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Weeknight-style Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema. Chicken seasoned up with smoky chipotle peppers and enchilada sauce, then mixed with cheese, stuffed into tortillas, and oven-baked. Each tinga taco is crunchy on the outside, but spicy and cheesy inside. Serve with a creamy, salty, honey-lime avocado crema sauce, and a mix of your favorite toppings. These come together easily and are so delicious. The perfect crispy taco that everyone loves!
It’s definitely no secret that we love Mexican food, especially tacos. Honestly, anything Mexican is a go for my family. Spicy, cheese, lots of flavors, avocado, and cilantro. These are some of our favorite flavors/foods.
I have told the childhood taco story here one too many times, so we’ll skip that today. But if you’re new, basically I grew up on my dad’s crispy, cheesy hard shell tacos.
His were very basic, but to this day my brothers still request them. Hard not to love any kind of taco, you know?
But today we have chicken tinga tacos, one of my very favorite flavors. If you’re not familiar with Chicken Tinga, it’s a Mexican dish consisting of shredded chicken in a tomato-based chipotle sauce with sliced onions. Like a lot of popular Mexican dishes, it’s pretty simple. The flavors from the chipotle peppers are KEY and what’s most traditional with any Tinga dish.
I’ve done a few variations now, but this is probably the most traditional. Well kind of, I use a shortcut in the sauce to save a little time!
The quick details
They are easy you guys. I want to start out by saying you can make these in either the crockpot, instant pot, or on the stove. We all love options when it comes to dinner, so use whichever method suits you best! They will all give you the same outcome.
For the crockpot, just add all the ingredients for the chicken right into the crockpot. So the onions, chipotle, enchilada sauce, and the seasonings. Let it all slow cook, then shred the meat. Done.
The very same with the instant pot, except the cooking time is much, much shorter (just 8 minutes).
And for the stove-top, there is slightly more involved, but it’s still easy. Just cook the chicken in a skillet until seared. Add the onion, then everything else. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Then shred the chicken and that’s that.
For the crispy shells
Instead of using store-bought taco shells, I like to take corn tortillas and stuff them with the chicken tinga and cheese. I throw them into the oven to bake until the tortillas are crispy.
This method is my favorite and I use it every time I make tacos for my family. We love the crispy oven “fried” shells and melty cheese. It’s the best when some of the cheese melts out onto the pan and gets crispy too. Delicious.
And finally the crema
Do you all remember the creamy jalapeño sauce I made with my Cuban quesadillas? Well, that sauce uses pickled jalapeños. Ever since making those I’ve been using pickled jalapeños in everything.
For this crema, I whipped avocado in a food processor with the jalapeños and lots of cilantro. I added garlic and a little honey to balance the heat, and then some sea salt.
It is so creamy, and the pickled jalapeños make it so delicious. Spicy, but not SPICY. Serve up the crema on each taco, then add whatever other toppings you love most. I always recommend a pineapple salsa or mango salsa. I love a good fruity salsa.
Looking for more simple, Mexican recipes? Here are a few favorites:
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Cauliflower Al Pastor Quesadillas with Lime Smashed Avocado
Mushroom Al Pastor Tacos with Garlic Lime Special Sauce
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Lastly, if you make these Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema, 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!
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Jalapeño Avocado Crema
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 517 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3/4 cup red enchilada sauce
- 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12-16 corn tortillas, warmed
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- shredded lettuce and pickled onions, for serving
Crema
- 2 large avocados, halved
- 1/4-1/2 cup pickled jalapeños
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1-2 teaspoons honey
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 limes (juice from)
- flaky salt
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the chicken, onion, enchilada sauce, chipotle, oregano, cumin, and salt. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.2. When finished cooking, shred the meat and toss with the sauce. Preheat the oven to 425° F.3. Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each tortilla flat and then layer evenly with cheese and chicken. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp. 4. Meanwhile, make the Avocado Crema. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt.5. Serve the tacos topped with avocado, lettuce, limes, and any other desired toppings.
Instant Pot
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the chicken, onion, enchilada sauce, chipotle, oregano, cumin, and salt. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Once done cooking, release the steam. 3. Follow the directions as directed above for steps 2-5.
Stove-top
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken. Cook until 2-3 minutes, then flip and add the onion. Cook another 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the enchilada sauce, chipotle, oregano, cumin, and salt, and 1/3 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened and the chicken cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat.3. Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each flat and then layer evenly with cheese and chicken. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp. 4. Meanwhile, make the Avocado Crema. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt.5. Serve the tacos topped with avocado, lettuce, limes, and any other desired toppings.
