Tinga Time

a versatile dish you've got to learn

Tinga is a beloved Mexican dish. Usually made from shredded chicken, it simmers away in a sauce made from tomatoes, chipotles, and onions that results in a velvety final dish. In this recipe I’ve kept the sauce but switched in jackfruit to replace the chicken because let’s get real- it’s always about the sauce. Nobody will miss the bird. I’ve had tinga in burritos, piled high on tostadas and sopes, slipped into tacos, and folded into nachos. It delicious, comforting, and versatile as hell. You need tinga in your repertoire.

Tinga is believed to have originated in Puebla along with another member of the worldwide culinary hall of fame, mole. People know how to cook here. This state’s list of culinary achievements is long as hell. Puebla is the first area of what is now modern-day Mexico to have been home to humans with settlements dating back to 10,000 BC. It also boosts the oldest known evidence of domesticated corn from 8,700 years ago. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that the state of Puebla has maintained a vibrant culinary and arts scene over the centuries. They’ve had the time and resources, even through the Spanish invasion. Puebla knows how to cook.

This recipe is just for the jackfruit tinga. That’s all you need. You can serve it up however you think you’d like it best. I usually go for tacos or burritos with a smear of refried beans, a pile of tinga, and some fresh onion and cilantro on top. Double the recipe and stick some in the freezer for another time. You can’t tell the difference when you defrost it, I swear. You could build a bowl around it with some red pepper rice or cilantro rice from Hungry as Hell or pile it over chips along with my tex mex queso. Your tinga, your call.