Name: Tinga de Pollo (Chipotle Chicken Tacos)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 600 g chicken breast fillet; 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed (for cooking the chicken); 2 cloves (spice); 2 large tomatoes (about 400 g) (for the sauce); 4 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce (canned; for more heat add 1 or 2 extra); 120 ml chicken stock; 2 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 onions, cut into strips; 4 cloves garlic, chopped; 100 g chorizo, finely diced; salt (a pinch for the onions, the rest to taste); black pepper, freshly ground; 1 small red onion, finely chopped; 3 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped; 1 lime, zest and juice; 1 bunch coriander, small (leaves and stalks finely chopped, a few leaves kept for garnish); salt (for the salsa); 12 corn tortillas; 2 avocados, sliced

Preparation

Put the chicken in a pot with the crushed garlic cloves and the cloves, just cover with water and simmer gently over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through. Remove, let cool briefly and shred with two forks.
Heat a cast-iron pan without fat until smoking. Slowly turn the tomatoes in it for about 6 minutes until blackened in spots all over.
Blend the charred tomatoes with the chipotles and a little of their adobo sauce, the stock, cumin and nutmeg in a blender until smooth.
Heat the oil in a large pot and sweat the onions with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and chorizo and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sausage has released some of its fat.
Stir in the tomato and chipotle purée and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Add the shredded chicken, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
For the salsa, mix the red onion, tomatoes, lime zest and juice and coriander, and season with salt.
Warm the tortillas, spoon the tinga on top and serve with avocado slices and salsa.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
Mexican lager, ice cold with a lime wedge
The cold and the fizz cut through the chorizo fat, and the light malt sweetness tempers the smoke of the sauce.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Tequila blanco · excellent match
Paloma: tequila blanco with grapefruit soda, lime and plenty of ice
Peppery, green agave spice meets the chipotle smoke; ice and soda dilute the alcohol so it does not stoke the chilli heat further.
Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo: what aging changes
Aged tequila · good match
Reposado over plenty of ice, or long with soda and lime
The barrel and toasted notes of the reposado mirror the chipotle smoke; ice and soda keep the alcohol from fanning the heat.
Rosé · good match
Full-bodied Garnacha rosé, well chilled
Red fruit and acidity stand up to the tomato and chipotle sauce, and the chill helps with the heat.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Aged rum · good match
Aged rum as a highball with ginger beer and lime
Caramel and vanilla notes support the smoky aromas of the chipotle, while ice and lime keep the drink fresh.
Drinking rum neat: how to get to know a bottling

Why it pairs well

Aged rum in a highball is a surprise, but its caramel and vanilla carry the smoky notes of the chipotle.

Preparation

Put the chicken in a pot with the crushed garlic cloves and the cloves, just cover with water and simmer gently over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through. Remove, let cool briefly and shred with two forks.
Heat a cast-iron pan without fat until smoking. Slowly turn the tomatoes in it for about 6 minutes until blackened in spots all over.
Blend the charred tomatoes with the chipotles and a little of their adobo sauce, the stock, cumin and nutmeg in a blender until smooth.
Heat the oil in a large pot and sweat the onions with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and chorizo and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sausage has released some of its fat.
Stir in the tomato and chipotle purée and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Add the shredded chicken, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
For the salsa, mix the red onion, tomatoes, lime zest and juice and coriander, and season with salt.
Warm the tortillas, spoon the tinga on top and serve with avocado slices and salsa.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
Mexican lager, ice cold with a lime wedge
The cold and the fizz cut through the chorizo fat, and the light malt sweetness tempers the smoke of the sauce.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Tequila blanco · excellent match
Paloma: tequila blanco with grapefruit soda, lime and plenty of ice
Peppery, green agave spice meets the chipotle smoke; ice and soda dilute the alcohol so it does not stoke the chilli heat further.
Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo: what aging changes
Aged tequila · good match
Reposado over plenty of ice, or long with soda and lime
The barrel and toasted notes of the reposado mirror the chipotle smoke; ice and soda keep the alcohol from fanning the heat.
Rosé · good match
Full-bodied Garnacha rosé, well chilled
Red fruit and acidity stand up to the tomato and chipotle sauce, and the chill helps with the heat.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Aged rum · good match
Aged rum as a highball with ginger beer and lime
Caramel and vanilla notes support the smoky aromas of the chipotle, while ice and lime keep the drink fresh.
Drinking rum neat: how to get to know a bottling

Why it pairs well

Aged rum in a highball is a surprise, but its caramel and vanilla carry the smoky notes of the chipotle.

Tinga de Pollo (Chipotle Chicken Tacos)

Preparation

Drink with it

Mexican lager, ice cold with a lime wedge

Paloma: tequila blanco with grapefruit soda, lime and plenty of ice

Reposado over plenty of ice, or long with soda and lime

Full-bodied Garnacha rosé, well chilled

Aged rum as a highball with ginger beer and lime

This pairs well too.

Carnitas (Slow-Braised Pork)

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Fajitas with Peppers

Beef Burritos

Tinga de Pollo (Chipotle Chicken Tacos)

Preparation

Drink with it

Mexican lager, ice cold with a lime wedge

Paloma: tequila blanco with grapefruit soda, lime and plenty of ice

Reposado over plenty of ice, or long with soda and lime

Full-bodied Garnacha rosé, well chilled

Aged rum as a highball with ginger beer and lime

This pairs well too.

Carnitas (Slow-Braised Pork)

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Fajitas with Peppers

Beef Burritos