Chicken Tinga Quesadilla Taco (Instant Pot)
This Chicken tinga is dripping with tons of chipotle tomato flavor! Topped with chopped onions, cilantro and grated cojita cheese then drizzled in a homemade avocado poblano sauce and sandwiched between two cheese stuffed pan-fried flour tortillas.
Servings: 8 tacos
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced in half horizontally tenders or thighs work too
- 16 flour tortilla shells, taco sized
- 1.5 cups quesadilla cheese, shredded Oaxaca or Chihuahua. Mozzarella can work as a substitute
- oil for pan frying shells
- Toppings: cilantro, lime wedges, grated cojita cheese, diced onion, etc.
Chicken Tinga Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 chipotles in adobo
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the chipotle can
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 28 oz can canned peeled tomatoes San Marzano tomatoes have the most flavor
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Avocado Poblano Sauce
- 1 poblano pepper
- 3 small tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 whole avocados, peeled and seeds removed
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/4 white onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper (each)
Instructions
Make the Avocado-Poblano Sauce
- I like to make this a day ahead and store in the fridge to save myself a step when dinner time comes.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place poblano, tomatillos, garlic cloves and jalapeno to a lined baking sheet. Rub with a drizzle of olive oil and roast for 8 minutes. Flip and continue to roast for another 5 minutes. Allow them to cool then remove any stems and seeds.
- Into a food processor add avocados, cilantro, sugar and seasonings, lime juice, onion, and roasted veggies. Blend until smooth, adding more lime juice or a splash of water if needed. Texture should be creamy but not runny. Taste and adjust any seasonings if needed.
Prepare Chicken Tinga
- In a blender, add the 4 garlic cloves, chipotles + sauce, seasonings and canned tomatoes. Blend until smooth.
- In an Instant Pot, turn on saute mode (or medium heat in a large pot on the stove). Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the red onions until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in half the tomato mixture from the blender. Followed by chicken stock. Submerge the chicken into the pot, then top with remaining tomato mixture.
- Pressure cook for 15 minutes with natural steam release. Or, slow cook on low heat on the stove in a covered pot until the chicken easily shreds with a fork, about 2 hours. You can also cook in a crock pot on high or 4 hours or low for 6 hours.Once the chicken can be easily shredded with a fork, remove the chicken and shred it. Meanwhile, bring the sauce to a low boil (on saute mode if using an Instant Pot) then reduce heat to simmer or Keep Warm mode on an Instant Pot. Place the shredded chicken into the liquid to braise while you prepare the taco shells.
Assemble Tacos
- Add a splash of oil to a pan or griddle over low heat. Pan fry the soft taco shells, a few at a time and add 1/4 cup of shredded cheese then top with another shell (like you are preparing a quesadilla). Once the underside is lightly browned and cheese begins to soften, flip and continue to cook until both sides are lightly brown but still pliable.
- To assemble, add shredded chicken to each quesadilla taco with a slotted spoon so the excess sauce drips away. Top with avocado-poblano sauce and toppings of your choice. Store any leftover chicken with the tinga sauce for maximum flavor. It's great to use for homemade nachos!