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Weeknight style 30 Minute Crispy Cheese Chicken Tinga Tacos with Pineapple Salsa. Chicken, seasoned up with smoky chipotle peppers and enchilada sauce, then stuffed into crispy fried cheese tortillas. Each tinga taco is slightly crunchy on the outside, but spicy and cheesy inside. Serve with a charred corn and pineapple salsa, creamy crema, and a mix of your favorite toppings. These come together easily and are so delicious. The perfect twist on a classic taco that everyone will love!
When in Mexico, eat all the tacos you can! I mean, right? I figured since I’m in Mexico the next couple of days why not share one of my favorite tacos with you guys. And truly, these really are one of my favorites.
Jumping right into the details today!
So here’s how you make these quick tinga tacos
What I love so much about these tacos is just how quick and easy they are to make. Thirty minutes is really all that’s need. Alright, so the chicken. The key to a good tinga taco is canned chipotle peppers. They’re the key to the tinga sauce.
Cook the the chicken up in a skillet, add the peppers, then a bit of enchilada sauce. The enchilada sauce isn’t traditional, but I love the additional flavor and sauciness it adds. Simmer the chicken in the sauce, then once it is cooked, shred the meat.
I love to use chicken tenders, which cook up much faster than chicken breasts. If you want more flavor, try using chicken thighs.
Now the pineapple salsa
While the chicken cooks, make the pineapple salsa.
The salsa is also one of my favorites. Charred corn and fresh pineapple tossed together with serrano peppers and cilantro. It’s fresh and so delicious.
If you have extra time, char the serrano peppers over an open flame. It adds so much extra flavor.
The crispy fried cheese tortillas
When the chicken is cooked, heat a big skillet over medium heat. Add a few tortillas and a handful of cheese. Let the cheese melt, now flip the cheese and let it cook until the cheese is crisping on the edges. I know this sounds odd, but essentially you’re frying the cheese. Trust me it’s so delicious.
Flip the tortilla back over, add a second tortilla and then assemble the taco.
Layer up a little smashed avocado, salsa, and chicken, then drizzle over a little crema. Looks fancy and like these tacos took hours to prepare, but in reality, they take thirty minutes – tops.
Got to love that, and what’s even better? They taste pretty darn amazing too. Perfect weeknight tacos to keep dinner fresh and exciting!
Looking for other taco recipes? Here are some favorites:
Crispy Braised Chipotle Beef Tacos
Slow Cooker Braised Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Tacos
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Lastly, if you make this 30 Minute Crispy Cheese Chicken Tinga Tacos, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Crispy Cheese Chicken Tinga Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 511 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo finely chopped, use to your taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce homemade or store-bought
- 8-12 corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 shredded mexican cheese
- shredded lettuce, smashed avocado, crema, or sour cream
Pineapple Salsa
- 2 ears grilled corn, kernels removed
- 1 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
- 1-2 serrano peppers, seeded, if desired, chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browning, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle peppers, enchilada sauce, oregano, salt, and 1/3 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and shred the chicken. 3. Meanwhile, make the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt. 4. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add 2-3 tortillas and a handful of cheese, cover the pan and let cook 30 seconds, until the cheese is melty. Flip and cook another minute, until you see the cheese crisping, then flip and add another tortilla on top. Remove from the heat. 5. Stuff the tortilla with avocado, salsa, and chicken. Top with crema and additional salsa. Enjoy!
I made this for me and boyfriend and we love it!!!!! I’ve made this recipe repeat 5 times now, thank you for all your great recipes!!!
Hi Julie,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays!? xx
I made these for dinner tonight for my family and some friends. They were so super good. Easy to make too! My friend said, “whatever this recipe is….save it! This is a winner!” and he was right!
Awesome! Thanks a bunch for trying out the recipe, love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
In a HUGE fan of half baked harvest and I make several recipes a week but this wasn’t a winner for us.
Maybe I just did something wrong but it wasn’t a favorite. It felt like kind of a lot of work for a pretty average result. Maybe I’ll try again with more chipotle peppers…. I used 2 but I feel like I should have used a whole jar or different enchilada sauce. I don’t know what went wrong. ??♀️?
Hey Meg,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it wasn’t enjoyed, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
I know it’s a little more work, BUT I tried it using homemade enchilada sauce and it was amazing! It only added a few minutes and makes it so much better. This is one of the easiest enchilada sauce sauce recipe I love: https://cookieandkate.com/enchilada-sauce-recipe/; try that instead!
Another winner. I made everything ahead of time. I folded the cheesy tortillas after I made them and placed them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Then, right before it was time to eat, I stuffed them with the chicken and warmed them up in the oven. Great school night meal!
Hey Jennifer,
Wonderful! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving the recipe a try!! xTieghan
These were incredible! We made this for my father in law’s birthday and everyone loved it. The pineapple salsa was fire. The chicken in the adobo sauce was fire. The crispy cheese on the tortillas was fire. Can’t wait to make this again! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Hey Tara,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was amazingly DELICIOUS and easy!
Hey Alyssa,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
These were a WINNER in my house!!! My boyfriend said we should make chicken tinga EVERYTHING! The canned sauce was amazing- I’m not the best cook but this recipe sure made me seem like one! It did take me way longer than 30 minutes to make these BUT also I DIDNT use the chicken tenders instead cut the breasts up.
Hey Amber,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best week:) xTieghan
My husband said these were the best homemade tacos he’s had yet! The recipe came together quickly and every part is delicious! Extra love the cheesy tortillas! Leftovers made great nachos!
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
Excellent! Everyone liked this tonight. It’s a keeper. Thanks for all the great cooking techniques!
Hey Callie,
Happy Monday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxTieghan
Salsa is awesome! Used Siete enchilada sauce and they turned out great! Don’t skip the cheese tortillas! Amazing!
Hey Lauren,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! xTieghan
Okay, another winner, Tieghan! This was most fantastic. I made these with chicken for my fam but substituted mine with cauliflower. The pineapple salsa was to die for. I will take a picture next time and post to Instagram and tag you.
Hey Jill,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
Turned out delicious ! Thanks for recipe ?
Hey Val,
Happy Wednesday!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xxTieghan
Wow, these were good! And really easy to make. Definitely do not skip crisping the cheese on the tortilla…easy and worth it! The pineapple salsa also added a nice contrast to the chicken – I didn’t have corn, but didn’t miss it in the salsa. Definitely a keeper!
Hey Kristi,
Happy Wednesday!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xxTieghan
I made the chicken in the recipe & it was outstanding- the whole family loved. One additional step I took was seasoning the chicken before cooking. Also, I made 2 batches, one with 2 chipotle peppers & one w 3.5 peppers & found I liked the version w less chipotle peppers better which was surprising. The peppers added a deep smoky flavor.
Hey Jessica,
Happy Sunday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xxTieghan
Loved the recipe! Can’t wait to make again but I did have trouble with the cheese and tortilla immediately sticking to the pan when flipping the cheese side down and couldn’t get it to release. I just ended up melting the cheese under the broiler in the oven but would love to try the skillet again….suggestions to keep the cheese from sticking?
Hey Whitney,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! What kind of skillet did you use? I used a cast iron skillet with oil and found that works best for me. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan