Tinga de Pollo (Chipotle Chicken Tinga)

Poach the chicken in salted water with the bay leaf for about 20 minutes, until cooked through. Lift out, reserve the broth, and shred the meat once cool enough to handle.

Blend the tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce and garlic into a smooth purée. Set it aside.

Heat the oil in a wide pan and cook the sliced onion over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until soft, golden and sweet — not browned and bitter.

💡 Give the onions their full time here. Sweet, well-cooked onions are the backbone of tinga; rushing them leaves the dish sharp and one-dimensional.

Pour in the tomato-chipotle purée and add the oregano. Simmer 8–10 minutes until it darkens, thickens and no longer tastes raw.

Fold in the shredded chicken and a splash of the reserved broth. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring, until the sauce clings to the meat and the pan is nearly dry. Taste and salt.

💡 Tinga should be moist but not soupy — the sauce coats the chicken rather than pooling. If it looks wet, cook it down another minute; if it's dry, loosen it with a spoon of broth.

Pile the tinga onto crisp tostadas and top with avocado. If you like, add a smear of refried beans under the tinga and a spoon of crema over it (the crema makes it no longer dairy-free).