We are obsessed with these! And I make the avocado crema all the time for other types of tacos and fajitas! This is my daughter’s favorite recipe! She asks me to make them all the time!
Hi Marla,
Perfect!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and appreciate you giving it a try! xxTieghan
Another great recipe! The entire family enjoyed it. Thank you.
Hi Charitie,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xTieghan
We are obsessed with these! And I make the avocado crema all the time for other types of tacos and fajitas! This is my daughter’s favorite recipe! She asks me to make them all the time! If any are left over, they reheat so well if you throw them in the air fryer for a couple min!
Can you do this with frozen chicken thighs
Hi Gabrielle,
I would thaw the meat first. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe!! xx
The flavor of these are amazing and the crema was delicious. The only problem I had with it was that my chicken came out far too liquidy so my tortillas got very soggy and didn’t toast right. I did fix this though on the second round by doubling up on the tortilla!
Hey Lindsey,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
Mine too rolled and cracked, and did get soggy from the chicken, but we still devoured it. It was delicious!!! Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Mataya, sorry to hear about your tortillas! Next time, try warming and coating in oil and be careful not to over stuff them:)
I’ve been in a cooking rut and this was just the thing to pull me out! I was worried about the shells cracking, but mine turned out ok! I lined the baking sheet with foil, and sprayed the foil, then I sprayed the top of the tortilla after I folded it over the ingredients. We loved the crema as much as the tacos. Will def make again – one of my favorite recipes to date!
Hey Trisha,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
These tacos are SO good, i’ve made them twice this month and they will definitely stay in the rotation. I appreciate how easy the prep is, I can easily just toss everything in the crockpot during lunch and forget about it until dinner! The chicken smells so good when it’s done, but DON’T skip baking the tacos in the oven, the crunch is definitely worth the wait. The crema is good, but my family is obsessed with Tieghan’s Cilantro Lime Ranch, so we’ve been switching that out.
TL;DR Make these tacos!!!
Hey Bridget,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ☀️xxT
Have you done these with your homemade flour tortillas?
Hi Holly,
I haven’t, I typically use corn tortillas with this recipe:) Let me know if you give it a try! xx
Great recipe and will definitely make again. I through the tacos under the broiler for 2 minutes after the bake and they crisped up perfectly. Also used the leftover liquid from the chicken for a consommé that was great to dip the tacos into. I forgot the honey in the crema but it still turned out delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Noah,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Loved this recipe!! I used boneless, skinless thighs and 1 cup red enchilada sauce with the other ingredients in crock pot. Whole Foods sells a corn/flour tortilla that is the perfect size for filling with the chicken, cheese, crema, red cabbage shredded and limed and Viola! A winner.
Hey Karen,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
I’m making the chicken in the crockpot a day earlier than my party, would you assemble the tacos and put them in the refrigerator until time to bake them or would you assemble the tacos, bake them and then reheat them in the oven just before serving?
Hey Beth,
I think it’s totally fine to prep the chicken in advance, but I would wait until the day of to assemble the tacos. You risk them getting soggy or drying out if prepping them or baking them in advance. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made this on the weekend for a friend’s birthday dinner and SOOOOO GOOD! Don’t skip on the crema, it is scrumptious! I also made the pineapple mango salsa from another HBH recipe as suggested. I had a couple of tacos left over that I brought home to my husband and they reheated really well and were a great late night snack 🙂
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks so much for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Does the crema keep for a couple of days? Would you suggest putting the avocado pit in it to help keep it fresh? Thanks! I love all your recipes and trying this one tonight!
Hey Katherine,
I probably wouldn’t keep it for more than 48 hours and yes keep the pit:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I’m trying this recipe in the instant pot. I see in your video that you add water. How much water do you use?
Hi Cassidy,
No need to add any water, you can follow the recipe as instructed:) I hope the tacos turn out amazing for you, please let me know if you give them a try! xTieghan
Another keeper! The Crema was very delicious! I grabbed the wrong tortillas (flour) but they still turned out great (just not as crunchy)!
Hey April,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xxT
The corn tortillas just curled right up and all the filling just melted out in a soupy mess on the baking sheet. I had feeling this would happen as corn tortillas always roll up and aren’t as soft as a wheat one. Will never make this again. What a waste.
Hi Tani,
So very sorry to hear you had issues with the recipe. Corn tortillas can definitely be finicky. I really like to warm them and coat in oil before using them. Also, it’s key to not overstuff them when rolling. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xTieghan
I am obsessed with this recipe. Super easy. I used the instant pot. Leftovers are so good too!
Hey Alanna,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xxT