Snug Harbor Wine

Chicken Tinga

Serves 4

What to Pair With

The heat and smokiness of this dish poses some challenges for wine pairings, but fear not I have some suggestions. For whites, look for wines that have some sweetness to them (not sweet wines) such as Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Gruner Veltliner or wines that have lots of body like Chardonnay and Verdejo. For reds, go for a light wine like Beaujolais and put a little chill on it. Another great pairing would be bubbles. Prosecco or Lambrusco are perfect.

Chicken Tinga is a dish that hails from Mexico and would be considered one of their most loved comfort dishes. Typically, shredded chicken (pork may be used) is stewed in a smokey and spicy tomato sauce with onions and then serves on tostadas with garnishes such as avocado, cheese and salsa.

The dish lends itself to some variations and is easily customized to your tastes. I adapted a recipe from one of my favorite chefs, Kenji Lopez-Alt. While I would usually serve these on some warmed corn tortillas, here I made a polenta (corn meal) to make it a little more fancy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 bone-in skin-on chicken breast
Salt
Oil
4 small tomatillos, paper skins removed
2 medium tomatoes
1 onion, sliced or chopped
3 garlic cloves, whole
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1.5 cups water or stock
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 canned chipotle peppers and 1 tbsp of adobo sauce

Garnish:
Goat cheese (or cotija or feta)
Scallions
Chili flakes
Lime juice

Polenta:
4 cups water
1 cup coarse corn meal
Butter
Salt

Preparation

Salt the chicken and brown the skin in a deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Remove chicken and add whole tomatillos and tomatoes. Cook until skin is starting to brown and blister. Add the onions and cook 5 min. Add the garlic, oregano and bay leaves and cook another 3 min. Add the water and vinegar and then return the chicken to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover. Check the chicken temp in 20 min and remove at 145-150 degrees. Remove the bay leaves and add chipotle and adobo. Using an immersion blender or traditional one, blend until smooth. Remove the chicken skin and bones. Shred the chicken and return to the sauce. Cook until sauce reduces and thickens. Serve with tortillas or polenta. In a large pot, boil 4 cups water. Slowly add in the polenta and whisk. Over the next 20 min, whisk occasionally to reduce lumps. When smooth and thick, add 4 tbsp butter and 2 tsp salt. Serve.

Chris Chisholm is a Certified Specialist of Wine and a graduate of Boston University Wine Studies and Wine Making programs. He is also a graduate of Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver, CO. He has worked as a personal chef and chef instructor.

If you have any questions, email Chris at chris@snugharborwine.com. You can also follow Chris on Instagram @winechefchris for more delicious food photos!

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