flavor was delicious, but the smoky notes of the chipotle peppers seemed somewhat subdued. Adding more chipotles at this stage resulted in a sauce that was excessively spicy.
Initially, I had been adding the chipotle peppers before simmering, assuming their flavor would infuse the chicken. Instead, I experimented with reserving the chipotles until the very end, blending them into the sauce after it had finished cooking. This proved to be the key: their deep, smoky flavor became significantly more pronounced and vibrant. This late addition of chipotle is crucial for achieving that signature smoky flavor in Mexican pulled chicken.
Furthermore, once the chicken is shredded and incorporated back into the sauce, the flavor will completely coat the chicken, regardless of whether it was infused during simmering. With the chicken shredded, I returned it to the pan and simmered it just long enough to reduce the mixture to a moist, but not watery, consistency – the perfect texture for flavorful Mexican pulled chicken.
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Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Mexican pulled chicken (chicken tinga) is an exceptional filling for tacos or tostadas. It boasts a built-in salsa that is already spicy, bright, and smoky, requiring minimal additions to truly shine. A simple squeeze of fresh lime juice, along with a sprinkle of chopped white onion and cilantro for freshness, is more than sufficient to elevate this dish. The versatility of Mexican pulled chicken makes it perfect for various meals.
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Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Could this Mexican pulled chicken (chicken tinga) be further enhanced by incorporating a bit of chorizo into the sauce, as suggested by Bayless and Stupak? Possibly. However, when you take a bite, it’s hard to deny the feeling that, at least for those fleeting moments, everything in the world is perfectly in place. This simple yet flavorful dish is satisfying and complete on its own.
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Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
January 2016
